Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IISChallenges such as advancing climate change and a steadily growing population require an acceleration in the cultivation of new crops for long-term food security. These crops therefore need to be able to withstand changing environmental influences while also delivering higher yields.
Biogenic value creation and smart farming
Phenotypic traits in relation to environmental factors
The “Biogenic value creation and smart farming” initiative created by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft focuses on applied research in the agriculture and food industry. Innovative technologies for sustainable agriculture across the entire value chain are being researched and developed. The Fraunhofer Development Center for X-ray Technology EZRT is offering its expertise in the field of plant monitoring — from data acquisition to decision support.
A technology center for phenotyping which deals with the objective evaluation of characteristics of selected crops, from seed cultivation to use, is being set up for precisely this purpose at the Triesdorf site. The focus is on plants which are particularly relevant for regional agriculture and food supply. The center will pioneer methods for the rapid breeding of new plant varieties and for optimization of cultivation conditions.
The idea is not only to develop and use sustainable and resource-efficient technologies in a controlled climate environment, but also to transfer them directly into practice.
Working together for sustainable agriculture solutions
As part of the joint project “Biogenic value creation and smart farming”, a decentralized Fraunhofer Center is being set up, with locations in Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A total of five Fraunhofer institutes are pooling their expertise here in the fields of robotics and automation, sensors, analytics and actuator technology, AI and big data, as well as design, production and process engineering. The collaboration will concentrate on technologies and solutions from the agriculture and food industry, with the aim of generating added value in the respective regions.