Jan Hendrik Hoerner (Bielefeld University)
A) The plant Erodium cicutarium (L.) L’Hér. ex Aiton. B) The lobed cotyledons are an important feature to distinguish E. cicutarium from seedlings from other species of its genus. C) The sharply pointed and hairy base of E. cicutarium seed facilitates zoochory. D) Upcoiling awn of the ripe and dry E. cicutarium seed. Once on soil, humidity causes the helical shape to unwind and drill the seed with the sharply pointed base ahead into the ground. Graphs: Jan Hendrik Hoerner
Jan Hendrik Hoerner's Master thesis was awarded with the Prize for the Best Plant Science Master Thesis, which was carried out at Bielefeld University in the year 2017.
Title of awarded thesis
"Allelopathic effects of the invasive plant Erodium cicutarium on agricultural crop plants"
The invasive common stork´s-bill Erodium cicutarium causes yield reduction of various crops in North America. Jan Hendrik Hoerner examined responsible allelochemicals, natural substances produced by the stork´s-bill, which are able to suppress the growth of other plants. He fractionated phenolic compounds with high inhibitory effects, even in minor concentrations.