Conference Agenda

Underutilised indigenous crops such as Amaranthus have significant potential to support climate vulnerable agricultural systems. Although grain amaranth is valued for its nutritional quality and resilience, limited information exists on the comparative drought performance of high yielding genotypes under moisture deficit. This study evaluated ten advanced grain amaranth genotypes—previously identified for superior grain yield—to determine their suitability for dryland production. The experiment was conducted in a rainproof shade across two seasons using a completely randomised design with well watered (WW) and water deficit (WD, 40% WW) treatments. Drought was imposed at 56 days after planting, and agronomic and physiological traits were measured, including plant height, stem girth, leaf area, biomass, and grain yield.

Moisture deficit significantly reduced growth and productivity across all genotypes (p < 0.05). Plant height, stem girth, leaf area, and biomass declined under WD, consistent with drought induced suppression of cell expansion and physiological processes. However, several genotypes maintained relatively strong performance under reduced irrigation. Grain yield under WD ranged from 1.52 t ha⁻¹ (PI633596) to 2.68 t ha⁻¹ (PI5116787), demonstrating that grain amaranth can still produce meaningful yields under stress. The highest WD yields were obtained in PI5116787 (2.68 t ha⁻¹), PI538324 (2.08 t ha⁻¹), PI667174 (1.94 t ha⁻¹), Amar (1.94 t ha⁻¹), and PI228279 (1.92 t ha⁻¹), indicating strong drought tolerance, while Arusha showed steep decline (4.47 t ha⁻¹ WW to 1.40 t ha⁻¹ WD).

The Drought Tolerance Index showed substantial genotypic differences (0.27–1.32). PI633596 exhibited the highest stability, followed by PI5116787, Amar, and PI667174. Seed size remained stable (0.4–0.7 mg), indicating genetic buffering. Gas exchange traits varied by genotype and moisture level, with WD reducing photosynthesis and transpiration.

Overall, several high yielding amaranth genotypes maintained reasonable yield under moisture deficit, with PI5116787, PI538324, PI667174, Amar, and PI228279 emerging as promising candidates for dryland cultivation.

Climate change has intensified the occurrence of drought and heat stress, posing significant challenges to global agriculture. In arid and semi-arid regions, these stresses often occur simultaneously, highlighting the need for climate-resilient crop cultivars with combined drought and heat stress (CDHS) tolerance. High-throughput phenotyping (HTP) systems offer a rapid and precise approach for evaluating dynamic traits related to CDHS tolerance. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a legume crop valued for its high nutritional content and ability to thrive under low-input conditions but its response to combined stress is not yet known. In this study, 200 single-seed descent-derived chickpea genotypes from the INCREASE T-Core diversity panel (Rocchetti et al., 2022), consisting of an equal number of kabuli and desi types, were evaluated using an RGB image-based HTP system in a climate-controlled greenhouse for 61 days. The study aimed to: (i) assess the impact of CDHS on chickpea’s photosynthetic performances, (ii) compare the responses of kabuli and desi types under CDHS, and (iii) screen the genotypes for CDHS. Plants were subjected to varying levels of CDHS stress for 4 weeks, followed by a recovery phase under optimal conditions. Photosynthetic efficiency, measured by the operating efficiency of photosystem II and the maximum quantum yield, declined under CDHS stress but recovered under optimal conditions, indicating the effectiveness of the applied stress. On the other hand, theoretical non-photochemical quenching (NPQt) increased under CDHS. Desi type showed a higher level of NPQt under CDHS, coupled with grain yield superiority compared to kabuli. This could be a stress protection strategy for the desi types that are regarded as more tolerant to drought stress than the kabuli. All three traits exhibited higher heritability values (>0.6) and considerable genotypic variance, indicating their usefulness for selection in breeding for CDHS tolerance in chickpeas.

Drought and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, placing major pressure on farming systems across Africa and other dry regions. Underutilised crops such as sorghum offer real hope for building more resilient and sustainable food systems. Sorghum is naturally tolerant to harsh conditions and is highly nutritious, yet we still do not fully understand why some genotypes perform better than others under combined drought and heat stress. Increasing evidence suggests that soil microbes may play an important role in shaping plant stress responses.

