Resilience and physiological interactions in wheat/rapeseed intercropping under water-limited conditions (WERA_H2O)

Project title

Resilience and physiological interactions in wheat/rapeseed intercropping under water-limited conditions (WERA_H2O)

Short description

Global change is causing increasing uncertainties in the water supply of arable crops. Therefore, resilient cropping systems will be required in the future that have high yield stability in the face of fluctuating water supply. Mixed cropping systems are often credited with more efficient resource use and increased yield stability compared to single crops of agricultural crops. Wheat and rapeseed are two of the most important crops for the supply of staple foods in Germany, but they are almost exclusively grown as single crops. The aim of this project is to investigate whether a mixed crop of wheat and oilseed rape exhibits increased yield stability under water-limited environmental conditions. This is to be achieved by the fact that oilseed rape reaches deep soil layers through the development of a taproot and can moisten the topsoil in dry phases via hydraulic lift. Initially, an optimized design for a wheat/canola mixture will be established in field trials at three locations in two cultivation phases with different environmental conditions. The key factors here are yield performance, particularly with regard to the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER), and practicality with regard to variety selection, sowing time and synchronization of harvesting. Such an optimized system will then be tested for resilience under drought stress conditions and described mechanistically in detail. This includes investigations of the water balance in the soil, as well as plant physiological investigations such as measurements of transpiration and photosynthesis rates, and an analysis of gene regulation in pure or mixed culture. The project thus promises the knowledge-based establishment of a diversified cultivation system that delivers more stable yields than conventional single cultures in the face of uncertain water supply.

Project duration

September 2024 - August 2027

Staff involved

Heiko Dettweiler, Michael Frei

Funding

German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)