Research

The cultivated area on caraway in Finland is now higher than that of potatoes and broad beans and has proven to be one of the most profitable crops. Its seeds are rich on carvone and limonene, two volatile compounds of great importance for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

The main purpose of the project is to improve and guarantee high seed oil quality, while improving sustainability of the cropping system. Our research seeks to identify key environmental factors, companion crops and micronutrients, and to select best cultivation areas and management practices.

This work is carried out partly in collaboration with

Osmolytes are accumulated in plants as a response to for example environmental stresses. The role of osmolytes in plants has been studied extensively, yet there remain plenty of gaps in the knowledge regarding for example the mode of action. We investigate physiological and biochemical responses in leafy vegetables to root-applied osmolytes. The aim is to develop a new production strategy applying osmolytes in fertigation solutions to improve the commercial quality of leafy vegetables and utilize novel imaging technology for quality control. This research project is conducted together with the Deparment of Food and Nutrition, , and Luke,

Crop diversity is the cornerstone of food security, enabling continuous adaptation to climate change while providing systemic resilience against abiotic and biotic disturbances. Mixed cropping can alleviate current and future concerns in plant production by elevating soil quality, and potentially reducing the occurrence of pest and pathogen infestations as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

This initiative remains in progress through our partnership with

Sweet potato is very healthy vegetable with numerous uses. In western countries mainly the roots are used, but the leaves are also delicious. In Finland, sweet potato has mainly been an interest of home gardeners, yet it could be a good addition among the limited options of crops grown in the field. It does not require high inputs, so it should fit nicely also into organic production. We investigate sweet potato cultivation methods, cultivar differences, and the nutritive traits of sweet potato leaves and storage roots together with . We use cultivars differing in their color of storage root skin and flesh (rose, yellow, white, orange and purple).

aims to transition synthetic nitrogen fertilizers production to short-chain, reduced greenhouse gas, and circular economy-based technology. Such a goal will be achieved by adapting plants of the legume family to grow in hydroponic systems with leafy vegetables. Novel approaches proposed by the project will provide a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle in plants, and the estimation of BFN in plants and hydroponic solutions will help to determine the optimal requirements for growing plants and contribute to safer food to ensure higher product quality, consistent yields for farmers, and safer food for consumers. This is a project collaborating with international partners , and internal partners and

This project aims to identify solutions that reduce water overuse and pollution while ensuring food security and the economic viability of food production. We work together with several other group representing different disciplines. In our work package we study how tailored transition from rainfed to nature- and technology-based water management systems can be used to safeguard profitable, sustainable, resilient, and regenerative primary production in the pressure of global changes and challenges.

REACT will fill the knowledge gaps in the interconnections between climate, and agroecological and socioeconomic environments in heterogeneous smallholder agricultural systems in different agroecological zones in East Africa. We aim to develop accurate estimates of key agrometeorological variables using time-series and validated models measured with agroecological zone-specific parametrization and develop regenerative systems for agriculture with local stakeholders. Our high-class research stem from previous collaborative multidisciplinary work and innovative field experiments, which have generated new knowledge of water, soil carbon and crop growth dynamics.