Only 34% of all German farms apply reduced tillage (RT), while approximately 1% of the arable land is under no-tillage (NT). Statistics for organic farming are not available, but the percentages are probably even lower. The development of German organic RT and NT has been strongly driven by pioneer farmers for 40 years, and supported by field trials since the 1990s. The main motive for conversion to RT is increased soil quality, followed by reduced labor costs. NT combined with high-residue cover crops plays only a very small role. Rather, German organic farmers resort to shallow ploughing, a reduced number of ploughing operations in the rotation and/or substitution of the ploughing with non-inversion tillage. In field trials, winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields were reduced up to 67% by using RT methods compared to inversion tillage treatments due to reduced mineralization and increased weed pressure, both of which are major obstacles that impede the wider adoption of RT and NT by German organic farmers. Improvement of NT and RT (rotations, implements, timing) in organic farming is a task of both agricultural practice and science. A number of conventional farmers who have recently converted to organic farming are already familiar with RT. These farmers will act as a thriving factor to implement their experience after conversion and contribute to further innovations of RT in organic farming.

The cultivation area of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) is increasing in Germany as a way to ensure self-sufficiency through its use as feed and food. However, climatic conditions needed for soybean cultivation are not appropriate in all parts of the country. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of solar radiation, temperature, and precipitation on soybean seed productivity and quality in central and south Germany. A multi-factorial field trial was carried out with three replicates at four locations in 2016 and five locations in 2017, testing 13 soybean varieties from the maturity groups MG 00 and MG 000. Considering all the tested factors, “variety” was highly significant concerning protein content (Ø 41.1% dry matter (DM)) and oil content (Ø 19.1% in DM), but not seed yield (Ø 40.5 dt ha⁻¹).The broad sense heritability of protein content was H² = 0.80 and of oil content H² = 0.7. Protein and oil content were significantly negatively correlated (r = −0.82). Seed yield was significantly positively correlated with solar radiation (r = 0.32) and precipitation (r = 0.33), but significantly negatively with Crop Heat Units (CHU) (r = −0.42). Over both experimental years, varieties from maturity group MG 00 were less significantly correlated with the tested environmental factors than varieties from maturity group MG 000. None of the environmental factors tested significantly increased the protein or oil content of soybean. In growing areas with heat periods during ripening, protein content tended to be higher than in cooler areas; in areas with high solar radiation during flowering, protein content tended to be reduced.

A field experiment was performed in Southwest Germany to examine the effects of long-term reduced tillage (2000–2012). Tillage treatments were deep moldboard plow: DP, 25 cm; double-layer plow; DLP, 15 + 10 cm, shallow moldboard plow: SP, 15 cm and chisel plow: CP, 15 cm, each of them with or without preceding stubble tillage. The mean yields of a typical eight-year crop rotation were 22% lower with CP compared to DP, and 3% lower with SP and DLP. Stubble tillage increased yields by 11% across all treatments. Soil nutrients were high with all tillage strategies and amounted for 34–57 mg kg⁻¹ P and 48–113 mg kg⁻¹ K (0–60 cm soil depth). Humus budgets showed a high carbon input via crops but this was not reflected in the actual C_org content of the soil. C_org decreased as soil depth increased from 13.7 g kg⁻¹ (0–20 cm) to 4.3 g kg⁻¹ (40–60 cm) across all treatments. After 12 years of experiment, SP and CP resulted in significantly higher C_org content in 0–20 cm soil depth, compared to DP and DLP. Stubble tillage had no significant effect on C_org. Stubble tillage combined with reduced primary tillage can sustain yield levels without compromising beneficial effects from reduced tillage on C_org and available nutrient content.

Biological and vegetarian raw food products, in particular based on legume sprouts, are an increasing food trend, due to their improved nutritional value when compared to seeds. Herein, protein and mineral profiles were studied in 12 lentil varieties, with varieties Du Puy, Kleine Schwarze, Rosana, Flora, Große Rote and Kleine Späths II demonstrating the highest protein percentages. After sprouting, protein percentages increased significantly in 10 of the 12 varieties, with the highest increases ranging between 20–23% in Dunkelgrün Marmorierte, Du Puy, Große Rote and Kleine Späths II varieties. While Fe concentration was significantly decreased in three varieties (Samos, Große Rote and Kleine Späths II), Zn and Mn were positively impacted by sprouting (p ≤ 0.05). Magnesium concentration was not affected by sprouting, while Ca and K had percentage increases between 41% and 58%, and 28% and 30%, respectively, in the best performing varieties (Kleine Schwarze, Dunkelgrün Marmorierte, Samos and Rosana). Regardless of the associated nutritional benefits, issues pertaining to sprouts microbiological safety must be ensured. The best results for the disinfection protocols were obtained when combining the seed treatment with SDS reagent followed by an Amukine application on the sprouts, which did not affect germination rates or sprout length. The increasing levels of sprout consumption throughout the world require efficient implementation of safety measures, as well as a knowledge-based selection for the nutritional quality of the seeds.

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) is one of the most important crops worldwide. In several European countries such as Germany, soybean cultivation is not traditional and as such remains to be optimized. One option to increase soybean production is to adapt and improve the seeding system. To investigate the effects of different seeding systems on seed yield, seed protein, and oil content, plant characteristics were assessed using a two-factorial (two seeding systems and four cultivars) field trial over two years (2017–2018) at two locations in southeast Germany. The seeding systems were drill (row spacing 14 cm) and precision seeding (row spacing 28 cm), and the cultivars were Viola 000, Lissabon 000, ES Mentor 00, and Orion 00. Depending on the seeding system, a seed yield of 3.8 t ha⁻¹ dry matter (DM), 40.9% protein content (DM), and 18.8% oil content (DM) was achieved by drilling, and 3.6 t ha⁻¹ yield (DM), 40.1% protein content (DM), and 19.1% oil content (DM) with precision seeding (average across four cultivars, two locations, and two years). No significant effects of the seeding system on all seed and plant characteristics were observed. As drilling and precision seeding did not affect the seed yield, seed protein, oil contents, and plant characteristics of soybean in this study, farmers are able to choose the seeding system which fits best into their farms and is economically most viable.