Living Lab 4
Black Soil
Goal: Develop innovations to conserve black soil.
Where: Moldovia, Romania and Ukraine
Climate: Cold semiarid climate, Hot summer humid continental climate, Hot summer humid continental climate
Crops: Cereals, legumes, pulses, oilseeds, root and tuber crops
Soil health challenges: Salinisation & desertification; loss of soil organic matter; soil erosion; soil compaction; biodiversity loss.
No. of experimental sites: 20.
No. of potential Lighthouses: 3 sites to be identified.
Total area covered: 10,000 ha
Who are we working with? Academia, industry, government, and civil society.
Which EU Mission Soil objectives are addressed?
1: Reduce desertification and salinisation.
2: Increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks.
5: Prevent erosion.
6: Improve soil structure for soil biota and crops.
Living Lab 4 Coordinators
Leader: Teodor Ruso, University of Cluj-Napoca
Co-leader: Anton Tkachenko, Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Science of Ukraine National Scientific Center
Living Lab 4 innovations
We are testing the performance of these solutions for black soil conservation.
Soil management
- Sown cover crops/groundcovers
- Minimal soil disturbance/permanent soil cover
Agronomy management
- Enhance diversity of crop rotations
- Adapted plant nutrient strategies (NPK,
micro nutrients, pH)
Weed control
- Adapted plant protection measures
Green infrastructure
- Multifunctional field margins/buffer zones
- Biodiversity structures
- Forest curtains
IT solutions
- Precision farming (Auto-guidance, VRA)
- Modelling (digital twins, remote sensing)
Are you based in Romania, Moldovia or Ukraine and interested in getting involved in our Living Lab?
Get in touch to find out more about how to collaborate with us.
Contact your local Living Lab:
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