Permanent development of products and production processes

A key focus of our activities is research into and the development of new and improved products. Providing nutrition to plants that meets needs over the entire vegetation cycle is a priority. We focus on three different fields of research:

• Improving the quality of plant products
  We are investigating the effect of fertilisation of plants on their capacity to resist disease as well as the effect on the presence of certain plant constituents (vitamins, minerals), which improve human health.
• Making better use of limited resources
  Climate change, for example, higher temperatures, drought and the associated increas-ing soil salinization will probably have an adverse effect on farming conditions for the agricultural sector in the years to come. If the current trend persists, water will become the most important bottleneck factor for agriculture during the next 50 years. Should deserts and steppes continue to expand as a result of the absence of precipitation, by 2025 almost two billion people could be living in regions with an absolute shortage of water, according to estimates published by the UN. That is why the aim of our currently most important research project is to make the water resources of the soil optimally usable for agriculture. Together with the universities of Halle, Giessen and Kiel, K+S KALI GmbH is conducting research into the effect that the application of potash and magnesium fertilizers has on the efficiency with which the soil and plants can utilise water. Initial findings from this project indicate that the soil can store more water if potash- and magnesium-containing fertilizers are applied regularly. A positive effect on root formation can be detected – and strong roots are able to tap into additional water reserves.

Of no less importance is the constant reviewing of our production processes with respect to the sustainable use of the resources available to us as well as the reviewing of the deployment of capital, energy and personnel in terms of efficiency. In 2008, the reduction of solid and liquid production residue in potash production was the primary focus of our research into technical processes.

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