Studierende bearbeiten in Projektteams Fragestellungen von Praxispartner:innen aus dem Agro-Food Bereich. Sie entwickeln wissenschaftlich fundierte, praxistaugliche Lösungsvorschläge und wenden dabei ihre im Studium sowie im Rahmen der Lehrveranstaltung erworbenen fachspezifischen, methodenspezifischen, sozialen und persönlichen Kompetenzen an.

This seminar addresses current research on nutrient cycles in agro-ecosystems. The upcoming theme is “Balanced and efficient nutrient management in soil-crop systems: Insights from long-term field experiments and beyond”.

Acquiring competence in- searching, analyzing and synthesizing scientific information on a specific subject- writing a scientific paper- making a scientific oral presentation- animating and moderating a discussion

The course teaches knowledge and experimental techniques to study and evaluate pools and processes underlying nutrient fluxes in soil-plant systems. Theory and methods concern i) nitrogen dynamics in soil, ii) the use efficiency by crops of nitrogen added with fertilizers, iii) the fate of fertilizer nitrogen not taken up by the crop and iv) symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes.

Teaching on nutrient fluxes in agroecosystems so as to maximize nutrient use efficiency by crops and minimize losses to the environment while providing optimal nutrient supply to crops. Methods to establish nutrient budgets are presented. Nutrient input and output variables (e.g. losses by various pathways) are treated and their optimal management presented.

Understanding of complexity and importance of processes in the rhizosphere, a soil zone under direct influence of roots, for plant nutrition and adaptation to environmental stresses. Rhizospheric microbial communities inducing physicochemical changes in the soil, and affecting nutrient and pollutant availabilities to plants. Rhizosphere technologies. Laboratory techniques to study rhizosphere.