Maria Finckh

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Kassel

Leptinotarsa decemlineata even in organic potatoes, it is often managed using pesticides. Mulching potatoes represents an alternative to reduce egg masses and larvae of L. decemlineata. In three 4-fold replicated field trials with unmulched control plots (a) in comparison to plots mulched with grass-clover (b) or triticale-vetch (c) the effects on...

To address the decline in soil organic matter and thus soil life and soil health due to intensive tillage in organic potato production, innovative regenerative farming approaches employ cover crops and transferred dead organic mulch to improve plant nutrition, minimize soil disturbance, and foster soil microbial activity. Starting in 2019 to 2021,...

From 2016 to 2019, 128 organic and conventional spring and winter pea fields in Germany were surveyed to determine the effects of cropping history and pedo-climatic conditions on pea root health, the diversity of Fusarium and Didymella communities and their collective effect on pea yield. Roots generally appeared healthy or showed minor disease sym...

Typically potato farming practices are characterized by tight rotations, intensive tillage and fertilization. This leads to soil degradation, increased pest and disease pressure, and use of chemicals, thereby endangering ecosystem health and contaminating water supplies. Agroecological strategies were tested, including the strategic use of cover cr...

Regenerative agriculture has been associated with improved soil structure and soil fertility. However, conclusive evidence of its efficacy has remained elusive owing to a lack of long-term experimental studies. In this study, we assessed the impact of diverse regenerative agricultural measures on soil mechanical and hydraulic properties and indicat...

Pythium sensu lato (s.l.) is a pathogenic oomycete. The present study was conducted to isolate and identify Pythium s.l. species associated with the rhizosphere and roots of greenhouse-growing cucumbers showing damping-off symptoms in 10 Omani governorates (provinces). A total of 166 isolates were recovered from 276 rhizosphere soil and root sample...

Introduction The Colorado potato beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata ) (CPB) is a major threat to potato crops in Europe, Asia, and America. In Europe, it is expected that climate change will cause the species to expand its range northwards and allow for an additional generation per year in regions where it is already established. The effectiveness...

Metabolic footprints (FPs) of free-living nematodes in soil can be used as indicators for the mineralization potential and the connectivity of the soil food web. In this study, we used FPs to evaluate the effects of tillage with and without compost and fresh mulch as organic fertilization in a long-term experiment. Compost and mulch applications le...

By mulching organic potatoes, the presence of egg masses and larvae of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) can be reduced. In a fourfold replicated field experiment in 2022 comparing different mulch, undersowing and silage fertilization treatments in potatoes large reductions of the second generation of CPB adults were observed in mulched plots compare...

Root rot pathogens restrict pea and wheat production globally. In the EU, pea and pea-based cereal mixtures are being promoted; however, root rot pathogen dynamics in such mixtures are poorly understood. Winter pea and wheat were grown either in pure stands or in mixtures in the field in western France, and the severity of root rot in pea, wheat, a...

The performance advantages of intercropping (IC) such increased protein contents and yield gains have been widely studied. Far less investigations are available studying the role of different classes of plant traits to explain intercropping performance. Plant traits can have a dual role in IC influencing the performance of the IC system and being i...

A winter wheat composite cross population (CCP), created in the UK in 2001, has been grown in Germany, Hungary, and the UK since 2005 (F5 generation). In 2008/09 (F8), a cycling pattern for the populations was developed between partners to test the effects of rapidly changing environments on agronomic performance and morphological characteristics....

This study was conducted to investigate the virulence variability among Moroccan isolates of Pyrenophora teres f. teres, commonly known as the net form net blotch, of barley. Infection responses of 109 single spore isolates of P. teres f. teres collected in 2016 were assessed for their interaction with 12 barley genotypes after inoculation at the s...

By mulching organic potatoes, the presence of egg masses and larvae of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) can be reduced. Individuals were released into the field between mulched and unmulched plots and counted after 12 hours. In our field study, L. decemlineata adults preferred unmulched over mulched plots for initial infestation. This explains the r...

The butterflies Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae are pests in the cultivation of cabbage vegetables. The damage is not caused by the imagines but by the caterpillar stages of the butterflies. In organic farming, nets, Bt preparations, Neem, and Pyrethrum are used to prevent colonization of cabbage. These methods are laborious and costly. In a one-...

New forms of field experimentation are currently emerging to support transitions towards sustainable agriculture , including "multi-actor experimental networks" (MAENs). Both in public policy and in academic research, such networks are increasingly presented as a promising approach for fostering sustainable farming system design. Many studies have...

