Institut für Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde
The aim of the WurCel project is to comprehensively quantify and evaluate the climate protection option of humus build-up through intensively rooting varieties and, in cooperation with breeders, to identify new ways in which root intensity (i.e. root biomass production per unit area) can become a new selection characteristic in breeding without reducing yields. The project will quantify potentials for humus build-up through variety selection for the most important arable crops in Germany in terms of area. At the same time, we will investigate how future climate conditions and increased atmospheric CO2 conditions will affect the root development of crops. In addition to main crops, intercrops also offer potential for maximizing their root formation. We are also investigating which mixtures have the highest humus building potential in intercropping. Based on this, support programs and CO2 certification systems could drive the implementation of humus-optimized variety and species selection in catch crops.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture