The programme was implemented within the framework of the Széchenyi 2020 Programme with the support of the European Union and the Hungarian Government, with a grant of HUF 537.5 million, with the participation of researchers from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of ELTE and the Centre for Agricultural Research TAKI and MGI: Establishment of the Transdisciplinary Centre of Excellence in Soil Biome Research for Sustainable Soil Resources with a five-year maintenance period (GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00056). In the project, a soil metagenomics laboratory and a soil ecology laboratory were set up in Martonvásár with the purchase of equipment worth HUF 180 million. With the help of more than 20 researchers and the same number of students and technical staff, a significant database has been built up through measurements to preserve soil quality. The programme focused on the more than 60-year old crop rotation experiment in Martonvásár and the related other cultivated areas (fallow, loess grassland, forest). Twenty publications have been published so far as a result of the project. Their results have been used to develop expert advice to support good agricultural practice and to develop business cooperation to develop products that support sustainable crop production. An East-Central European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Land Resource Management will be established by expanding existing links abroad.
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