Country
Estonia
Agricultural Area
1600 Ha
About ERS
- Lead: Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge - METK
- Contact: Merko Vaga
- Production System: Plant production in 4 location, the largest one is focusing on plant breeding, other of variety testing
Thematic Areas Covered
Crops Management
Forage Production
Soil Health and Biodiversity
Water Management
Description
METK integrates fundamental and applied research to contribute to the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices to adapt to climate change and environmental regulations.
METK is an important variety testing competence centre with four testing sites in different soil and climatic conditions (Kuusiku, Jõgeva, Võru, Viljandi) with more than 1600 ha of agricultural land (over 20 000 field plots), of which 50 ha are used for annual field trial research.
Activities include studies on field plots with adjustable precipitation (e.g. drought, overwatering) in a pilot testing area in Jõgeva
Characteristics
Our research focuses on breeding and research of agricultural crops and apply marker-assisted selection and new breeding techniques.
METK focuses on soil, agroecology, agrotechnology and rural economy research, and provides knowledge on fungicide and herbicide resistance research in target populations, monitors and forecasts the spread of pests, and researches implementation of integrated plant protection principles. Integration of the Gene Bank with our research activities enhances the use of accessions in plant breeding and research.
Annually, METK provides digital field-based fertilisation guidelines (including fertilisation maps) for 80,000-160,000 ha of arable land, based on the analyses of samples by our laboratory of agrochemistry.
