The power of living soil! professorship

The power of living soil! professorship under the leadership of Judith van de Mortel focuses on healthy and fertile soil as a foundation for ecological stability and, therefore, for sustainable crop production. This will contribute to the battle against climate change and in addressing the challenge of providing enough healthy food for a growing global population while preserving the environment and the ecological balance.

Soil is important! As the FAO states: “Soils are more than just “dirt” - they’re a major reservoir of global biodiversity, supporting agriculture and food security, regulating greenhouse gas emissions and promoting plant, animal and human health”.

Soil life plays an essential role in growth, health and the natural defense mechanisms of plants. Plant-microbe interactions are very complex and difficult to predict as they are influenced by a great many factors. Knowledge of the role and effect of specific microbes in plant health and growth is often limited to results from laboratory-based studies using model systems that are comparatively easy to control and interpret.

Applying these results to field conditions is challenging and often lacking.  A multidisciplinary approach is required to obtain insights into the role and influence of soil life on the growth and health of relevant crops which can be applied to farmers’ fields. This approach combines various scientific expertise with companies that actively support this research and make the translation of the results into practice possible.

It is our mission to give soil life a central role in the business operations of farmers, thereby strengthening the path to sustainable agriculture.  We aim to contribute to a sustainable management of the sandy soils in the Dutch southern region, with a positive effect on soil and water quality.

The professorship will carry out applied research within the following lines of research: 

Using crop cultivation to improve the soil

Applied research to increase soil vitality and resilience through different crop choices and cultivation methods. This includes new crops, mixed cropping, the use of green manures, or different cultivars selections.

Research into the characteristics a plant needs to positively influence soil life. How can we reduce leaching and increase organic matter through crop choices and rotation schedules, and what impact does this have on the diversity of soil life? Can the soil be improved by choosing the right crops?

Using the soil to improve the plant

Applied research into the influence of soil-based measures, such as increasing organic matter levels, on soil biology and on plant resilience and yield. How can we increase organic matter levels?

What is the effect of different soil cultivation practices and precision cultivation? How do improved soil and an active and diverse soil life affect plant resilience? What impact does improved soil have on food quality: nutrients, plant constituents, and shelf life?

The professorship The power of living soil! is the lead of the Soil and Water Campus Southern Netherlands. The Soil and Water Campus is a public-private partnership in which education, research, government and businesses work together to a vital soil and water system as the fundament of a healthy living environment and sustainable food production.

The campus combines knowledge and practice by translating current societal issues into innovative solutions that can be shared directly in both urban and rural areas. Using applied research, experimental locations, pilots and education, new insights will be developed and tested, after which they can be scale up and applied in practice.

Students, researchers, entrepreneurs and other professionals will collaborate on themes such as soil quality, water management, climate adaptation, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture. The Soil & Water Campus functions as a meeting place where knowledge is shared, new collaborations emerge, and the transition to a future-proof soil and water system is accelerated.

The Power of Living Soil! professorship collaborates with LLTB, Provincie Noord-Brabant en het Waterschap Limburg. 

Reports, summaries and articles

View all reports, summaries and articles of projects from the professorship in Greeni