Topics | Umweltbundesamt

In addition to sufficient water, plants need nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphate, potassium) and trace elements (e.g., copper and zinc) to develop and grow. Only then can they achieve high yields of good quality. Plants absorb nutrients and trace elements from the soil through their root system. The humus content of the soil plays a central role in this process. Humus is rich in plant nutrients a... read more

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all living organisms. The use of mineral and organic nitrogen fertilizers to increase yields is therefore common practice in agriculture. Careful and needs-based application is crucial. Excess nitrogen can pollute water and land ecosystems and adversely affect the climate, air quality, and biodiversity. read more

Germany’s farming sector uses the largest amount of land, but is at the same a lynchpin of our economy – one that provides a reliable food supply and produces sustainable raw materials. The farming sector also plays a key role when it comes to preservation and development of the man-made environment. But increasingly intensive farming brings with it a host of eco-unfriendly effects. read more

Too high phosphorus concentrations are measured at more than half of all river measurement stations in Germany.The share has declined by around one third since the beginning of the 1980s. Extreme levels of pollution are very rare nowadays.Aim of the Sustainability Strategy is to meet the requirements for good status for phosphorous in all water bodies by 2030 at the latest.This requires a change i... read more

The European Nitrates Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the German Groundwater and Drinking Water Ordinances require that exceedances of the limit value for nitrate of 50 milligrams per liter be prevented.Since 2008, the quality standard has been exceeded every year at almost one in six measuring points.Extensive changes to the fertilizer legislation have allowed the designation of particul... read more