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Overview

Verschiedene Felder liegen hintereinander, am auffälligsten ist das gelbblühende Rapsfeld
© Thünen-Institut/Michael Welling

Our research in the Thünen topic “Plant Production” is broadly diversified. The activities can be grouped as follows:

  • Improve existing crop production systems: We are investigating how more insect-friendly production with fewer nutrients and more diverse crop rotations can be established within the framework of existing crop production systems.
  • Develop and evaluate new land use systems: Digitalization, autonomous mobility and photovoltaics create conditions under which crop production systems can be fundamentally rethought and redesigned.
  • Policy options, farm adaptation, competitiveness: To support agricultural and agri-environmental policy, we analyze how different policy options would affect farms and how their international competitiveness develops.

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Die Blüte von Ackerbohnen
Strengthen the cultivation of legumes

Legumes stimulate soil fertility, fix atmospheric nitrogen as an important nitrogen source, increase the diversity of crop rotations, and are the most important feed protein source in organic animal husbandry. Even in conventional farming legumes are ...

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Eine Person sitzt in einer Landmaschine
Best practice for the cultivation of grain legumes

From site selection to aphid infestation, many factors determine whether legumes flower and thrive. Here you will find practical tips for legume cultivation.

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Ein zweigeteiltes Bild: links Äpfel und rechts Tomaten
Horticulture

Horticulture is characterized by a very large variety of products and production systems. Hundreds of different plant species are cultivated in the sectors of vegetables, fruit, ornamental plants, nurseries and perennials. Compared to arable farming, ...

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Zwei Personen bei der Spargelernte mit einem Handwagen, der über die Hügel gefahren wird
Impact of the minimum wage

The minimum wage has brought significant wage increases for employees, but also posed new challenges for horticultural and agricultural companies.

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Cultivated areas for soft fruit and protected fruit growing are steadily increasing

In Germany, fruit was grown on about 75,800 hectares in about 11,000 farms in 2018. Tree fruit was grown on 64% of the fruit-growing area (48,891 ha), strawberries were produced on 23% of the area (17,701 ha) and bush berries on 13% (7,207 ha).

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Fotocollage mit zwei Gemüsebildern (Zwiebeln, Kopfkohl) und zwei Obstbildern (Äpfel, Zitrusfrüchte).
Trends in German fruit and vegetable cultivation

How have the production and consumption of fruit and vegetables developed in Germany in recent years? What are the most popular apple varieties and how large is the share of organically produced fruit and vegetables? We provide answers to questions ...

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Nahaufnahme von den Wurzeln von Erbsenpflanzen
Develop environmentally friendly crop production systems

The direction is clear: less pesticides and nutrient surpluses, more biodiversity and climate protection, and all with as little yield loss as possible. The Thünen Institute is working on how this can be achieved.

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Feldspritze im Einsatz, Luftaufnahme
Reducing pesticides: How and at what cost?

Using the example of a model arable farm in the soil-climate region "Südhannover", we estimated how farmers typically proceed when the use of chemical plant protection products is to be reduced, and how high their adaptation costs are.

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Wildpflanzen in der Agrarlandschaft
Increasing biodiversity – what does it cost?

Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has been declining for years. Agriculture has a special responsibility in this context. On the one hand, it is considered as contributor to this decline but on the other hand, as a land user, it also has the ...

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Sojapflanze mit Schoten in einem Sojafeld
Replace imports with domestic soybean cultivation and loosen crop rotations?

The large import volumes of soy are viewed critically for various reasons. In Germany, soy cultivation has risen sharply in recent years, but is still at a fairly modest level. Current obstacles and perspectives are described below.

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Farmlandschaft im amerikanischen Mittelwesten mit Mais und einem Farmgebäude.
Understanding agriculture worldwide

Due to globally connected agricultural markets, it is important to understand how arable farming is practiced in other locations around the world and how competitive local cultivation of agricultural commodities is in international comparison. The ...

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Drei Personen begutachten eine Reisanbaufläche
International comparison of production systems

How competitive the different growing regions and production systems are worldwide, depends on numerous factors. An international network of experts compares the different systems using standardised methods to assess their strengths and weaknesses.

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Develop new land use systems

Global challenges such as climate change and population growth, as well as technological progress, require and make it possible to completely rethink current land use systems. The Thünen Institute is involved in various development areas in this ...

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Ein Traktor bei der Ernte von Zuckerrohr
Forecasting land use changes in emerging and developing countries

In developing countries, it is difficult to predict how land use will develop in the future due to a lack of data on production costs. For Brazil, this has been achieved through a model based on data from typical farms in the agri benchmark network.

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New crop production systems with autonomous agricultural machinery

Current developments in the field of automation and digitalisation enable completely new possibilities to grow and harvest crops. What are possible future scenarios and which potentials do they offer? This has been investigated in a joint project ...

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Als Grünland genutzte Moorfläche
Climate protection through the rewetting of peatlands – how and at what cost?

Drained peatlands account for a large proportion of the emissions associated with agriculture in Germany. Scientists at the Thünen Institute are determining the costs if conventional drained cultivation is restricted or abandoned and are evaluating ...

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PV electricity from the field: In harmony with or in competition with agriculture?

Ground-mounted PV systems are expected to become an important part of the future energy system - but with what impact on agriculture?

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Beregnung von Getreide im Sommer
More water for crop production? – Challenges and approaches

Water demand in German plant production is likely to increase as a consequence of climate change. Thünen Institute investigates how water demand will develop in the future, and which approaches can be used to secure future water supply for plant ...

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Fotocollage einer Drohne, die einen Feldschlag scannt.
Digitalisation in Crop Production: Savings Potentials and Profitability

Digitalisation in arable farming is associated with great hopes for more sustainable crop production. But how high are the costs and what benefits can be expected from the technologies available in the medium term? The Thünen Institute has ...

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Satellitenkarte des Landkreises Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein, mit Landnutzungsarten in verschiedenen Farben.
The view from space

Detailed land use data is essential for many monitoring tasks at the Thünen Institute and forms an essential basis for research and advisory activities. However, the availability of such data is often limited. Remote sensing closes this gap.

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[Translate to English:] Logo des Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft