One stop on the climate tour at the Eco-Field Days is a mulched vegetable field. From May, researchers from Justus Liebig University Giessen will be setting up a trial field with white cabbage in mulch at the Gladbacherhof to demonstrate their greenhouse gas measurements. They will also demonstrate how to mechanically insert young vegetable plants into the mulch material. Bryan Dix from the University of Giessen explains the background to the practical experiment: “The climate crisis does not stop at vegetable cultivation. Rising temperatures and changes in annual precipitation towards longer dry periods can make growing conditions more difficult for many types of vegetables. Strong fluctuations between years reduce yield stability. In addition, new insect pests could emerge as a result of the warmer conditions.” A mulch layer of, for example, rye under the vegetables shades the soil, which therefore heats up less and retains more water. The mulch layer also reduces soil erosion. “This so-called climate resilience, i.e. the buffering of weather extremes in mulch vegetable cultivation, can ensure yield stability,” says Dix. Visitors can learn about climate-resilient agriculture at this and 20 other stations.
4. April 2022