Geoecology › Research › Landscape laboratories › Landscape laboratory Merbitz

The Agricultural and Nutritional Science Experimental Centre (AEVZ) Merbitz is located approx. 15 km north of Halle and, as part of the university’s teaching and experimental stations, is dedicated to questions of cultivation system and crop research. A total of 16 hectares are available for field trials.

The primary research interests include

• the development of strategies for adapting to climate change,
• the development of sustainable, resource-conserving land use systems and
• the soil-plant value chain.

In addition to answering scientific questions, the AEVZ Merbitz is currently and will continue to be indispensable in the teaching of the Chair of Geoecology (e.g. Land System Science 3: Project-based Study in Geoecology I – Collection, Analysis and Interpretation of Data at the Local Scale). Among other things, the permanently accessible soil profile set up at the site and the data from the modern weather station are used for this purpose. Exercises at the AEVZ also take place in other modules, such as Qualitative and Quantitative Remote Sensing.

A wide range of data collection in the areas of UAV, remote sensing, micrometeorology and laboratory allows for excellent integration into studies of vegetation parameters, classic agronomic or soil-physical parameters, post-harvest quality parameters and material/energy balance (Bachelor’s and Master’s theses).

Current areas of specialisation include

• Small-scale plot characterisation of changes in the chemical and physical soil condition of the experimental plot,
• Processing of UAV images (RGB) to create high-resolution orthomosaics/slope aerial images for possible volume calculations or the creation of a digital surface model,
• Development of a workflow for drone-based detection of stones,
• Characterisation of the local material and energy balance by recording the _net CO2 exchange (between land surface and atmosphere) and the energy balance as a function of biometeorological parameters.

Partner on site: AEVZ (Head: Bernd Look)