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since 2021Scientific director of the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen (teaching and experimental farm of the University of Kassel)
since 2021Head of the Department of Organic Agriculture and Crop Production at the University of Kassel
2019Short-term lectureship at the Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, Laranjeiras do Sul, Paraná, Brazil
2018 - 2021Research assistant at the Institute of Crop Sciences and Resource Conservation, Department of Agroecology and Organic Agriculture (INRES-AOL), University of Bonn, Germany
2017 - 2018Own position within the DFG Junior Researcher Academy "Soil Resources and Plant Production" at INRES-AOL and the Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL), University of Bonn
2011 - 2017Coordinator DFG Research Unit 1320/PAK 888 "Crop Sequence and the Nutrient Acquisition from the Subsoil" at the IOL, University of Bonn, with two interruptions due to parental leave
2011PhD on "Product quality of salad rocket (Eruca sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): Influence of irradiance, nitrogen supply, fertilization type and horn silica application on growth and differentiation" at IOL, University of Bonn (Prof. Dr. Ulrich Köpke).
2003 - 2007Study of agricultural sciences at the University of Bonn. Specialization: Nature conservation and landscape ecology
2003Honorary contract at the Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V., Müncheberg
2002Studies "Ingeniería Ambiental" at the Universidad Católica Boliviana, Cochabamba, Bolivia
2000 - 2003Studies "Environmental and Resource Management" at the University of Cottbus, Germany
  • Society for Crop Science (GPW)
  • German Soil Science Society (DBG)
  • German University Association (DHV)
  • Albrecht Daniel Thaer Society
  • Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos of the University of Kassel
  • FiBL Germany (Board of Directors)
  • Future Commission for Agriculture
  • DFG Senate Commission Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems
  • Member of the expert committee WiBiLa (knowledge platform for biodiversity consulting in agriculture - inform*educate*network nationwide)
  • 2024-2028 Elected member of the DFG Review Boards; 2.31 -, Agricultural and Forestry Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
  • Root Ecology
  • Root-soil interactions
  • Subsoil management
  • Soil and plant resilience
  • Food quality
  • Agroforestry
  • Nature conservation in organic farming
  • G11 - Organic farming systems (SoSe)
  • G19 - Special crop production, grassland (SoSe)
  • H21 - Soil fertility, nutrient cycles (SoSe)
  • L03 - Study colloquium (So/WiSe)
  • G07 - Project Weeks Ecology and Introduction to Agricultural Systems (WiSe)
  • Ecology and Introduction to Agricultural Systems (WiSe)
  • L23 - Nutrient Cycles, Eco- and Energy Balances (WiSe)
  • L31 - Special Aspects of Organic Agriculture (WiSe)

Projects

Publications

  • Steng K, Fichtl L, Athmann M, Gattinger A, Döring J (2026): Long-term vineyard management systems shape soil moisture dynamics, nitrogen cycling, and grapevine root distribution. European Journal of Agronomy, 180, 128201. 10.1016/j.eja.2026.128201
  • Nyameasem JK, Möller M, Andrino A, Athmann M, Brüggemann N, Kautz T, Gentsch N, Schlotter D, Ulrich M, Seidel SJ (2026): Climate Efficiency of Long-Term Nutrient Management: Cross-Site Greenhouse Gas Responses in Temperate Cropping Systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 409: 110519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110519
  • Petzoldt L, Athmann M, Kautz T (2025): Earthworm linings induce stronger lateral gradients of Ct, Nt, and cereal root growth from macropores toward bulk soil than root debris. Rhizosphere, 101208. https://doi.org/10.1016/jr.rhisph.2025.101208
  • Behrend D, Athmann M, Perkons U, Küpper PM, Han E, Bauke S, Köpke U, Kautz T, Gaiser T, Seidel S (2025): How do biopores created by forage crops affect the growth of subsequent main crops? Synthesis of multiple field experiments. Field Crops Research 322: 109687 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109687
  • Möller M, Sarazin T, Schmidt O, Bruns C, Joergensen RG, Wachendorf C, Athmann M (2026): Earthworm abundance, biomass, and species composition in mixed and livestock-free organic farming systems: evidence after a six-year crop rotation. Applied Soil Ecology 224: 107135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.107135
