News

According to the latest “Shanghai Subject Rankings,” TUM is Germany's top university in 22 disciplines. It also ranks first in Germany in agricultural sciences once again. The ranking focuses primarily on a university's research performance.

Fruit breeding, horse breeding, and Germany’s oldest long-term experiment—during the 2026 Pentecost field trip, agricultural science students at TUM explored a wide range of disciplines. Over the course of five days, Prof. Hülsbergen, Prof. Steinhoff-Wagner, and Prof. Bernhardt led the group on a joint field trip. Under the theme “In the Footsteps of Albrecht Thaer,” the nearly 40 participants traveled to Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Brandenburg.

What makes the climate chambers at the Freising-Weihenstephan campus special? What kind of research is being conducted there? Bálint Jákli, scientific director of TUMmesa, introduces the climate chambers. Richard Peters, professor of Tree Growth and Wood Physiology, and Sebastian Eichelsbacher, a doctoral student at the Chair of Digital Agriculture, provide insights into their research. [Video available in German, only]

As the atmosphere becomes increasingly dry, how do plants adapt? Researchers from TUM, the University of Minnesota and ETH Zurich have investigated this question using spring wheat in the United States. Their findings show that modern wheat varieties are less sensitive to atmospheric drying. The reason lies in the plants’ hydraulic properties—in other words, in the way water is transported within the plant.

Growth or immune response? Higher organisms must constantly balance these two priorities. As in humans, hormones regulate this balance in plants as well. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now discovered a mechanism by which plant steroid hormones can inhibit immune responses and thereby make resources available for growth.

Climate change is altering crop yields—but not to the same extent for all plants. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) found that yields are also influenced by the extent to which plants rely on insect pollination. The findings highlight how agriculture must adapt to climate change.

Many people are now on vacation for a few weeks—things are getting a little quieter here, too. We hope you have a great time and look forward to a breath of fresh air and new ideas. Best regards from the HEF team

Karevo’s machines can sort up to ten tons of potatoes per hour. The AI-powered optical recognition system achieves 95 percent accuracy. The founder’s journey took him from a potato farm to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and ultimately to his own startup.

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have visualized the complex network of plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi in soil in three dimensions for the first time. The researchers see this method as a promising tool for studying climate-resilient plants.

As part of the “Made in Europe” series, Euronews reporters visited the research station in Dürnast to report on agri-photovoltaics. Starting at the 6-minute mark, you can see footage from Dürnast in the video. [Link to YouTube]