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About the Project:
Project Aim
The main objective is to employ catch cropping for developing innovative farming systems to preserve and improve soil fertility. We aim to develop a better understanding of cause-effect relationships affecting soil fertility parameters, biological functions and interactions in soil and use. This could also contribute to an enhancement of marginal locations. Therefore, the focus of CATCHY is on catch cropping considered as an essential part of an integrated concept. This functional orientation is supplemented with an agronomic and economic management interaction.
Motivation
An essential part of an integrated concept to stabilize or improve soil is the integration of catch crops on fields that are kept fallow over fall and winter. Catch cropping is a long-term task of amelioration in the crop rotation system, having a positive impact on biological, chemical and physical soil properties, and thus sustainability of the production system, as well as on yield formation of subsequent main crops. While currently catch crops are mostly represented by only single species, we will develop knowledge-based solutions for optimizing farming strategies and soil use management with the help of diverse catch crops.
Expected Results
The results will be the basis for development of system-optimized commercial catch crop mixtures. Agronomic cropping systems shall be optimized with regard to sustainability, particularly with respect to parameters of soil functions. Concepts and contents of consulting services shall be adapted and transformed with regards to resource-optimized soil management systems. Integrated are also analyses of cost effectiveness and acceptance of the guidelines for agronomic practices that will be developed by us.
Publications
- Cover crops support the climate change mitigation potential of agroecosystems
- Cover crops improve soil structure and change organic carbon distribution in macroaggregate fractions
- Influence of small-scale spatial variability of soil properties on yield formation of winter wheat
- Distinct metabolite classes in root exudates are indicative for field- or hydroponically-grown cover crops
- Using High-Resolution UAV Imaging to Measure Canopy Height of Diverse Cover Crops and Predict Biomass
BonaRes - Zoom Catchy 190918 - Wissenschaft und Forschung