  • Barthel S, Athmann M, Darienko T, Rybalka N, Olberg B, Lorenz M, and Friedl T (2026) Soil algae in arable land: changes in the genotypic community composition across time points and farming systems—a pilot study https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1813833
  • Kampmann K, Gebhardt V, Franzisky BL, Kammann C, Athmann M, Geilfus CM (2025) Strip intercropping of wheat (Triticum aestivum) with coriander (Coriandrum sativum) improves wheat yield and water-use efficiency under reduced irrigation. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment e70098, https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70121
  • Arslan, M., Kemper, R., Döring, T. F., Schmittmann, O., & Athmann, M. (2026). Effects of biological and technical subsoil amelioration on root growth and crop performance in cereal crops. Soil and Tillage Research, 256, 106907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106907
  • Petzoldt L, Athmann M, Kautz T (2025): Earthworm linings induce stronger lateral gradients of Ct, Nt, and cereal root growth from macropores toward bulk soil than root debris. Rhizosphere, 101208. https://doi.org/10.1016/jr.rhisph.2025.101208
  • Felix Milke, Heberto Rodas-Gaitan, Georg Meissner, Vincent Masson, Meike Oltmanns, Morten Möller, Yvette Wohlfahrt, Boris Kulig, Alberto Acedo, Miriam Athmann, Jürgen Fritz, “Enrichment of putative plant growth-promoting microorganisms in biodynamic compared with organic agriculture soils,” ISME Communications, Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2024, ycae021, https://doi.org/10.1093/ismeco/ycae021
  • Bauke S, Seidel SJ, Athmann M, Berns AE, Braun M, Gocke MI, Guigue J, Kautz T, Kögel-Knabner I, Ohan J, Rillig MC, Schloter M, Schmittmann O, Schulz S, Uhlig D, Schnepf A, Amelung W: Short-term effects of subsoil management through strip-wise loosening and incorporation of organic material. Soil and Tillage Research 236: 105936, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2023.105936
  • Kemper R, Döring TF, Legner N, Meinen C, Athmann M (2023): Oil radish, winter rye, and crimson clover: root and shoot performance in cover crop mixtures. Plant and Soil https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06240-y
  • Seidel SJ, Gaiser T, Srivastava AK, Leitner D, Schmittmann O, Athmann M, Kautz T, Guigue J, Ewert F and Schnepf A (2022) Simulating Root Growth as a Function of Soil Strength and Yield Using a Field-Scale Crop Model Coupled with a 3D Architectural Root Model. Front. Plant Sci. 13:865188. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.865188
  • Lopez G, Ahmadi SH, Amelung W, Athmann M, Ewert F, Gaiser T, Gocke MI, Kautz T, Postma J, Rachmilevitch S, Schaaf G, Schnepf A, Stoschus A, Watt M, Yu P, and Seidel SJ (2023) Effects of nutrient deficiency on root architecture and root-to-shoot ratio in arable crops. Front. Plant Sci. 13: 1067498 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1067498

  • Fritz J, Athmann M, Bornhütter R, Busscher N, Geier U, Mergardt G, Scherr C, Doesburg P (2022) Analytical perception and kinesthetic engagement in the evaluation of copper chloride crystallization patterns in wheat, grape juice, and arugula samples from conventional, organic, and biodynamic cultivation. Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture 9: 103, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-022-00361-9

    Smith AG, Han E, Petersen J, Faircloth Olsen NA, Giese C, Athmann M, Dresbøll DB, Thorup-Kristensen K (2022): RootPainter: Deep learning segmentation of biological images with corrective annotation. New Phytologist, doi: 10.1111/nph.18387 https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.18387

  • Han E, Kirkegaard J, White R, Smith AG, Thorup-Kristensen K, Kautz T, Athmann M (2022): Deep learning with multisite data reveals the lasting effects of soil type, tillage, and vegetation history on biopore genesis. Geoderma 425: 116072
  • Kemper R, Döring TF, Legner N, Meinen C, Athmann M (2022) Root traits in cover crop mixtures of blue lupin and winter rye. Plant and Soil, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05366-9
  • Bublitz TA, Kemper R, Müller P, Kautz T, Döring TF, Athmann M (2022): Relating profile wall root-length density estimates to monolith root-length density measurements of cover crops. Agronomy 12 (48): https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010048
