Abschlussarbeit

Master's Thesis on “The effects of clover undersowing and companion plants on natural enemy recruitment and insect pest suppression”

Background:

The consumer demand for organically produced vegetables has increased steadily in recent years. At the same time, however, the climate-related challenges for the production of high-quality vegetables are also increasing: rising water demand due to periods of drought, faster and stronger growth of weeds and the spread of agricultural pests are becoming hurdles in organic vegetable production. To address these challenges, the ökoZuG-BB project focusses on multiple reasearch lines, among which the development of an ecosystem-based plant protection system. In the ökoZuG-BB project, we aim to test new field concepts for natural enemy recruitment and pest suppression. The MSc student can study the development of companion plants in clover and learn about various insect monitoring and collection techniques to assess insect pests and natural enemies in plots with cabbage, clover and companion plants.

Tasks:

• Plant measurements
• Monitoring and collecting insect pests and beneficials in the field
• Identifying insect pest and beneficials in the lab
• Data entry and management in Excel
• Statistical analysis of data
• Evaluating results and drawing conclusions

We are looking for candidates with:

• A strong interest in sustainable agricultural, biological control and biodiversity
• A BSc degree in biology or a related field, currently pursuing a MSc degree in entomology, horticulture, (agro-)ecology or a related field
• Experience handling insects
• A basic understand of insect taxonomy
• Practical experience with lab and field work is desirable
• Experience with data processing (Excel) and statistical evaluation of research results
• Good English language proficiency, German language proficiency is desirable
• The ability to work in a team and the willingness to integrate into an international work environment

The start date is ideally March or April 2026 and the work will be conducted at the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops in Großbeeren, Germany, research group HORTSYS.JR - Organic Horticultural Systems. This opportunity is intended for academic credit only and is not a remunerated position.

Interested? Please send a motivation letter (max. 500 words) and your CV to Dr. Jessica de Bruijn (debruijn@igzev.de).