In conservation agriculture, conservation tillage potentially influences the physical, chemical, and biological quality of the soil. Although the effects of conservation agriculture on the soil’s physical properties have been studied in conventional management systems, studies on organic farming systems, especially concerning long-term changes, are...

New forms of field experimentation are currently emerging to support transitions towards sustainable agriculture, including “multi-actor experimental networks” (MAENs). Both in public policy and in academic research, such networks are increasingly presented as a promising approach for fostering sustainable farming system design. Many studies have i...

A survey across Germany was undertaken from 2016-2019 to evaluate effects of management system (organic vs conventional), pedo-climatic conditions and crop rotation history on faba bean root health status, diversity of major root rot pathogens and yield. Root rot incidence was generally low and there was no effect of the management system on the sp...

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is an exceptionally challenging potato pest. Some regenerative farmers have reported that the use of transferred green manure mulch can considerably reduce CBP damage. Previous studies confirm this observation, but mainly with straw mulch, which is rarely used in Central Europe, and not embedded in the new regenerat...

Didymella pinodella is the major pathogen of the pea root rot complex in Europe. This wide host range pathogen often asymptomatically colonizes its hosts, making the control strategies challenging. We developed a real-time PCR assay for the detection and quantification of D. pinodella based on the TEF-1 alpha gene sequence alignments. The assay was...

Ein Trennversuch an der Uni Kassel zeigt, wie Weizen aus Mischkulturanbau mit Erbsen als Backweizen genutzt werden kann.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of heterogeneous composite cross populations (CCPs) to increase sustainability and resilience of wheat cropping systems, a so far largely neglected approach. For this purpose, 10 CCPs originating from one CCP created in 2001 and having evolved under different environmental conditions since the...

White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a promising crop to meet the rising global demand for plant-based protein. The seed-borne pathogen Colletotrichum lupini, however, threatens lupin cultivation worldwide. Seed dressings using synthetic fungicides were shown effective to reduce infection levels, but their negative environmental impact and exclusion f...

Many agronomic studies have shown the advantages of species mixtures (SM), but for food grain production, they represent only a small niche. Empirical studies that investigate reasons for SM adoption in food grain production are scarce. Here we present an in-depth study based on qualitative expert interviews with nine farmers. By means of interpret...

Legumes are important drivers of soil fertility, however, their frequent use in rotations fosters long-lived soil-borne pathogens that can seriously compromise legume root health and nitrogen fixation. To overcome this, the current study aims at improving the general soil suppressiveness toward pests and diseases by agroecosystem management that ca...

Der Wissenschaftliche Beirat für Biodiversität und Genetische Ressourcen (WBBGR) regt eine aktive Mitwirkung des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) an der laufenden Erarbeitung einer neuen Nationalen Biodiversitätsstrategie (NBS) an. Da etwa 50% Deutschlands von landwirtschaftlicher Nutzfläche und knapp 30% von Wald bedeckt...

Cropping system diversification through annual intercropping provides a pathway for agricultural production with reduced inputs of fertilizer and pesticides. While several studies have shown that intercrop performance depends on the genotypes used, the available evidence has not been synthesized in an overarching analysis. Here, we review the effec...

Species mixtures and heterogeneous crop populations are two promising approaches for diversified ecological cropping systems with increased resilience and reduced dependency on external inputs. Inter- and intraspecific diversity were evaluated in combination using 15 wheat (Triticum aestivum) entries, including line cultivars and heterogeneous popu...

Key message GWAS identifies candidate gene controlling resistance to anthracnose disease in white lupin. Abstract White lupin ( Lupinus albus L.) is a promising grain legume to meet the growing demand for plant-based protein. Its cultivation, however, is severely threatened by anthracnose disease caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum lupini...

Compared to sole crops, intercropping—especially of legumes and cereals—has great potential to improve crop yield and resource use efficiency, and can provide many other ecosystem services. However, the beneficial effects of intercrops are often greatly dependent on the end use as well as the specific species and genotypes being co-cultivated. In a...

To increase the resilience of agroecological farming systems against weeds, pests, and pathogens, evolutionary breeding of diversified crop populations is highly promising. A fundamental challenge in population breeding is to combine effective selection and breeding progress while maintaining intraspecific diversity. A hydroponic system was tested...

The herbicide glyphosate interferes with the shikimate pathway in plants and in major groups of microorganisms impeding the production of aromatic amino acids. Glyphosate application on plants results in a slow death, accelerated by reduced resistance to root pathogens. Extensive glyphosate use has resulted in increasing residues in soil and waterw...