  • Athmann M, Bornhütter R, Busscher N, Doesburg P, Geier U, Mergardt G, Scherr C, Köpke U, Fritz J (2021): An update on image-forming methods: Structure analysis and Gestalt evaluation of images of rocket lettuce under shading, N supply, organic or mineral fertilization, and biodynamic preparations. Organic Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-021-00347-1
  • Han E, Smith AG, Kemper R, White R, Kirkegaard J, Thorup-Kristensen K, Athmann M (2021). Digging roots is easier with AI. Journal of Experimental Botany: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab174
  • Han E, Li F, Perkons U, Küpper PM, Bauke SL, Athmann M, Thorup-Kristensen K, Kautz T, Köpke U (2021): Can deep roots of a preceding crop deliver subsoil P and K to subsequently grown spring wheat? Plant and Soil: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04910-3
  • Doesburg P, Fritz J, Athmann M, Bornhütter R, Busscher N, Geier U, Mergardt G, Scherr C (2021): Kinesthetic engagement in Gestalt evaluation outperforms analytical ‘atomic feature’ evaluation in perceiving aging in crystallization images of agricultural products. PLoS ONE 16(3): e0248124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248124
  • Koch M, Boselli R, Hasler M, Zörb C, Athmann M, Kautz T (2021): Root and shoot growth of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are affected differently by increasing subsoil pore density when grown under different subsoil moisture conditions. Biology and Fertility of Soils. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-021-01597-7
  • Hadir S, Gaiser T, Hüging H, Athmann M, Pfarr D, Kemper R, Ewert F, Seidel SJ (2021): Phenotypic plasticity of sugar beet shoots and roots in response to the omission of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and lime. Agriculture 11: 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11010021
  • Petzoldt L, Athmann M, Buechse A, Kautz T (2020): Root growth of Hordeum vulgare and Vicia faba in the biopore sheath. Submitted to Agriculture 10: 650. DOI: 10.3390/agriculture10120650
  • Huang N, Athmann M, Han E (2020): Biopore-induced deep root traits of two winter crops. Agriculture 10: 634, DOI: 10.3390/agriculture10120634
  • Kemper R, Bublitz TA, Müller P, Kautz T, Döring TF, Athmann M (2020): Vertical root distribution of different cover crops determined using the profile wall method. Agriculture 10: 503, DOI: 10.3390/agriculture10110503
  • Fritz J, Athmann M, Meissner G, Kauer R, Geier U, Bornhütter R, Schultz HR (2020): Quality assessment of grape juice from integrated, organic, and biodynamic viticulture using imaging methods. OenoOne 54 (2): 373–391
  • Döring T, Rosslenbroich D, Giese C, Athmann M, Watson C, Vago I, Kátao J, Tállai M, Bruns C (2020): Disease-suppressive soils vary in resilience to stress. Submitted to Applied Soil Ecology 149: 103482. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.103482
  • Meissner G, Athmann M, Fritz J, Kauer R, Stoll M, Schultz HR (2019): Conversion to organic and biodynamic viticultural practices: impact on soil, grapevine development, and grape quality. OenoOne 53 (4), DOI: 10.20870/oeno-one.2019.53.4.2470
  • Seidel SJ, Gaiser T, Kautz T, Bauke SL, Amelung W, Barfus K, Ewert F, Athmann M (2019): Estimation of the impact of cover crops and climate variability on depth-differentiated spring wheat growth and water, nitrogen, and phosphorus uptake. Soil and Tillage Research 195: 104427, DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2019.104427
  • Athmann M, Sondermann J, Kautz T, Köpke U (2019): Comparing macropore exploration by faba bean, wheat, barley, and canola roots using in situ endoscopy. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 19: 689–700, DOI: 10.1007/s42729-019-00069-0
  • Jakobs I, Schmittmann O, Athmann M, Kautz T, Schulze Lammers P (2019): Crop response to deep tillage and incorporated organic fertilizer. Agronomy 9: 296, DOI: 10.3390/agronomy9060296
  • Landl M, Schnepf A, Uteau D, Peth S, Athmann M, Kautz T, Perkons U, Vereecken H, Vanderborght J (2019): Modeling the impact of biopores on root growth and root water uptake. Vadose Zone Journal 18 (1): DOI: 10.2136/vzj2018.11.0196
  • Dresemann T, Athmann M, Heringer L, Kautz T (2018) Effects of Continuous Vertical Soil Pores on Root and Shoot Growth of Winter Wheat: A Microcosm Study. Agricultural Sciences 9: 750–764.
