Aim of SoilProSSoilProS will interpret big data on soil biodiversity, soil chemical and physical characteristics with respect to current and desired soil functions, and how to use this information in order to help farmers predicting which crop varieties, seed mixtures, (organic) fertilizers, soil inocula, and organic substrates enhance the environmental sustainability of their activities.

The National Centre for Soil Ecology (NCSE) is a virtual platform to connect soil ecologists in the Netherlands. NCSE is a grassroots initiative led by Dutch universities, research institutions and universities of applied sciences.

Promoting Root Microbes for Integrated Striga EradicationIn Sub-Saharan Africa, many farmers face challenges accessing affordable resources to protect crops against pests and diseases, and ensuring stable crop yields for food, feed and fiber. While natural resources and fertile soils are becoming scarcer every day, feeding a growing global population will require novel and sustainable strategies to increase agricultural production. Nature offers potential allies that can help us enhance food production with less fertilizers and harmful pesticides. These partners are beneficial microbes. All life depends on them to provide many essential ecosystem services. How exactly can these microbial partners help?Our aim is to engineer soil and plant microbiomes to enhance crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, we will explore and harness the functional potential of soil- and plant-associated microbes (bacteria and fungi) to minimize yield losses caused by Striga, a root parasitic weed that adversely affects many cereal crops all over the Sub-Saharan region. 

EpiDiverse was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network from 1 September 2017 - 28 February 2022. EpiDiverse aimed at the study of epigenetic variation in wild plant species. The network joined research groups from ecology, molecular (epi)genetics and bioinformatics to explore the genomic basis, molecular mechanisms and ecological significance of epigenetic variation in natural plant populations.The cross-disciplinary research program applied epigenomic research tools to a selection of different wild plants (annual plants, asexually reproducing perennial plants, and long-lived trees) to investigate how epigenetic mechanisms contribute to natural variation, stress responses and long-term adaptation of plants. Understanding the epigenetic contribution to adaptive capacity will help to better understand species responses to global environmental change, and can open new directions for sustainable agriculture and crop breeding.The EpiDiverse consortium trained 15 Early Stage Researchers to become expert plant epigeneticists, and equipped them with the interdisciplinary skills to successfully tackle this new research area. EpiDiverse training emphasized fluency in both empirical and informatics skills to become creative in working with big ‘omics data in natural contexts.EpiDiverse is funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme and involves 12 partners from academia, non-profit organizations and industry located in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy and Austria.