• An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Ott, professor at the University of Freiburg and member of the Cluster of Excellence CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, has demonstrated for the first time that the protein SYFO2, found in the roots of leguminous plants, makes it possible for the plants to ‘fertilize themselves’.
• The researchers also succeeded in activating the tomato’s own version of SYFO2. This opens up new perspectives for research on how the need for fertilizer on crops could be reduced in the future.
• The study was published in the journal Science.