In this study, we explored how the rhizosphere microbiome contributes to stress tolerance in two contrasting sorghum genotypes: a tolerant line (P158690) and a sensitive line (PI682164). Plants were grown under well-watered, drought, heat, and combined drought plus heat conditions. Rhizosphere soils were analysed using 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing to profile bacterial and fungal communities. Microbial functions were predicted and compared between genotypes and treatments.

The tolerant genotype consistently hosted more bacteria linked to nitrogen cycling processes and maintained arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under drought and combined stress. These microbial groups are known to support nutrient uptake and plant performance under stress. In contrast, the sensitive genotype showed higher levels of fungi associated with decomposition and opportunistic growth. Importantly, the combined stress triggered unique microbial shifts rather than simply adding the effects of drought and heat.

Our findings suggest that stress tolerance in sorghum is not only a plant trait but also a microbiome-supported trait. Understanding and harnessing these beneficial plant–microbe partnerships could help develop climate-resilient sorghum systems and strengthen sustainable food production in water-limited environments.

Organic vegetable farming in Brandenburg faces considerable challenges due to climate change-induced droughts, rising temperatures, and poor soil quality. One promising crop for these challenges is the artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.). It has several ecological advantages: As a member of the Asteraceae family, it contributes to the diversification of crop rotations, promotes soil structure with its deep root system, extracts nutrients from deeper layers, and acts as a valuable food source for pollinators during flowering. In addition to the use of the bud as a delicacy vegetable, the leaves can also be used in medicine and the flowering buds in floristry for added value.

To assess its suitability for cultivation, 2025 field trials were set up at two locations – the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) in Großbeeren (with irrigation) and the HNEE teaching and research station in Wilmersdorf (without irrigation). Cultivation was carried out using precultivated young plants with organic fertilization (horn meal, 130 kg N ha⁻¹) and a practical planting density (1 × 1 m). Harvesting took place weekly over eight weeks from mid-July.

Initial observations indicate that artichokes can also be cultivated in the continental climate of northern Germany. In a comparison of varieties, Violet de Provence had the highest bud weight. However, the Green Globe and Imperial Star varieties propagated in Germany produced significantly more marketable buds over the entire harvest period. Winter hardiness is currently being tested for the perennial cultivation of artichokes in northern Germany, and the results will also be presented at the conference.

While information and communication technologies (ICTs) are widely promoted as drivers of agricultural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), understanding how different forms of ICT engagement translate into household welfare remains an important empirical question. This study examines the welfare implications of ICT engagement among smallholder producers in the underutilized African Indigenous Vegetables (AIV) value chains in Kenya, with particular attention to heterogeneity across gender. ICT adoption is measured multidimensionally, capturing mobile phone ownership, functional use of mobile phones for communication and digital services, and the intensity of ICT use based on the number of tools utilized. Welfare outcomes are assessed along four dimensions: commercialization, household income, food security, and asset accumulation. Using survey data from vegetable-producing households, the study employs machine learning-based treatment effects LASSO for covariates selection, followed by inverse probability weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) to estimate causal effects while using propensity score matching (PSM) for robustness checks. The results indicate that ICT engagement is positively associated with commercialization, income, and asset accumulation, while effects on food security are more heterogeneous. Functional use and higher intensity of ICT engagement yield stronger welfare associations than phone ownership alone, underscoring the importance of moving beyond access-based measures of digital inclusion. Gender-disaggregated analyses reveal differential effects depending on whether gender is measured by the sex of the producer or the sex of the household head, highlighting distinct pathways through which ICTs influence livelihoods. By situating the analysis within underutilized crop value chains, this study extends the ICT and agriculture literature to a context that remains underexplored. The findings contribute to ongoing debates on digital agricultural transformation by demonstrating the importance of how ICTs are used, rather than simply owned, and by emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive and context-specific digital policies to support inclusive welfare gains.