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of highly heterogeneous bulk populations ("Composite CrossPopulations", CCP) to increase sustainability and resilience of wheat cropping, a so far largely neglected approach. For this purpose, 10 CCP, generated in 2001, based on the same set of 20 older varieties, but evolved under different en...

Introduction The number of livestock-less arable farms in organic agriculture is increasing due to specialisation and conversion farms as well as the new requirements of vegan food production. This raises major challenges for nutrient management in terms of phosphorus and potassium, but especially nitrogen, and leads to dependence on nutrient purch...

Influence of Cover Crops and Transfer Mulch on Earthworm Populations in Organic Potato Farming In a long-term study under organic farming conditions conducted by the University of Kassel, which has been managed without plowing since 2016, the influence of cover crops before and transfer mulch applied to potatoes on the number and species of earthwo...

Transferred mulch from green manure as agro-ecological tool against Alternaria solani in organic potato cultivation Due to climate change, the frequency of early summer drought in Central Europe is increasing. These climatic conditions support the infestation of potatoes with Alternaria solani. Organic potato production systems avoid the use of fu...

Der Kartoffelkäfer Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) ist einer der wichtigsten Schädlinge im ökologischen Kartoffelbau. Neben präventiven Maßnahmen, wie einer weiten Fruchtfolge und Abstand zur Vorjahresfläche, muss häufig auf Biopestizide zurückgegriffen werden. Versuchsergebnisse der letzten Jahre zeigen: Der Einsatz von 50 t FM/ha Mulch, aus trans...

Wirkung von Transfermulch und reduzierter Bodenbearbeitung auf die Beikrautgesellschaft im ökologischen Kartoffelbau Effect of transferred mulch from green manure and reduced tillage on weeds in organic potato cropping Um im Ökolandbau auf den Pflug zu verzichten sind agrarökologische Maßnahmen notwendig, um Beikräuter zu unterdrücken und den Boden...

ReMIX is a H2020 multi-actor project that will allow to redesign cropping systems based on the agroecological principle of crop diversification for the benefit of farmers and the whole EU agricultural community. ReMIX exploits the benefits of species mixtures to design more diversified and resilient agroecological arable cropping systems. Based on...

Pesticide residues are much lower in organic than in conventional food. The article summarizes the available residue data from the EU and the U.S. organic market. Differences between samples from several sources suggest that organic products are declared conventional, when they have residues—but the origin of the residues is not always investigated...

Lupin cultivation worldwide is threatened by anthracnose, a destructive disease caused by the seed- and air-borne fungal pathogen Colletotrichum lupini . In this study we explored the intraspecific diversity of 39 C. lupini isolates collected from different lupin cultivating regions around the world, and representative isolates were screened for th...

Hohe Aberkennungsquoten stellten in jüngster Zeit ein ernstzunehmendes, ökonomisches Risiko für Pflanzguterzeuger dar. In Feldversuchen konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Verwendung von transferiertem Mulch aus Stroh-oder Gründüngern wie Wicktriticale den Blattlausanflug und damit die Virusbelastung deutlich reduzieren kann.

In order to really understand the role of biodiversity in crop health, it is important to consider diversity on numerous levels. These include not only interspecific and intraspecific diversity of plants and rhizosphere and soil microbial diversity, but also phyllo- and endobiom diversity. Our research for crop health management in organic agricult...

Residues of pesticides not allowed in organic farming are often found in organic food. A large number of samples are being tested by organic certifiers, but the sampling methods often do not allow to determine if such residues stem from prohibited pesticide use by organic farmers, from mixing organic with conventional products, from short-range spr...

The potato cyst nematodes (PCN), Globodera rostochiensis (Woll.) and G. pallida (Stone), are important pests of potato globally. Due to their extensive damage potential and the challenge of managing them, these nematodes are under strict regulations in many countries; however, despite these regulations, PCN continue to spread into new areas and cou...

High fertiliser inputs for good yields and baking quality of wheat may cause nitrogen runoff. Cereal-legume mixtures have a range of advantages in terms of land and nitrogen use efficiency and protein content. We experimentally evaluated 15 contrasting wheat genotypes for their performance in mixture with pea and in monoculture without mineral N-fe...

To better harness advantages of species mixtures for temperate arable cropping systems it is crucial to understand key factors influencing mixture performance. We evaluated traits of 15 wheat genotypes from Hungary and Western Europe in mixture with a pea cultivar and in pure stands for their genotype-based variation, growth dynamics and plasticity...

