Division of Applied Plant Nutrition
Closure of the IAPN
The Institute of Applied Plant Nutrition (IAPN) ceased operations effective 30 September 2025.
Our research
An increasing world population demands for an increased, but efficient and environmentally friendly food production. In this context, supplying crops with all essential nutrients plays an important role.
Research on plant nutrition allows us to gain a detailed understanding of the different responses of plants to varying nutrient supply regimes in order to develop resource-efficient fertilization recommendations and strategies. Within the research on plant nutrition, the inclusion of plant physiology knowledge reveals itself of utmost importance, as changes in nutrient supply lead to changes in their physiology as plants respond to them. Therefore, the research conducted at the Division of Applied Plant Nutrition combines topics of plant nutrition with related aspects of plant physiology.
Our main research focus is on crop nutrition, particularly with the macronutrients magnesium and potassium. For this reason and considering plant potassium and magnesium requirements, we also dedicate special interest to photosynthesis and photoprotection, plant-water relations, water-use efficiency, drought and salt stress, for which we have gained experience on several experimental methods.