Research

Secondary plant metabolites (SPM) are contained in vegetables, fruit, pulses, nuts and wholegrain products and give fruit and vegetables and products made from them many health-promoting properties. The DGE recommends a high intake of vegetables and fruit, including pulses and nuts, as well as wholegrain products to ensure a good supply of phytochemicals to support wellbeing. The content of SPS in plant-based raw materials and products depends on numerous factors, such as plant species, variety, growing conditions, storage and, of course, processing and preservation, which are the focus of research. The effects of processing on the various secondary plant metabolites can vary greatly, depending on the process, the content is reduced or may even be more available. While processing is beneficial in terms of availability, heat, oxygen and mechanical processing have a reducing effect on other substances. There is therefore a need for further research on specific products in order to determine actual changes and counteract the losses. The aim of the research is therefore to quantify the losses along the processing chain of sprouts, from the raw material to the finished product, based on the antioxidant potential.

The MoFAB project is submitted within the framework of the R&D infrastructure funding - 3rd call of the FFG: At the University and Research Center Tulln, a Phenomobile (field vehicle for the recording of plant characteristics) is procured, equipped with a customized 3D fusion sensor consisting of laser scanner with spectral, respectively thermal camera, and prepared for field measurements. The fusion sensor will be calibrated and validated using a grapevine pot experiment on networked field scales, handheld sensors, and destructive measurements, and used in drought stress experiments under a mobile greenhouse and in field trials. The fusion data will be used, with algorithms, to develop data pipelines for new crop traits. A combine with integrated phenotyping equipment (weighing system, NIRS) will be procured, and used to reference traits determined with the Phenomobile. A particular focus is the development of absolute and comparable measurements of leaf nitrogen content and stomatal conductance, useful traits for developing feedback loops for digitizing agricultural nitrogen and water management and selection in breeding.

SoilRise aims to extent expertise and knowledge on soil biota in academic and public networks as a basis of utilisation of citizen science in monitoring duties below ground. Biodiversity monitoring is mostly limited by missing expertise, money and time. Belowground biota is even harder to describe, count, or characterize due to its cryptic mode of life. However, soil biota is crucial for the functioning of all terrestrial ecosystems including land use systems. Sustainable land use relays on ecosystem service provisioning of soil biota. Hence, monitoring is of great importance. SoilRise will create a system of teachers training to multiply knowledge and expertise among gardeners and farmers which will be enabled to monitor parts of soil biota to a certain level of taxonomy, activity, or functional diversity. SoilRise will start and exemplify this for earthworm communities in farmland (arable or grassland) and urban gardens and greens. Finally addressing networks of urban gardeners and farmers associations, SoilRise will develop a multiplication of expertise by implementing earthworm monitoring practises into teaching at universities and even farm schools. Students then go to their home rural communities (farmer associations) or stage citizen science events in urban gardens related to gardener networks. In the long run, well educated citizen can provide earthworm monitoring data of high value complementing biodiversity monitoring in the cultural landscape of Europe