Lead Institute
Topics

Secretariat

Steffanie Schirren
Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture

Bundesallee 65
38116 Braunschweig
Phone: +49 531 596 2602
Fax: +49 531 596 2699
ak@thuenen.de

SOIL3

Project

Examing a soil-profile several years after deep-ploughing. The formerly turned organic matter rich topsoil and sandy subsoil horizons are still clearly visible below the regularly shallow ploughed topsoil. (c) Thünen-Institut/Axel Don
Examing a soil-profile several years after deep-ploughing. The formerly turned organic matter rich topsoil and sandy subsoil horizons are still clearly visible below the regularly shallow ploughed topsoil. (© Thünen-Institut/Axel Don)

Sustainable  Subsoil Management

Hidden under the organic matter rich surface soil  the subsoil is widely ignored as ressource for nutrients and water for plant production. The SOIL3 project aims at investigating the ressources of subsoils on a national scale. Options for an enhanced sustainable use and management of subsoil ressources will be evaluated.

Background and Objective

Plants extract between 10 and 80% of their nutrient and water demand from subsoils, but including the subsoil into sustainable management strategies is still in its fledging stages. In the SOIL3 project we evaluate how and to which degree the subsoil can be managed to secure or even increase plant yields and yield security by improving the overall nutrient and water use efficiency for field crops.

 

Soil coring using a hydraulically powered hammer
Soil coring using a hydraulically powered hammer (© Thünen-Institut/Axel Don)

Approach

The rooting depth of crops is the key for agricultural subsoil management. We investigate the factors that determine rooting depth and distribution and evaluate options to facilitate deeper roots. The data from the German soil inventory agricultural and several long-term field experiments will be used to assess for the first time status and options of subsoil ressource use in Germany.

Thünen-Contact


Involved Thünen-Partners


Involved external Thünen-Partners

  • Universität Bonn
    (Bonn, Deutschland)
  • Technische Universität München
    (München, Deutschland)
  • Forschungszentrum Jülich
    (Jülich, Deutschland)
  • Ecologic Institut
    (Berlin, Deutschland)

Funding Body

  • Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
    (national, öffentlich)

Duration

10.2015 - 9.2021

More Information

Projekt type:
Project funding number: FKZ 031B0026E
Funding program: BMBF - BonaRes
Project status: ongoing

Publications

hits: 6

  1. Schneider F, Amelung W, Don A (2020) Origin of carbon in agricultural soil profiles deduced from depth gradients of C:N ratios, carbon fractions, d13C and d15N values. Plant Soil:in Press, DOI:10.1007/s11104-020-04769-w
    pdf document (limited accessibility) 4907 kb
  2. Schneider F, Don A (2019) Root-restricting layers in German agricultural soils. Part I: extent and cause. Plant Soil 442(1-2):433-451, DOI:10.1007/s11104-019-04185-9
    pdf document (limited accessibility) 3390 kb
  3. Schneider F, Don A (2019) Root-restricting layers in German agricultural soils. Part II: adaptation and melioration strategies. Plant Soil 442(1-2):419-432, DOI:10.1007/s11104-019-04186-8
    pdf document (limited accessibility) 1493 kb
  4. Hobley EU, Honermeier B, Don A, Gocke MI, Amelung W, Kögel-Knabner I (2018) Decoupling of subsoil carbon and nitrogen dynamics after long-term crop rotation and fertilization. Agric Ecosyst Environ 265:363-373, DOI:10.1016/j.agee.2018.06.021
  5. Bauke SL, Sperber C von, Tamburini F, Gocke MI, Honermeier B, Schweitzer K, Baumecker M, Don A, Sandhage-Hofmann A, Amelung W (2018) Subsoil phosphorus is affected by fertilization regime in long-term agricultural experimental trials. Eur J Soil Sci 69:103-112, DOI:10.1111/ejss.12516
  6. Schneider F, Don A, Hennings I, Schmittmann O, Seidel SJ (2017) The effect of deep tillage on crop yield - What do we really know? Soil Tillage Res 174:193-204, DOI:10.1016/j.still.2017.07.005