Research – assessment - advice: this JKI triad describing our commitment to cultivated plants is so far unparalleled in Germany. All three are legally grounded responsibilities. The primary task is to advise the federal government quickly, purposefully and competently. This expectation necessitates extensive research, preliminary research included, to ensure the required expertise in many fields. Other tasks are directly laid down in laws and regulations, for instance in the German Plant Protection Act. Examples are the risk assessment of plant protection products or the evaluation of disease resistance of new varieties.

Our focus is a healthy cultivated plant – whether it may be found in arable farming or grassland, orchards or vineyards, vegetable and ornamental cultivation, urban green or forests. From sowing to harvest, the JKI maintains this approach in its fields of competence soil science and plant production, plant genetics and breeding, and plant protection and health. Caring for plants also includes stored product protection and the breeding of new robust varieties of grapevine and fruit.

The more than 350 researchers of the JKI conduct their own research projects or contribute to numerous research collaborations. This puts them in a position to be able to provide scientific advice to the federal government and to perform their diverse statutory tasks of approval and assessment according to the state of the art in science and technology