Postdoctoral Researcher

Research
My current research focuses on the further development of an indicator system for the evaluation of energy crops for biogas production. The indicator system shows the strengths and weaknesses of energy crops with regard to selected ecological, economic and social criteria and is therefore a useful tool in agricultural practice. The integration of various cultivated species, different farming systems and numerous agronomic and other parameters pursues the implementation of sustainability standards in agriculture and biogas production. Furthermore, I am interested in the impact of different soil tillage methods on agronomic traits (e.g. soil parameters, above- and belowground biomass).

Projects

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in energy crop production by cultivating winter cover crops and permanent crops
Since 2014: Trace elements by energy crops – mass flux and recommendations for an optimized process biology in biogas plants. Subproject 2: Index of relative agronomical suitability of energy crops (IrA)
2012-2014: Long-term soil tillage experiment Garte-Süd

Selected publications

Hey, K., 2020: Feldfrüchte für die Biogaserzeugung – Index der relativen Anbauwürdigkeit (IrA). Dissertation

Fahlbusch, W. , Hey, K., Sauer, B, Ruppert, H. (2018). Trace element delivery for biogas production enhanced by alternative energy crops: results from two-year field trials. Energy, Sustainability and Society. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-018-0180-1

Conference Contributions

Hey, K., R. Rauber (2018). Index IrA als Werkzeug zur Bewertung von Energiepflanzen. Mitt. Ges. Pflanzenbauwiss. 30, 112-115.

Hey, K., R. Rauber (2017). Humuswirksamkeit verschiedener Energiepflanzen. Mitt. Ges. Pflanzenbauwiss. 29, 92-93.

Hey, K., R. Rauber, W. Fahlbusch (2016). Entwicklung von Indikatoren für den Anbau von Biogaspflanzen. Mitt. Ges. Pflanzenbauwiss. 28, 172-173.

Hey, K., R. Rauber (2015). Pflanzenbauliche Charakterisierung spurenelementreicher Winterzwischenfrüchte zur Biogaserzeugung. Mitt. Ges. Pflanzenbauwissenschaften 27, 227-228.

Hey, K., C. Meinen, R. Rauber (2013). Der Einfluss der Bodenbearbeitung auf die Wurzelverteilung und Ertragsbildung von Triticale (Triticosecale). Mitt. Ges. Pflanzenbauwissenschaften 25, 327-328.

Additional information
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Katharina_Hey