Because of climate change: Bayer is now growing peanuts and sesame | Regional

2023-07-04 09:03:48

Ruhstorf an der Rott (Bavaria) – When the water becomes scarce, the plant has to adapt to the conditions.

In Bavaria, the State Institute for Agriculture (LfL) is now experimenting with peanuts, sesame, mung and cowpeas. The project is a reaction to increasing weather extremes. “We will be doing a different kind of farming in 30 years’ time,” agricultural engineer Klaus Fleissner is convinced. On the field at the LfL site in Ruhstorf an der Rott (Passau district), small quantities of what could be cultivated extensively in the future thrive.

Prolonged drought is also challenging agriculture in Bavaria. Peanuts, sesame, black cumin and African beans are – to varying degrees – drought tolerant, says Fleissner. He sees good chances of cultivating the plants in Bavaria. Some farmers are already interested. Fleissner hopes to be able to win more.

This is what the young peanut plants look like

Photo: Armin Weigel/dpa

Fleissner has experience with warmth-loving plants: he lived in Namibia from 1986 to 2007. After completing his studies in Freising-Weihenstephan, he came to the African country for an internship, says the Franconian. He leased a cattle ranch until 1995 and then worked at the Ministry of Agriculture in Namibia. He now contributes his knowledge to the LfL Institute for Plant Breeding.

Fleissner is already experimenting with peanuts in the third season. In 2021 he sowed seeds for the first time and in the following years planted his own offspring. He currently has varieties from Uzbekistan, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Australia in the bed. The benefit of peanuts? They are taproots, the roots of which reach up to two meters deep into the ground just four weeks after sowing. This means that the roots still reach water when the soil dries up from above due to lack of rain.

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Mung beans also good alternative

However, peanuts need more water than cowpeas and mung beans. These are particularly drought-tolerant protein plants. Their leaves could also be dried and ground as concentrated feed for cattle. “Cowpeas are happy about every day with 30 degrees,” says Fleissner. Rice also needs heat, but also a lot of water. So it can only be used to a limited extent.

The LfL expert is convinced that agriculture – and with it nutrition – will change significantly in times of climate change. A spokesman for the Bavarian Farmers’ Association (BBV) also says that the cultivation of fruit and vegetables is likely to become more difficult. “Farmers are aware that climate change needs to be counteracted, and they are doing it.” Farmers are drivers of innovation. They wanted to continue harvesting profitably in the future “so that they could make their contribution to food security”.

The LfL research project “Future Crop” is scheduled to run for three years and is funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture. According to Fleissner, an extension of three years has already been applied for.