Soil Sciences

This division focuses on the efficiency of organic and conventional cropping systems in terms of fertilizer and energy. There is much interest in the diversity of microorganism communities in the soil and their role in organic matter (humus) build-up and mineralization. Ways to produce more food of higher quality while conserving the environment and natural resources are also being investigated. The analysis of organic and chemical contaminants in the soil and how they affect soil fertility are also part of this division’s work. Another emphasis is the promotion of organic seed.

Team

Team of the division Soil Sciences

Publications

Publications of the division in the Organic Eprints Database

Research areas

Efficiency of cropping systems
Strategies to optimize yields
Ecotoxicological assessment of biological and chemical pressures on soils
Seed and environment

Efficiency of cropping systems

The natural resources available for producing food, such as fertile soil, biological diversity, water and fertilizer nutrients are becoming increasingly scarce. At the same time agriculture needs to become more independent of non-renewable fossil energy, which is used in the form of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and fuels. By comparing different cropping systems for their resource use efficiency, we can make a crucial contribution to the further development of agriculture. Thanks to three long-term field trials and targeted studies on individual farms, FiBL is uniquely placed to carry out this type of research. Of special interest to us is the diversity of microorganism communities in the soil and their function in building up and mineralizing organic matter (humus). This is highly topical in view of climate change, because soils are capable of removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Contact: Paul Mäder and Andreas Fliessbach

Strategies to optimize yields

The major challenge of the future is to produce more highquality foods, applying methods which place much less pressure on the environment and use natural resources with care. Organic farming provides an ideal starting point for this, as it is already sustainable and the quality is high; only its productivity needs slight improvement. Our research concentrates on crop rotation, the improvement of animal-soil-plant nutrient cycles, adaptive reduced tillage, the application of beneficial soil bacteria and root symbiotic fungi (mycorrhiza), along with various preparations that have a catalytic impact on soil processes. The emphasis is on arable farming and horticulture.
Contact: Alfred Berner and Paul Mäder

Ecotoxicological assessment of biological and chemical pressures on soils

Soil fertility has always been the basis of organic agriculture, and today it is a main focus of the global debate on sustainability. Over the past 20 years FiBL has built up a high level of methodological and technical expertise with respect to the biological, physical and chemical issues surrounding soil fertility. In the framework of a risk assessment system we are exploring the effects of conventional and genetically modified organisms on soil fertility. We are also investigating regionally and temporally specific indicators of pesticide contamination of the soil, and are developing methods to produce food safely on sites damaged by previous land uses.
Contact: Andreas Fliessbach

Seed and environment

The Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance and the EU Regulation on organic production stipulate that organic seeds and vegetative propagating material must be used in organic crop farming. As the seed markets are not yet fully established and there are still numerous exemptions, FiBL is coordinating the supply of organic seeds by maintaining an Internet database. Of increasing importance in the sustainability debate is the question of whether plant breeding for low-input and sustainable systems should set different priorities in terms of objectives. The many small breeders engaged in this area are not capable of solving these research questions on their own. As cereals are a key crop in organic farming, we are clarifying the essential elements of the interaction between genetics (plants) and environment (site factors such as soil and climate, as well as cropping intensity). How the plant root and soil interact under reduced tillage conditions is of special interest to us.

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