EIP Project Database

Federal State

Saxony

Project Title

Optimizing crop yiels of climate resilient summer annual crops in Saxony (sunflowers)

Project description

The project aims at introducing and validating a new plant strengthener for maize and sunflowers based on specific humic substances. The plant strengthener is expected to increase the lateral root development und the phosphorus uptake of plants cultivated in low phosphorus soils. It will be applied to the seed and the seed row in the sowing season. At first the operational group will run several pot experiments to optimize the humic substances to be applied. Later the optimized plant strengthener will be tested on maize and sunflowers in field trials on organic and conventional farms with low amounts of available phosphorus in soil. In addition the operational group will test new strategies of mechanical weed control in organic sunflower production. The most successful approach regarding low plant loss and high grain and oil yields will be disseminated among organic and conventional farmers and advisers.

Final report

Download report (PDF file)

Results focusing on practiceorientation

Significant effects of the humic substances in the container could not be confirmed in an analogous way under field conditions. With regard to the new method of weed control in sunflower, the field trials conducted were very successful and the data obtained allow very specific recommendations for agricultural practice. The recommendations refer to the optimal timing of weed control measures and to the choice of varieties on the different sites and in combination with the planned weed control methods.

Main funding source

Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups (in the sense of Art 56 of Reg.1305/2013)

Project status

ongoing

Total budget applied for in EUR

262,347

Link 1

project website

Link 2

Information of the International Center for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe e. V.

NUTS3 CODE

DED21 Dresden, Kreisfreie Stadt