Institute
Goals and functions of the IAPN
Application-oriented research
Plant nutrition, as well as plant cultivation in general, are facing great challenges: the resources available are increasingly scarce, while the
world’s population is growing incessantly.
Climate changes result in a general warming-up of the planet, accompanied by greater
climatic extremes. Dry stress is an increasingly important topic in plant cultivation. The question how intelligent nutrient management may promote
more efficient use of the limited resources, such as water and soil, will be of primary importance in the future.
The IAPN is committed to
strengthening application-oriented research in the fields of plant nutrition and fertilization.
Dialogue between research and practice
Dialogue between research and practice
The IAPN fosters a dialogue between research and practice, which may surface totally new questions
and help to identify seminal issues. These may then be implemented as concrete research projects.
The IAPN aims at becoming a “beacon
authority on fertilization issues”, and at contributing to sustainable agriculture, worldwide. It works in an interdisciplinary fashion, with
attention also given to the challenges created by the transfer of knowledge to agricultural practice. The institute works internationally, but will be
regulated by German scientific standards.
Transfer of knowledge as a primary task
In addition to research, the dissemination of new and also of already-existing knowledge on plant nutrition is one of the IAPN’s core tasks. The target group mainly consists of students of the University of Göttingen as well as visiting scientists, who may later become multipliers.
The 1stInternational Symposium on Magnesium in 2012 opened the doors for an interdisciplinary exchange of leading scientists on magnesium. In November 2014 this exchange has been continued in Brazil.