From myth to modernity: mulberry trees in Europe

Dr.in rer. nat. Anna Gasperl

From myth to modernity: mulberry trees in Europe
Mulberry trees (black mulberry, Morus nigra) were already widespread in southern Europe in the times of Ovid, who described the tragic fate of the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe. For centuries, mulberry leaves were highly prized as the only source of food for the larvae of the true silkworm. For a long time, silk was an exclusive and expensive rarity, reserved primarily for the clergy and high nobility. In her lecture, Dr. Anna Gasperl provides fascinating insights into the history of European mulberry and silk production up to the present day. She shows how a sustainable future can be shaped through innovative agro-ecological and technological approaches. Mulberries are not only suitable as climate-friendly shade providers, they also make an important contribution to the renaturation of soils contaminated with heavy metals.
Dr. Anna Gasperl is conducting research under the supervision of Ao.Prof.in Dr. Andreja Urbanek Krajnc, Chair of Botany and Plant Physiology at the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. As part of the interdisciplinary EU Horizon project “ARACNE Advocating the role of Silk Art and Cultural Heritage at National and European Scale”, she is working with European colleagues on research into the geographical distribution and genetic and material diversity of mulberry trees and their use in mixed cultivation and renaturation.

Aracne – Advocating role of silk art and cultural heritage (aracneproject.eu)

Mulberry (aracneproject.eu)

#ARACNEProject #ARACNE #Silkworm #SilkRoad #Sericulture #Innovation #CulturalHeritage #SilkProduction#Mulberry #Agriculture #Sustainability #EuropeanSilkRoad #InnovationEcosystem #EuropeanProject #EuropeanSilk#SilkIndustry #SilkUnveiled

@ARACNEproject, @UniverzavMariboru

The ARACNE project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101095188

timestampe=1708375873

Disclaimer

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Dr.in rer. nat. Anna Gasperl comes from Bad Aussee and has completed her studies of natural sciences and botany with distinction at the Karl-Franzens-University Graz.

She gained professional experience at the Apple, Fruit and Vegetable Academy, Hart near Kaindorf, as a lecturer for plant and commodity science, in the Natural History Museum Graz as a natural mediator, at the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Institute of Plant Sciences as a research assistant and at the Institute of Biology (field of Plant Sciences) as an editor. Her research stays led her to France and South Africa and were reflected in numerous publications.

We expect an interesting, informative slide lecture from the scientist.