Plant cultivation

In this discipline, it is all about the production of crop plants: food, forage and cash crops. Its basic purpose is the development of crop cultivation systems that assure the production of high-performance plants, without neglecting the function of agrarian areas as refuge of nature conservation. Experimental work in field trials and reference farms concentrates on crop rotation, yield potential, fertilization and land management.
Yield formation of crop plants is a dynamic process that encompasses, among others, nutrient uptake, water use and photosynthesis. Prerequiste for the production of high-quality primary plant products is the efficient use of their major growth factors soil, water, and light. The field of „yield potential“ investigates physiological processes that control the yield of value-bearing plant parts or compounds.

The field of „quality assurance“ deals with the development and definition of quality parameters before, during and, for the purpose of forcasts, after the harvest. Compounds vital for product value are being analyzed and assessed. Plant cultivation is closely related with soil sciences and research in plant nutrition.
The JKI institute specialized in plant cultivation is the

• Institute for Crop and Soil Science