iFZ Masters awards 2025
The iFZ conducts a large number of bachelor's and master's projects in the fields of biology, agricultural, nutritional and environmental sciences. At the end of each year, the iFZ awards prizes for three particularly outstanding theses. This year's iFZ Master's awards were presented on December 16, 2025.
One of the award winners is Annabelle Heid. In her master's thesis, she investigated the potential of the underutilized crops amaranth and cowpea as leafy vegetables in mixed and pure cultivation and under different irrigation intensities. This is because small farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are facing increasing challenges due to periods of drought and irregular rainfall. The result is fluctuating yields and insufficient food supplies. At the KALRO field trial station in Kiboko (Kenya), Heid also tested the effect of foliar fertilization with a brown algae extract on the vitality, productivity, and drought stress resilience of the crops. While the brown algae extract did not bring about any improvements, mixed cropping increased the yield per unit area. Her work demonstrates the potential of mixed cropping and highlights the complexity of climate-resilient cultivation strategies. It also provides insights for the further development of sustainable cultivation concepts in arid regions of East Africa.
Annabelle Heid at the field trial station in Kiboko (Kenya), where amaranth and cowpeas are grown. Photo: Katharina Heid
The climate is changing, and our crops must adapt accordingly. Marie Schlenkrich has been investigating how this adaptation process can be accelerated through targeted plant breeding. One particularly effective method is to shorten the generation time: in the “speed breeding” technique, plants are cultivated at higher temperatures and with longer periods of light exposure so that they flower earlier. However, this method only works for summer crops, as they do not require a cold period for flower formation – known as vernalization. In her master's thesis, Marie Schlenkrich demonstrated that winter crops can also benefit from this breeding method. Using a climate chamber experiment, she was able to show that vernalization in winter rapeseed can be accelerated: with “speed vernalization,” the cold stimulus is passed through more quickly and the plants flower earlier. This technique has the potential to greatly accelerate breeding progress in winter rapeseed.
Marie Schlenkrich in the PCR laboratory, where gene activity studies are conducted. Photo: Johanna Krippner
For decades, research into snake venoms has provided important insights into neurobiological processes and served as the basis for medical applications and the development of effective antiserums. The venom of the banded krait, one of the most dangerous snakes in Southeast Asia, has been relatively little studied to date. Lilien Uhrig's master's thesis presents the first comprehensive proteogenomic analysis of this species' venom and describes its molecular composition and functional properties using new experimental approaches. In addition, she discusses possible medical applications. Her results suggest that variations in venom between different individuals of the banded krait may be more widespread than previously thought. This underscores the need for further research on different populations to better understand ecological and evolutionary relationships.
Lilien Uhrig analyzes the venom of one of Southeast Asia's most dangerous snakes in insect biotechnology lab. Photo: Lilien Uhrig