Healthy Soils
with Robotics?
The Project
SoilRob investigates the impact of autonomous field robots on soil health in diversified agricultural landscapes. To achieve this, experimental sites with diversified cropping systems are selected both regionally and across Germany, where comprehensive soil parameters are analyzed and compared between conventional farming and diversified systems managed with field robots.
The field robots used in the project are designed for crop-specific interventions and are deployed for seeding, mechanical weed control, or as towing machines. They are characterized by their lighter weight, precise track planning, and extended operational windows in agricultural practice. Based on the findings, the project aims to assess the potential benefits of field robots over conventional agricultural machinery in terms of soil health.
In addition to practical trials, a digital twin of the landscape laboratory will be implemented in a farming simulator. This modeling approach will help predict soil changes and develop recommendations for optimizing the use of field robots.
The ultimate goal of SoilRob is to ensure long-term, sustainable high yields and thus reliable economic viability of autonomously managed diversified cropping systems through improved soil quality.
THE MISSION
A scientifically based investigation into whether and how the use of autonomous field robots in diversified agricultural landscapes can promote soil health and what potential land-use conflicts may arise from their implementation.
Hello, we are the team behind SoilRob!
SoilRob is a project led by a BMBF-funded junior research group under the leadership of Dr. Kathrin Grahmann at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg (Brandenburg), as part of the funding initiative "Young Researchers Exploring the Bioeconomy".
As the scientific coordinator of the patchCROP landscape laboratory, Kathrin Grahmann has many years of experience in experimental and applied agricultural sciences. The extensive scientific, technical, and knowledge transfer activities in SoilRob are driven by Lina Rohlmann, Lukas Thielemann, and Björn Wang.
Starting in October 2024, an additional researcher will join the team to support the implementation of a digital twin of the landscape laboratory.
Events & News
Florence, Italy
Latest News
Field Campaign Update: LiDAR-Based Soil Surface Roughness Assessment with FarmDroid FD20
As part of our ongoing research into robot–soil interactions, the SoilRob team conducted a field trial on July 1–3, 2026, at ZALF in Müncheberg.
Read more … Field Campaign Update: LiDAR-Based Soil Surface Roughness Assessment with FarmDroid FD20
With Robotics in Tow: Dr. Kathrin Grahmann on a Research Trip Through South America
Autonomous field robots have the potential to transform agriculture - but what impact do they have on our soils? With this question in mind, Dr. Kathrin Grahmann, head of the ZALF early-career research group SoilRob, traveled to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina in the summer of 2026.
Read more … With Robotics in Tow: Dr. Kathrin Grahmann on a Research Trip Through South America
SoilRob Showcases digi.farming.lab at the Federal Government Open Day
On 21st June, the SoilRob research group had the exciting opportunity to present our interactive serious gaming environment, digi.farming.lab, to the public at the Open Day of the Federal Government.
Read more … SoilRob Showcases digi.farming.lab at the Federal Government Open Day
BILL GATES
"We should discuss soil as much
as we talk about coal"
LEONARDO DA VINCI
"We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."
Charles E. Kellogg
"Essentially, all life depends upon the soil"
Mahatma Gandhi
"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
William Bryant Logan