ZALF scientist selected as finalist for Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs

 

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ZALF scientist Jörg Schaller has been selected as a finalist for the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2021 in the category Life Sciences. He was selected for his work on significantly increasing soil water availability through fertilization with amorphous silica. This approach is a possible tool to reduce drought stress for plants even during drought periods, thus stabilizing global food production.

Jörg Schaller works at Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in the group Silicion Biogeochemistry. At ZALF he currently runs a series of proof-of-concept field experiments and is part of a global network exploring the applications of ASi under different conditions. At the beginning of August, the jury for Life Sciences will select 10 winners from among the 30 finalists in this category. The award winners will be invited to present their work to a global audience on the grand Falling Walls stage in Berlin on 9 November.

Further information:

• "Mit Silizium gegen Dürre": Blog post on the research work of Jörg Schaller (in German)
• List of all finalists on the Falling Walls website
• Jury in the category „Life Sciences“