Moritz Knoche

Prof. Moritz Knoche is a faculty member and Professor at Leibniz University Hannover, leading the Fruit Growing Section within the Institute of Horticultural Production Systems. His research focuses on fruit physiology, particularly mechanisms of fruit cracking, cuticle mechanics, and postharvest biology in crops like cherries, apples, and mangoes. He holds the ASHS Outstanding Fruit Publication Award (2015) and oversees multiple DFG-funded projects involving teams of graduate students. His work bridges fundamental plant biology with horticultural applications, addressing challenges such as fruit integrity, environmental stress responses, and agricultural sustainability.

• Affiliations: Leibniz University Hannover, Faculty of Natural Sciences
• Roles: Professor, Head of Fruit Growing Section, Research Lead

Research Interests: Fruit growth dynamics, cuticle structure-function relationships, physiological disorders in fruits, postharvest quality preservation, and stress resilience mechanisms. His studies explore how environmental factors (e.g., moisture, light) interact with fruit physiology to influence cracking, russeting, and other defects. Recent work highlights innovations in non-destructive measurement techniques and calcium-based mitigation strategies.

Key Projects: Includes investigations into strawberry water uptake mechanisms, mango russeting triggers, and banana skin mechanical properties. Collaborations span plant physiology, genetics, and engineering for practical horticultural solutions.

• Grants: Multiple DFG-funded projects (e.g., 2016–2022) addressing fruit cracking, cuticle deposition, and calcium physiology.

Labs/Teams: Active in multidisciplinary teams at the Institute, focusing on fruit physiology and production systems optimization.