Projects
- Chair of Biodiversity and Nature Tourism
- Chair of Crop Science and Plant Biology
- Chair of Environmental Protection and Landscape Management
- Chair of Horticulture
- Chair of Hydrobiology and Fishery
- Chair of Landscape Architecture
- Chair of Plant Health
- Chair of Soil Science
- Polli Horticultural Research Centre
- Rõhu Experimental Centre
Current projects
Contact person in EMU: Alar Astover (alar.astover@emu.ee)
Towards climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soils
Program: European Joint Programme (EJP SOIL)
Contact person from Estonia: Alar Astover (alar.astover@emu.ee)
Partners:
SYStem - Share Your Soils
Partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Extremadura University, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Czech University of Agriculture, Latvia University of Agriculture, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Sassari University
Higher education is currently facing a huge challenge related to the 'Z' generation, the 'digital natives', who expect universities to make extensive use of mobile technologies and gamification. The answer to such needs in the field of soil and environmental sciences education is the project Share Your Soils (SYStem) prepared by dr Marcin Świtoniak (coordinator) and dr hab. Przemysław Charzyński from the Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management of the Nicolaus Copernicus University. The application received a total of 88 points out of 100 and was the highest-rated project out of 50 submitted, thanks to which it obtained funding in the Erasmus + Action 2 Strategic Partnerships competition. It will be implemented by a consortium of specialists from 10 universities from 8 countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia and Spain) with research and teaching experience in soil science issues in various regions of Europe.
The goal of SYStem is to create edutainment social media dedicated to the description and classification of soils according to international WRB classification. The main tool created under the project will be a mobile application for sending soil profile photos with a description and geolocation, and a classification proposal. Users will have the opportunity to interact and share their knowledge, helping less experienced colleagues through comments and suggestions on soil genesis and classification. In addition, a soil Omnibus will be prepared dedicated to teaching the latest edition of the WRB system (2015) at the university level. Project results will provide an innovative teaching tool supporting not only college teachers but also high schools as well as environmental researchers and practitioners.
Project: Stability of soil organic matter
Principal investigator: Karin Kauer
Duration: 01.01.2018-31.12.2021
Finance program: Personal research funding: Start-up grant
Annotation: Soil organic carbon stock plays an important role in the global biochemical C cycle and the soil is an important carbon reservoir. Also, the soil acts as the source of atmospheric CO2. The accumulation and decomposition of organic matter depend on several factors: climatic conditions, land use management, etc.. The stabilization (turnover) of soil organic matter after the organic matter entering the soil is still poorly understood. A better understanding of the mechanisms and regulation of organic matter stabilization on soils requires a deeper insight into the chemical composition of soil organic matter. Understanding the mechanisms controlling the stabilization and release of C in the soil is important for the prediction of the effects of global climate change and for the development of management strategies to increase soil C sequestration.
IOSDV long-term field experiment
Since 1989
Leader: Alar Astover