Field experiments were established in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 growing seasons at the experimental station in Neu-Eichenberg, Hessen, Germany to examine the suitability of multiple wheat cultivars for intercropping with pea and the effect of mixtures on diseases. Approximately 600 wheat tillers (BBCH 49-61, depending on the year and cultivar) were s...

The seed- and air-borne pathogen Colletotrichum lupini, the causal agent of lupin anthracnose, is the most important disease in white lupin (Lupinus albus) worldwide and can cause total yield loss. The aims of this study were to establish a reliable high-throughput phenotyping tool to identify anthracnose resistance in white lupin germplasm and to...

Soil management and crop rotation are key factors in controlling the accumulation of C and N in the soil profile, but their long-term effect remains poorly understood for deep soil layers, especially in subtropical conditions. Using a long-term experiment (26-years), this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different soil management systems assoc...

Soil management and crop rotation are key factors in controlling the accumulation of C and N in the soil profile, but their long-term effect remains poorly understood for deep soil layers, especially in subtropical conditions. Using a long-term experiment (26-years), this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different soil management systems assoc...

The nature of host-pathogen interactions between Pyrenophora teres f. teres and barley has been reported to be as well race-specific as race-non-specific with evidence that the definition of races is tenuous. Infection responses of 266 single-spore isolates of P. teres f. teres collected in Uruguay during regular surveys from 2005 to 2015 to 41 bar...

Intercropping can be practiced at the species, variety, and gene level with effects on pathogens, insect pests, and weeds. One of the most important considerations for the successful design of intercropping systems for pest control is the achievement of functional diversity, i.e., diversity that limits pathogen and pest expansion and that is design...

Organic farming in temperate climatic conditions usually relies on intensive soil tillage to mineralize nutrients and suppress weeds in order to compensate for the lack of herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. In the long term, this may reduce soil organic carbon contents, and by this, soil fertility. Consequences are deterioration of soil structur...

Field experiments were conducted during spring 2014 and fall and spring 2015 to determine the effect of fresh mulch on the development of Phytophthora infestans epidemics, in Lapa Municipality, Parana State, southern Brazil. The used cultivars were ‘Agata’, susceptible, and ‘BRS Ana’, moderately susceptible. The main treatment consisted in manually...

Reduced nutrient mineralization rates under minimum tillage are usually compensated by mineral fertilizer application. These, however, cannot be applied in organic farming systems. We hypothesized that an organic minimum tillage system based on frequent cover cropping and application of dead mulch would improve soil fertility and compensate for the...

Reduced nutrient mineralization rates under minimum tillage are usually compensated by mineral fertilizer application. These cannot be applied in organic farming systems, however. We hypothesized that organic minimum tillage based on frequent cover cropping and application of dead mulch will improve soil fertility and can compensate for the potenti...

Organic farming systems are generally based on intensive soil tillage for seed bed preparation and weed control, which in the long-term often leads to reduced soil fertility. To avoid this, organic farming systems need to adopt conservation agriculture practices, such as minimum tillage and diligent crop rotations. However, minimum tillage generall...

Potato cultivation endangers the soil by erosion due to the lack of plant cover after planting and before harvesting, as well as the intensive soil tillage. The combination of intercropping, reduced tillage and transferred mulch from cover crops can help improve soil structure and aggregate stability without compromising yields.

The effects of temperature and absence of a host plant on the population dynamics of the sheath nematode, Hemicycliophora conida , were studied under glasshouse conditions. Regarding temperature, population dynamics of H. conida on tomato ‘Moneymaker’ were monitored weekly over a period of 12 weeks. In the first experiment, with an average temperat...

An extensive survey was undertaken in ten German States in three consecutive years (2016–2018) in order to determine the incidence of root rot on pea (Pisum sativum) and faba bean (Vicia faba) and identify pathogens involved. In total, 185 pea and faba bean fields were sampled (102 conventional and 83 organically managed) within the demonstration n...

The main and most efficient measure to control potato cyst nematode (PCN) is the use of resistant cultivars. German and Dutch National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) recently reported the emergence of Globodera pallida populations virulent on potato cultivars carrying resistance against pathotype 2/3. The development and virulence of the vi...

Twelve winter wheat composite cross populations (CCPs), based on three genetic backgrounds and maintained at the University of Kassel, Germany, under both organic and conventional management, were assessed for yield performance and stability in comparison to two commercial varieties over eight and 10 experimental years. A number of stability parame...