  • Fritz J, Athmann M, Andersen JO, Doesburg P, Geier U, Mergardt G (2018) Advanced panel training on visual Gestalt evaluation of biocrystallization images: ranking wheat samples from different stages of extract decomposition and different production systems. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 35: 21–32.
  • Uksa M, Buegger F, Gschwendtner S, Lueders T, Kublik S, Kautz T, Athmann M, Köpke U, Schloter M, Fischer D (2017): Bacteria Utilizing Plant-Derived Carbon in the Rhizosphere of Triticum aestivum Vary at Different Depths in Arable Soil. Environmental Microbiology Reports 9: 729–741.
  • Fritz J, Athmann M, Meissner G, Kauer R, Köpke U (2017): Quality characterization using imaging methods distinguishes grape juice produced from integrated, organic, or biodynamic vineyards in the first year after conversion. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 33: 195–213.
  • Athmann M, Kautz T, Banfield C, Bauke S, Hoang D T T, Lüsebrink M, Pausch J, Amelung W, Kuzyakov Y, Köpke U (2017): Six months of L. terrestris L. activity in root-formed biopores increases nutrient availability, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity. Applied Soil Ecology 120: 135–142.
  • Uksa M, Schloter M, Kautz T, Athmann M, Köpke U, Fischer D (2015): Spatial variability of hydrolytic and oxidative potential extracellular enzyme activities in different subsoil compartments. Biology and Fertility of Soils 51: 517–521.
  • Köpke U, Athmann M, Han E, Kautz T (2015): Optimizing cropping techniques for nutrient and environmental management in organic agriculture. Sustainable Agriculture Research 4 (3): 15-25.
  • Pagenkemper S K, Athmann M, Uteau D, Kautz T, Peth S, Horn R (2015): The effect of earthworm activity on soil bioporosity—investigated using X-ray computed tomography and endoscopy. Soil and Tillage Research 146: 79–88.      
  • Doesburg P, Huber M, Andersen J O, Athmann M, van der Bie G, Fritz J, Geier U, Hoekman J, Kahl J, Mergardt G, Busscher N (2015): Standardization and performance of a visual Gestalt evaluation of biocrystallization patterns reflecting ripening and decomposition processes in food samples. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 31: 128–145.
  • Perkons U, Kautz T, Uteau D, Peth S, Geier V, Thomas K, Lütke Holz K, Athmann M, Pude R, Köpke U (2014): Root-length densities of various annual crops following crops with contrasting root systems. Soil and Tillage Research 137: 50–57.
  • Kautz T, Lüsebrink M, Pätzold S, Vetterlein D, Pude R, Athmann M, Küpper P M, Perkons U, Köpke U (2014): Contribution of anecic earthworms to biopore formation during cultivation of perennial ley crops. *Pedobiologia* 57: 47–52.
  • Athmann M, Kautz T, Pude R, Köpke U (2013): Root growth in biopores—evaluation using in situ endoscopy. Plant and Soil 371: 179–190.
  • Kautz T, Perkons U, Athmann M, Pude R, Köpke U (2013): Barley roots are not confined to biopores in the subsoil of a deep Haplic luvisol. Biology and Fertility of Soils 49: 959–963.
  • Fritz J, Athmann M, Kautz T, Köpke U (2011): Grouping and classification of wheat from organic and conventional production systems by combining three imaging methods. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 27: 320-336.