The Professorship's Research

Project start: 01.01.2018
Project end: 31.12.2025

Project start: 01.07.2020
Project end: 30.06.2025
Sponsor: Hessian Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection

The aim of the VitiVoltaic4Future project is to conduct research for viticulture in a newly created real laboratory for the use of agrophotovoltaics (APV). The infrastructure is to serve as an innovation platform beyond the project period; it is to enable research, development and knowledge transfer, as well as to encourage social participation in shaping the energy transition using practical examples. An overarching goal is to make land use more sustainable for special crops (here using viticulture as an example), to open up new ways of adapting the cultivation of special crops to climate change, and at the same time to develop renewable, decentralized power generation plus agricultural production in the field to application maturity iteratively with the stakeholders concerned as part of the energy transition. The concrete goal of VitiVoltaic4Future is to quantify the effects and possibilities of viticulture under Germany's first agro-PV system, to provide data for knowledge transfer, and to scientifically accompany adaptation strategy possibilities that could arise from such solar islands through viticultural research and know-how building. Within the project, measures for biodiversity promotion in viticulture (--> project "AMBITO) will be integrated. In particular, we aim to link "solar islands" with biodiversity islands in viticultural cultural landscapes, in order to holistically promote the sustainability of viticulture.

Project start: 28.02.2020
Project end: 27.02.2025
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Project start: 01.06.2021
Project end: 31.05.2024
Sponsor: German Federal Environmental Foundation

The vineyard as an ecosystem and the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) are excellent models for making the consequences of climate change directly visible in various ways, both in biology classes and considering Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). While climate change makes viticulture economically feasible today in regions where it was considered a curiosity decades ago and is thus perceived as a positive driver of this development, the consequences for viticulture in other regions are to be assessed as negative. In addition to higher temperatures, heavy rain or increasing CO2 concentrations, new pests pose a problem that must be countered. Influences of climate change on the level of the ecosystem and on the level of the grapevine as a model plant can be discussed not only in the cultivation regions of the Rhine-Main area, where viticulture is of high relevance to everyday life. References to biological and agricultural topics are diverse and affect not only ecological and biological aspects but also social and economic components. Modeling and computer simulations of possible changes in the vineyard ecosystem as a consequence of climate change can show appropriate solution options and encourage digital learning. Along with real encounters in the vineyard as a site for out-of-school teaching and learning activities, current research results can also be taken into account. In this way, environmental, sociological and environmental educational research is also complied, which has long called for concrete everyday ecological situations to be examined to contribute to the development of sustainability awareness. The aim is to enable learners to deal critically and reflectively with climate change and its diverse consequences, to make appropriate decisions to act in the interests of sustainable development.

Project start: 17.06.2019
Project end: 31.05.2024
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

The control of downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, is one of the major challenges in viticulture, especially in organic viticulture. Due to the ban of copper-containing pesticides and massive impacts of climate change, organic viticulture is increasingly entering an economic crisis. Therefore, the aim of the proposed joint project "VITIFIT" is to develop a catalogue of measures with practicable strategies for maintaining grapevine health. In this way, cultivation conditions are improved, the production security is consolidated and thus economic viability is guaranteed. Crop protection strategies will mainly be based on copper minimisation (microencapsulated copper salts) and copper substitutes (plant extracts, UVC technology) and their combination. Associated cultivation and cultural measures should reduce the inoculum potential of P. viticola. Molecular biological analyses will address the mycobiome of the vine leaf under these conditions. Particular attention should be paid to the plant protection agent potassium phosphonate. Existing and newly bred fungus tolerant grape varieties (in German: PIWIs) should play a central role in the developed action plans. Aims here are the improvement of the enological wine style, the market acceptance of PIWIs and their introduction into practice. The identification of new resistance loci against P. viticola and their integration into current breeding lines will support the development of novel PIWIs. Another focus of the project is the adaptation of the forecast model "VitiMeteo Rebenperonospora" to PIWIs. In the sector of knowledge and technology transfer, communication, the flow of information and networking between research and practice are to be optimised. The VITIFIT project should make a significant contribution to achieving the "20% goal" (national sustainability goal concerning the percentage of organic agriculture area).

Project start: 01.11.2020
Project end: 31.10.2023
Sponsor: German Research Foundation

Project start: 01.01.2021
Project end: 31.12.2021
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

Wine is essential good in Caucasian countries, both economically and culturally. In recent years, the importance of the wine industry has risen sharply, primarily since a large part of wine production is exported. In this context, the attractive markets in European and non-European countries have become important export destinations in recent years. The high intensity of competition in these markets requires the secure application of economic principles. Due to the high prices of Caucasian wines, specialized trade, in particular, plays a prominent role as a distribution channel in export. For this reason, the focus of the summer school was expanded to include the topic of "specialized wine trade." Wine tourism is playing an increasingly important role in the wine sales in the Caucasus - referring to the promotion policy of the governments as well as the activities of the GIZ (Gesellschaft für die Internationale Zusammenarbeit) in the Caucasus. Following the importance, ' wine tourism' was taken up both as lectures and excursions.

Project start: 01.01.2020
Project end: 31.12.2020
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

The academic program, comprising 25 well-balanced sessions with varying topics, has been put together by Geisenheim University. The first digital pan caucasian summer schoo "West Meets east" addressed several species, such as world wine markets, strategy, wine marketing, viticulture, and wine-growing in Germany, Armenia, and Georgia. The representatives of the leading wine institutions and industry experts from Germany, Georgia, and Armenia provided profound insights into the current developments in wine export, import, and consumption in these three countries. Furthermore, the uniqueness of Qvevri vinification was an integral session of the digital event.

Project start: 01.02.2015
Project end: 31.01.2020
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Growing resistant cultivars with the novel cultivation method of the minimal pruning of trellis trained grapevines (SMPH) enables to combine (1) environmental friendly and (2) economically beneficial as well as (3) climate change adapted grapevine production. To analyze new resistant grapevine cultivars in such an advanced production system, we evaluate the behavior of plants, crop, biodiversity, and resulting wines in comparison to the most common vertical shoot positioning system (VSP). We intend to unravel the cause of ripening delay upon viticultural treatments, and to develop the technological basis for a broad introduction of the new cultivation system into viticultural practice. Our comprehensive investigation will empirically and functionally address field studies where new cultivars are raised in a new cultivation concept.

Project start: 01.01.2013
Project end: 31.12.2016
Sponsor: European Commission

InnoVine is a European collaborative project funded through the Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) program, launched in January 2013.  During 4 years, it will involve 27 different partners from 7 European countries (Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Spain).