The plant-parasitic nematode, Paratylenchus bukowinensis , occurs ubiquitously in arable fields. Economic damage has been reported from, among others, cabbage, parsley, and celery, but other crops might be affected as well. Management of P. bukowinensis is difficult. Resistant cultivars are not available and chemical control is prohibited in most E...

Race-specific and race-non-specific interactions with barley have been previously reported for Bipolaris sorokiniana. The aims of the study were to characterize a Uruguayan population of B. sorokiniana, to determine the nature of the interactions, and to identify a set of the most informative barley genotypes to characterize the pathogen. Infection...

This poster presents preliminary experimental results showing plasticity of wheat cultivars in wheat-pea mixtures.

Effective Population Sizes (Ne) of three winter wheat composite cross populations (CCPs) that had been maintained under organic and conventional conditions from the F7 to the F12 were analysed. The number of plants (N) needed to maintain an Ne of 5000 for each population was calculated based on the mean variation in the number of gametes per parent...

Reducing soil tillage can lead to many benefits, but this practice often increases weed abundance and thus the need for herbicides, especially during the transition phase from inversion tillage to non-inversion tillage. We evaluated if subsidiary crops (SCs, e.g., cover crops) can mitigate the effects of non-inversion tillage on weed abundance. Two...

Early vigour traits of wheat composite cross populations (CCPs) based on high yielding (Y) or high quality (Q) or Y*Q varietal intercross evolving under organic or conventional conditions in parallel populations were studied hydroponically. To eliminate storage and year effects, frozen F6, F10, F11 and F15 seeds were multiplied in one field, result...

Early vigour traits of wheat composite cross populations (CCPs) based on high yielding (Y) or high quality (Q) or Y*Q varietal intercross evolving under organic or conventional conditions in parallel populations were studied hydroponically. To eliminate storage and year effects, frozen F 6 , F 10 , F 11 and F 15 seeds were multiplied in one field,...

This study presents the first empirically grounded hypotheses about the main factors driving implementation of species mixtures into agricultural practice. The main factors so far identified are: (1) psychosocial factors, (2) agro-system based factors, (3) food system based factors, (4) technological factors and (5) bio-ecological factors. In futur...

Phelipanche ramosa, a root parasitic weed, is a copious seed producer. A series of laboratory experiments was undertaken to investigate the effects of powder and aqueous extracts from Euphorbia hirta on germination, and haustorium initiation in P. ramosa. P. ramosa seeds conditioned in water and subsequently treated with diluted E. hirta extract (1...

Heterogeneous Composite Cross populations may enable winter wheat producers to cope with increasing biotic and abiotic stress due to climate change. An economic farm model based on a cost benefit analysis was established to compare net return and production risk of organic winter wheat production with CCP and pure line varieties. The organic produc...

Genetically diverse Composite Cross Populations (CCP) are a promising strategy to cope with changing environmental conditions and the increasingly erratic occurrence of biotic and abiotic stressors. Although legislative hurdles for the trade of CCP seeds in the EU could be changed soon, uncertainty remains concerning the adoption and acceptance of...

Genetically diverse Composite Cross Populations (CCP) may be a strategy to cope with increasingly erratic biotic and abiotic stress in crop production. An economic farm model based on cost-benefit analysis was established to compare performance and production risk of CCP and pure line varieties in organic winter wheat production. The organic produc...

Potato growing is an important economic pillar of many organic farms. Intensive soil cultivation endangers the soil structure and increases the risk of water and wind erosion. Regenerative agriculture claims to improve the soil during cultivation, which is being debated. In a one-year experiment, techniques of regenerative agriculture were applied...

Breeding for organic systems may be done as pure line or population breeding. Early vigour, critical to organic systems, was compared for different winter wheat breeding origins in a hydroponic system, as well as in the field. Entries were: the F15 of composite cross populations (CCPs), based on high yielding (Y), high quality (Q) or Y*Q varietal i...

• Weeds are a major constraint affecting crop yields in organic farming and weed seed bank analysis can be an important tool for predicting weed infestation and assessing farming system sustainability. • We compared the weed seed banks two and four years after transition from conventional to reduced tillage in organically managed winter wheat–potat...

The One Health concept proposes that there is a connection between human, animal and environmental health. Plants and their health are not explicitly included. In this review, we broaden the One Health concept to include soil, plant, animal and ecosystem health. We argue that the health conditions of all organisms in an ecosystem are interconnected...

150 words) 8 Disease and pest management in organic agriculture are based on a whole set of 9 interlinked system management methods, including in certain cases, the use of organic 10 pesticides including biocontrol organisms. In order to achieve the greatest possible 11 natural biological control within a growing system, there is a need to apply a...