Agroecology and sustainability in plant cultivation not only do not exclude the use of mineral fertilisers, but to a certain extent make it a prerequisite, because the global challenge is to supply a growing world population with sufficient and healthy food with generally decreasing arable land. An important criterion for the development of sustainable cultivation methods is therefore increasing nutrient efficiency, especially nitrogen efficiency. Plant fortifiers and biostimulants are among the tools used to achieve this. Our institute has been researching the development and application of these substance groups for several years and has been able to build up the relevant expertise.

In order to utilise this specific expertise and transfer it into practice, the IASP recently concluded a framework cooperation agreement with the company Synergie GmbH in Münster. The subject of the strategically oriented cooperation is research and consulting services in the field of development and optimisation of special fertilisers with biostimulants and/or nitrification or urease inhibitors. After the IASP has already regularly realised contract research for Synergie in recent years, this new step in the cooperation means greater economic planning security while at the same time maintaining scientific autonomy.

Synergie is involved in the global fertiliser industry in order to achieve greater environmental friendliness and ecological safety while ensuring food security. The co-founder and managing partner of Synergie is Dr Georg Ebert, who himself researched and taught for many years at Berlin's Humboldt University and is the author of Europe's first specialist book on biostimulants. The Münster-based company's global partner is the Chinese Kingenta Group, a globally operating manufacturer of fertilisers, whose strategic interest lies in improving the sustainability of its own product range and in a closer exchange of know-how in the fields of plant strengthening agents and biostimulants.

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