Continental Adds Plant Breeder Kartoffelzucht Böhm to the Dandelion Rubber Project

The Taraxagum project, which focuses on the acquisition of natural rubber from dandelions, has expanded its research network with the plant breeder Kartoffelzucht Böhm. The aim of the reinforcement is to gain even greater clout in the breeding of dandelions. « We are pleased to welcome another plant cultivation specialist to our network. The internationally active company Böhm has great experience in the breeding of cultivated plants. These are ideal prerequisites for our Taraxagum project, » says Dr. Carla Recker, Head of the Expert field Materials Chemistry and Taraxagum at Continental Tires.

The aim of the long-term Taraxagum project is to industrialize the cultivation of dandelion rubber. In addition to the Urban Taraxagum bicycle tire, which is already available on the market, dandelion rubber is to be used for numerous other future products including car and truck tires, tires for the agricultural sector and technical rubber goods. The Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, the University of Münster, the Julius Kühn Institute and the plant breeders ESKUSA and Kartoffelzucht Böhm form a network of key partners for the project. This network is supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry for Economics, Labor and Tourism of the State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and receives funds from the European Union.

Source: Continental