Projects / Programmes
Next Generation Agriculture
January 1, 2022
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 4.03.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Plant production |
|
| 4.06.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Biotechnology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 4.01 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
agroecology, agroecosystem, biodiversity, climate change, ecosystem service, food security, sustainable agriculture, precision agriculture, organic production, low-risk methods, remote sensing, bioinformatics, economics, natural resources, plant protection, Green Deal, invasive pest
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 18, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
Data for ARIS tenders (
04.04.2019 – Programme tender,
archive
)
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
327 |
5,578 |
4,701 |
14.38 |
| Scopus |
375 |
6,527 |
5,524 |
14.73 |
Researchers (23)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
Current trends in global population growth indicate that global demand for food will increase for at least the next three to four decades. Modern intensive agriculture not only needs to provide more food of sufficient quality, but also faces severe problems related to natural resource degradation and is seriously reducing the capacity of agricultural ecosystems to provide goods and services to their beneficiaries. These challenges are the focus of Agroecology - research that generates knowledge focussing on sustainable soil management, protection of biodiversity, increasing ecosystem resilience to climate change, protecting the provision of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, and ensuring food security, while also taking in account ethical, human and ecological values. Another challenge agriculture faces is its over-reliance on synthetic pesticides, despite their proven direct and indirect negative effects on human health and the environment. The development of pesticide resistance is another problem, while at the same time the diversity of (invasive) pests, pathogens and weeds increases due to global trade and climate change. They become major pests difficult to be controlled without heavy use of chemical pesticides. However, global and EU agricultural policies and research trends are moving towards 'sustainable intensification' of agricultural production, where lower pesticide use via precision agriculture rarely leads to a decrease in production or net value. Moreover, a switch to organic production is proven to decrease pesticide content in food and feed possibly through the use of alternative or so-called low-risk methods which could replace many of the synthetic chemical pesticides currently used. Remote sensing and bioinformatics as Big Data production and analysis technologies play an important role in the development of agriculture and the implementation of next generation cropping systems. Agricultural cropping systems research and economics are the key points in evaluating the feasibility of transferring new research results to end users. The concept of precision agriculture integrates all spatial data into more efficient production and at the same time into more environmentally friendly production. The Next Generation Agriculture Program Group will address above specified challenges by combining research on sustainable agricultural production, conservation and rational use of natural resources with innovative crop protection strategies. These two research areas will be closely interlinked with research on next generation cropping systems, consisting of remote sensing, precision agriculture, bioinformatics and economics. Ultimately, the research of this program group will deliver improved, climate change-resilient cropping systems allowing sustainable intensification of agroecosystems as requested by the EU and its new green deal.
Significance for science
The proposed program will generate agriculturally relevant knowledge that relates to (i) soil organic carbon and erosion by combining data from empirical field-work with geo-statistical approaches for modelling spatial resource distribution and improving knowledge on soil-catena relationships that are relevant in karstic or hilly landscapes. (ii) Cover crop research will be aimed at exploiting agronomic benefits of cover cropping affecting CO2 emissions, belowground microbial diversity and carbon dynamics. (iii) Soil biodiversity research will be undertaken in order to follow the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the EU Nature Restoration Plan. (iv) Pollinators and their ecological requirements, and honey bee performance and carrying capacity of honeybees for several crops. (v) Pest, pathogen and weed control for ecologically sound and innovative management options that are based on: microbial pest/pathogen antagonists; Pleurotus aegerolysins interacting with conserved lipid receptors for avoiding resistance developments and biorational dsRNAs - both approaches excellent candidates for the development of a next generation of biopesticides; nematicidal and plant growth promoting Bacillus strains; nematode Phasmarhabditis papillosa controlling invasive slugs; and analyses of principles that determine the interaction of hyperparasitic fungi. The Program Group's added value is the interdisciplinary approach involving soil scientists, agroecologists, plant protection experts, microbiologists, molecular biologists and bioinformaticians and stakeholder collaboration that will bring agroecosystem conservation and plant protection research in Slovenia to the next level. Vegetables, arable crops and soft fruits are targeted cropping systems and researchers, students, farmers, growers, extension servicers, gardeners, and political decision makers the targeted stakeholders.
