Agriculture for healthy soils and biodiversity

Agricultural systems for the future

Plant production in the 21st century should ensure a high-quality food supply. This means using less fertilizer and chemical synthetic pesticides and reducing the discharge of harmful substances and greenhouse gases. Modern plant production must also take into account the loss of species it causes. And pursue the goal of high biodiversity.

To meet these challenges, modern agricultural systems must become more diverse and promote the positive effects between the (crop)plant, the soil and its microbes.

What do we want to achieve with our research?

We want to ...

... combine a secure food supply with more biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services provided by the cropping systems of the future. In concrete terms, this means demand-oriented yields and a smaller ecological footprint.

... significantly reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers by means of more diverse crop rotations, smaller-scale cropping systems and the consistent consideration of ecological principles. For the future, we envision a pesticide-free agriculture.

... make cultivation systems altogether more robust against extreme weather conditions, diseases and pests through a deeper understanding of the positive interactions of microbes in the crop-soil system.

... stop the loss of soil functions (e.g. water storage) and sustainably improve soil health (e.g. fertility) with cropping systems adapted to the respective site.

What are the key challenges to be solved?

Challenge: How can we reduce the use of pesticides to a minimum?

Our solution: We are investigating how to achieve a reduction in pesticide use by redesigning and transforming cropping systems and by making use of ecological principles as well as digitalization and new technologies.

Challenge: How can we better understand and systematically use the health-promoting effects of the plant and soil microbiome?

Our solution: We are investigating the dynamics of the plant and soil microbiome with regard to its beneficial properties for crop plants and are applying this knowledge to crop rotation patterns, fertilization, soil management and cultivation.

Challenge: How can we preserve soils and their function in agricultural landscapes in the long term?

Our solution: We are investigating the effects of soil management on improving the composition and stability of soil organic matter and are developing specific, site-adapted management strategies.

Which working groups are working on the topic?

MyTitle: Which working groups are working on the topic?
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MyTextfeld: <div class="ExternalClass32D5F1117FA841739B3DAB571B393E1A"><p>Research Area 1 "Landscape Functioning"</p><ul><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb1/fia">Fungal Interactions</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb1/Pages/Arbeitsgruppen.aspx#x12x">Isotope Biogeochemistry and Gas Fluxes</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb1/lap">Landscape Pedology</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb1/mic">Microbial Biogeochemistry</a></li></ul><p>Research Area 2 "Land Use and Governance"</p><ul><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb2/Pages/Arbeitsgruppen.aspx#x19x">Provisioning of Biodiversity in Agricultural Systems</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb2/ifa">Biotic Interactions between Forest and Agricultural Land</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb2/ess">Provisioning of Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Systems</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb2/rcs">Resource-Efficient Cropping Systems</a></li></ul><p>Research Area 3 "Agricultural Landscape systems"</p><ul><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb3/Pages/Arbeitsgruppen.aspx#x26x">Impact Assessment of Land Use Changes</a></li><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/pb3/csa">Integrated Crop System Analysis and Modelling</a></li></ul><p>Research Platform "Data Analysis & Simulation"</p><ul><li> <a title="More information about the working group" href="/en/struktur/fds/esm">Ecosystem Modelling</a></li></ul></div>
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