Jörg Schaller

Dr. Jörg Schaller serves as Adjunct Professor and Head of the Working Group Silicon Biogeochemistry at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg, Germany. His research focuses on silicon's critical role in agricultural systems, particularly its effects on soil phosphorus availability, water retention capacity, and global carbon cycling within terrestrial ecosystems.

His primary research domains include:

• Silicon biogeochemical cycling in agricultural landscapes
• Mechanisms of silicon-enhanced phosphorus availability
• Silicon-mediated soil water holding capacity improvements
• Silicon's contribution to carbon sequestration processes
• Development of silicon-based sustainable crop production systems

Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals a strong emphasis on silicon's practical applications for climate-resilient agriculture. Key findings demonstrate silicon amendments significantly improving barley yields in Kenyan acidic soils, reducing N2O emissions in arable systems, and enhancing drought resilience through improved soil-plant-water relations. His work integrates Arctic permafrost studies with tropical agricultural systems, establishing silicon as a cross-ecosystem regulator of nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas dynamics.

Scientific Awards: No specific awards were documented in the source materials.

Advising and Grants: Student mentorship details and grant funding information were not provided in available documentation.

Dr. Schaller leads the Silicon Biogeochemistry working group within ZALF's Research Area 1 "Landscape Functioning," where his team investigates fundamental silicon processes and develops sustainable soil management strategies through field experiments, laboratory analyses, and modeling approaches across diverse global ecosystems.