Significance for the country
Impact on economic development Our research will strengthen organic production for yielding value-added agricultural produce and develop new crop production strategies, thus strengthen economic security in the agri-sector. Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration knowledge will help to adapt soil tillage/management practices to specific soil/climatic regions. Increased SOC stocks will decrease nitrate/pesticide leaching, improve drought resistance, accelerate pesticide degradation, increase soil biodiversity, and achieve better fertility & productivity. The CO2 sink in soil will mitigate greenhouse gas effects, and national C-budget balance cost. Soil erosion research will significantly improve farming in rural areas, especially in karstic and hilly regions of Slovenia. Cover crop ecosystem services will enable wide scale utilization of innovative management practices. The development of low-risk crop protection methods will enable sustainable, safe and high-quality food production, improve farmers' living standards and have a positive impact on the economic growth in Slovenia. New microbial biocontrol agents for the market could be developed for the management of insects, nematodes, fungi and slugs. The proposed program addresses the biotechnological significance of biopesticides, fungal proteins and dsRNAs, and their potential use as safe and environmentally friendly pest control agents. The discovery and subsequent patenting of novel bioactive compounds could lead to a range of commercialisation options, including public-private partnerships, IP licencing and spin-off companies. Development of novel pest detection methods will enable precise pest and pathogen detections limiting their further spread and thus contributing to increased economic growth. Integration of elaborated solutions into next generation cropping systems will improve profitability of farms and strengthen local communities. Knowledge transfer to farmers, the agricultural extension service and expert community will be ensured. Impact on social and cultural development Agricultural extension service will benefit from the generated knowledge that is going to be transferred at workshops, symposiums and seminars, online data and information portals that operate under the auspices of the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (www.ivr.si, agricultural public service web sites, blogs). We will be proactive in designing next generation cropping systems that are transferred readily to the stakeholder/farmer community. Further development of internet information portals will enable dissemination of the programme's results and expert work, through which the linkage to various stakeholders will be further strengthened. Farmers/producers will benefit from knowledge transfer through agricultural extension service, publication of results in professional and scientific journals, newspapers, TV, radio, and social networks. E.g., soil tillage techniques that increase soil organic matter content or strategies to achieve better yields under drought stress, thus, to adapt to climate change, will be demonstrated to farmers. Beekeepers will optimize migratory beekeeping that is based on natural resources in the environment and thus increase honey yield. Decision makers, government and agencies will be able to use our results for the development of informed strategies and policies, international reporting (LULUCF-C budget), and compliance with international commitments and agreements (e.g. Paris environmental agreement). Accordingly, they will benefit from the knowledge generated by this programme and they can better adjust and manage national agri-policies and measures in line with the European Commission (e.g. CAP, Nitrate Directive). National food safety and security will be enhanced through proposed low risk pest control methods and innovative cropping systems as these methods will enhance local primary production. Soil organic matter management and erosion control will directly contribute to higher yields and enhance the economic situation of farmers in rural areas. The Proposed Programme also acknowledges the 'One Health' approach by contributing to human as well as environmental health. Thus, the programme will have a significant social impact, as it will increase the competitiveness of the Slovenian agricultural economy. The proposed programme will also directly contribute to national and EU agricultural and environmental programmes and strategies, as it promotes organic agricultural practices that are beneficial for the conservation of natural resources, boosts the creation of new "green jobs", reduces dependence on synthetic pesticides, and aims at the important goal of increasing knowledge and innovation transfer from research to end-users. The innovative pest management strategies will provide agricultural experts, farmers and policy makers tools for crop protection with significantly lowered environmental & health risks compared to the use of conventional synthetic pesticides, thus protecting natural heritage. Preservation of genetic resources of most important vegetable and soft fruit species will contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage. High-school and university level education will be able to adapt, adjust and upgrade their curricula at the secondary level of education (e.g., practical measures to increase soil carbon stocks) and university level. Research results will also be presented to the general public, which will contribute to a better understanding of complex interdependence, links and benefits of sustainable and environment-responsible agricultural production.
