Plant protection
The crop-based production is subject to potential hazards. For one thing, crops may be infested by weeds, viruses, bacteria, fungi and pests such as aphids. But also soil wetness and pollutants have negative consequences. Plant protection is concerned with protecting cultivated plants from these impacts. Thus, it contributes to yield stability and the production of healthy and high-quality human food and animal feed.
The knowledge of ecological interactions has expanded drastically, followed by changes in agricultural production towards ecologically more friendly farming methods and a better preservation of our cultivated landscape. Against this background, plant protection encompasses very differing approaches, ranging from pesticide use to biological control.
At the Julius Kühn Institute, eight institutes focus their research on the protection of plants and stored products:
- Institute for Biological Control
- Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics
- Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection
- Institute for Plant Protection in Field Crops and Grassland
- Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests
- Institute for Plant Protection in Fruit Crops and Viticulture
- Institute for Resistance Research and Stress Tolerance
- Institute for Strategies and Technology Assessment
They are supported in their efforts by the Institute for Application Techniques in Plant Protection. Furthermore, plant protection is also a priority topic at the three crop-specific institutes (see plant genetics) and at the Institute for National and International Plant Health (see plant health).