Formation of the Institute of Applied Plant Nutrition (IAPN)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Gransee

K+S KALI GmbH

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Content

• Challenges in Plant Nutrition

• Specific research needs

• Motivation of K + S KALI GmbH for founding the IAPN

• Motivation of Georg-August-Universität Göttingen for founding the IAPN

• Organisation of the IAPN

• Staff of the IAPN

• Financing of the IAPN

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Challenges in Plant Nutrition

• Rising world population leads to increased demand for food and meat

• Increased use of land due to the use of renewable resources

• Climate change results in the limitation of resources like water and soil

• Exhaustion of fossil energy sources

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Specific research needs

• Options to increase the nutrient use efficiency

• Nutrients/fertilization and quality of crops

• Relationship between nutrients/fertilization and human health

• Nutrients and stress tolerance of plants under changing climatic conditions

• Nutrients/fertilization and disease tolerance of plants

• Relationship between fertilization and water-use efficiency of the soil/plant system

• Improvements of fertilizer recommendations

Goal:Intelligent

Fertilizer Managementunder changing

conditions

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Motivation of K + S KALI GmbH for founding the IAPN

• Strengthening the basic and application-oriented research in plant nutrition, – especially of potassium, magnesium and sulfur

• Combining and integrating international research activities

• Promotion of knowledge transfer into practice

• Dialogue with farmers helps to identify areas for future research

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Motivation of Georg-August-Universität Göttingen for founding the IAPN

• Public-private partnership allows the expansion of activities in the field of plant nutrition

• The An-institute strengthens the competence and attractiveness of the University of Göttingen

• The focus on implementation orientation in research and on issues of international concern covers new fields of interest in the Department of Crop Sciences

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Organisation of the IAPN

K+S KALI GmbH

K+S An-Institutsverwaltungs GmbH

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Staff of the IAPN

Holder of the Chair of plant nutrition at the Department of Crop Sciences supervises the IAPN scientifically (20 % of working hours)

1. Assistant Professor (W1)

2. Ph. D. student

3. Technical assistant

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Financing of the IAPN

K+S KALI GmbH finances the K+S An-Institutsverwaltungs GmbH.K+S An-Institutsverwaltungs GmbH finances:

1. 3 staff members

2. Start-up financing

3. Additional funds for individual projects

University of Göttingen finances:

1. Premises

2. Running expenses (Electricity, heating etc.)

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The worldwide agricultural advisory service of K+S KALI GmbH

One agronomist

Two agronomists

More than 2 agronomists

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Challenge: From the lab to the field

Last Mile

Knowledge transfer

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Functions of the IAPN – Dialogue between research and practice

Research Practice • Identification of promising fields of research

• Development of new research topics

• Implementation in specific research projects

• Implementation in practice (Going on-farm)

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Creation of national and international networks

Science

Agricultural extension service

Farms

Networking withstakeholders and

organizationsPooling knowledge,Achieving synergies

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Challenges in Plant Nutrition

Increasing world population

Rising meat consumption

Increasing land use

Increasing use of bioenergyIncreasing need for

efficiency improvementin plant production

Climate extremes due to climate change

Research needs

»The authority in plant nutrition«

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Challenge:Intelligent fertilizer management

NP

KMg

Zn B CuS

Climate change is considered as the main reason for longer and more extreme dry periods worldwide.

»How can plants “learn“ to use water more

efficiently in dry periods?«