Sustainable Subsoil Management

Duration: From Oct 1, 2015 until May 31, 2025

Region: Klein-Altendorf (NRW); Dikopshof (NRW); Scheyern (Bay); Dürnast (Bay); Gießen (Hessen); Rauischholzhausen (Hessen); Müncheberg (Brandenburg); Thyrow (Brandenburg); Dahlem (Berlin);

Target Groups: soil research community, wider research community, biomass producers (farmers), biomass processing sector, policy makers, administration and planners, ngos, civil society

About the Project:

This project aims, to explore how and to which degree we can manage the subsoil to secure or even increase plant yields by improving the overall nutrient and water use efficiency for crops.

Project Aim

This project aims, to explore how and to which degree we can manage the subsoil to secure or even increase plant yields by improving the overall nutrient and water use efficiency for crops. We presume that nutrient and water uptake from the subsoil can be elevated at given or even increased crop yields when there are attractive options for the plants to invest into subsoil roots, like low physical resistance for the root channels, hot spots of higher microbially facilitated nutrient supply in the subsoil as well as plant available subsoil water under conditions of seasonal drought stress in the surface soil.

Motivation

With a growing global population, arable food production in 2050 should be 60 percent higher than that of 2005/ 2007 (FAO, 2012). Therefore, there is the need for “sustainable intensification” of production, which is a great challenge in front of the background of the current situation of agricultural production. However, immense water, carbon, and nutrient reservoirs can be found in subsoils. In order to secure the yield potential of soils and to increase their productivity in the long-term, it is inevitable that subsoils are integrated in sustainable management strategies.

Expected Results

Aim of soil3 is to provide scientific knowledge for practitioners. The coupling of strategies of research and production, services, arable management strategies, and providing of software tools are main bricks. Indicator systems of the acquisition of water and nutrients from the subsoil are applicable for monitoring success. Different technical means and manipulation options of the subsoil are tools for economic utilization. Identifying of genotypes could be coupled with commercial plant breeding industry.