Agriculture sciences

Peat is an important component of plant substrates and is used primarily in horticulture to improve soil quality. However, its extraction destroys valuable moorland areas and releases carbon that has been stored there for thousands of years. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) have now developed an environmentally friendly alternative and have applied for patents for two innovative processes for producing artificial peat.

Pollinators such as bees, wasps and butterflies make a vital contribution to stable ecosystems: they enable numerous plants to reproduce and increase the yields of many crops by transferring pollen between flowers. What is less well known, however, is that many of them spend crucial phases of their lives on or in the soil, where they nest, rest or hibernate. It is also unclear what conditions pollinators need during their time in the soil and to what extent modern soil management practices harm both the insects and the ecosystem services they provide.

Rye belongs to the sweet grass family and is particularly impressive due to its frost resistance and high yields, even on nutrient-poor soils or under drought stress. This means that the plant could play an important role in food security in the future. A recent study by researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) now provides new insights into the reproduction of rye.

Farmers around the world are struggling with the consequences of climate change. In addition to heat and drought, pests are causing crop losses. The EU-funded research project ‘UPSCALE’, led by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), shows how food security can be ensured and agriculture made sustainable and resilient in East Africa. The international consortium of 19 partners in ten countries is developing and testing agroecological strategies to make agricultural systems more resilient and sustainable.

Weed control is a major challenge in organic vegetable farming. Since chemical herbicides are not used, weeds usually have to be removed by hand. This work is very time-consuming and cost-intensive, especially on large areas. The JaetRobi project from the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Potsdam (ATB) and the Technical University (TU) of Berlin aims to remedy this situation: a module is set to make manual weeding a thing of the past. 

Land is a scarce and expensive resource. Whether in urban or rural areas, interests often diverge widely when it comes to land use, as demands range from species protection to food production and recreation. In addition, conventional agricultural practices exacerbate global crises such as biodiversity loss, climate change and food security uncertainties. Multifunctional landscapes could be one solution, as researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel show in a recent study.

Organic farming is a climate-friendly form of agriculture. It deliberately avoids the use of pesticides. Instead, organic fertilisers and adapted crop rotations are used to promote plant growth and protect them from disease. However, organic farming also suffers from the consequences of climate change, such as drought and heat. A new study involving the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) offers organic farms a solution for achieving sufficient yields even in drought conditions while protecting the environment.

Can artificial intelligence help make agriculture more productive, sustainable and cost-effective? This question is the focus of the new AI Living Lab for Agriculture (RLA), which officially began its work on 17 October. Together with seven partners, the research team led by the University of Osnabrück is dedicated to developing intelligent technologies for a resilient agricultural and food industry.

Soils are among the most important foundations of life and fulfil a variety of functions for humans and the environment, such as storing carbon and securing food supplies. However, climate-related extreme weather events such as drought and heavy rainfall are putting pressure on this valuable resource and thus increasingly on the existence of agricultural businesses. Soil erosion is a major challenge. There are methods such as growing catch crops or planting trees on fields to better protect the soil.