Durum wheat is mainly grown as a summer crop. An introduction of a winter form failed until now due to the difficulty to combine winter hardiness with required process quality. Winter hardiness is a complex trait, but in most regions the frost tolerance is decisive. Thereby a major QTL, which was found in T. monococcum, T.aestivum, H. vulgare and S.cereale on chromosome 5, seems especially important. With genotyping by sequencing it is now possible to make association mapping based on very high dense marker maps, which delivers new possibilities to detect main and epistatic effects. Furthermore, new sequencing techniques allow candidate gene based association mapping. The main aim of the project is to unravel the genetic architecture of frost tolerance and quality traits in durum. Thereby, the objectives are to (1) determine the genetic variance, heritability and correlations among frost tolerance and quality traits, (2) examine linkage disequilibrium and population structure, (3) investigate sequence polymorphism at candidate genes for frost tolerance, and (4) perform candidate gene based and genome wide association mapping.
The project aims to theorize the scalar organization of natural resource governance in the European Union. This research agenda is inspired by critical geographers' work on the politics of scale. The research will examine an analytical framework derived from theories of institutional change and multi-level govern-ance to fill this theoretical gap. Furthermore, it will review conceptualizations of the state in institutional economics, evaluate their adequacy to capture the role of the state in the dynamics identified, and develop them further. The described processes may imply shifts in administrative levels, shifts in relations between different levels and changes in spatial delimitations of competent jurisdictions that result, for example, from decentralization or the introduction of river basin oriented administrative structures. The research investigates the implications of two European Directives: the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). They both have potentially great significance for the organization of marine and water governance at the level of Member States and below, and adhere to similar regulatory ideas for achieving good ecological status of waters. A multiple case study on changes in the scalar reorganization of marine and water governance that result from the implementation of the Directives will be carried out. It will rely on qualitative and quantitative data gathering based on semi-structured interviews and review of secondary and tertiary sources looking at Portugal, Spain, and Germany. It specifically addresses the role of social ecological transactions, the structure of decision making processes and the role of changes in contextual factors (such as ideologies, interdependent institutions and technology).
Die Europäische Kommission wird voraussichtlich eine Folgenabschätzung sowie einen Gesetzesentwurf zur indirekten Landnutzungsänderung (ILUC) in Zusammenhang mit der Biokraftstoffproduktion veröffentlichen. Die Einführung einer EU-Richtlinie zur indirekten Landnutzungsänderung in der Richtlinie für Erneuerbare Energien (RED) und der Richtlinie zur Kraftstoffqualität (FQD), hat möglicherweise Einfluss auf derzeitige Investitionen und Arbeitsplätze in der europäischen Biokraftstoffindustrie. Im Auftrag der Umweltorganisation Transport & Environment hat Ecofys untersucht, inwieweit der Biokraftstoffsektor unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Bestandswahrung gegen die Einführung einer ILUC-Richtlinie auf EU-Ebene geschützt werden kann. Dies wird mit dem Begriff 'Grandfathering' beschrieben. Der Bericht beginnt mit einem Überblick über den EU Biokraftstoffmarkt und -sektor. Er analysiert die verschiedenen Auswirkungen möglicher ILUC Maßnahmen in Hinblick auf den Sektor und geht der Frage nach, inwieweit gegenwärtige Investitionen und Arbeitsplätze geschützt werden müssen. In einem zweiten Schritt untersucht der Bericht die Grandfathering Klausel, die aktuell in der RED und FQD Richtlinie enthalten ist, sowie weitere mögliche Grandfathering Optionen. Die Studie kommt zu dem Schluss, dass die Einführung einer ILUC Politikmaßnahme bei gleichzeitigem Erhalt der Arbeitsplätze und der Investitionen in Biokrafstoffproduktion möglich ist, wenn das Biokraftstoffverbrauchsniveau von 2010-2012 bis zum Jahr 2020 von der ILUC Richtlinie ausgenommen wird. Dies würde bedeuten, dass eine mögliche ILUC Richtlinie sich lediglich auf die zukünftige Biokraftsoffproduktion ab 2020 bezieht. Die ILUC-Maßnahme würde den gesamten Biokraftstoffverbrauch in der EU nicht deutlich verringern, da die Ziele der RED und FQD für 2020 unverändert bleiben. Dennoch könnten auf den EU Biodieselsektor Herausforderungen zukommen, wenn z. B. neue ILUC-Faktoren eingeführt oder der Mindestschwellenwert für Treibhausgasausstoß angehoben würde. Ein Grandfathering des derzeitigen Biokraftstoffverbrauchs würde dem entgegenwirken und heutige Investitionen und Arbeitsplätze sichern. Die Ergebnisse der Studie wurden am 22. März 2012 dem Europäischen Parlament vorgestellt.
We, the Institute of Farm Management (410c) are responsible for three work packages within SuMaRiO. Our work focuses on analysis and assessment of current and innovative agricultural production systems along the Tarim River at farm and regional levels with special regard to water consumption. To support a sustainable development in the region it is necessary to balance the allocation of water for human consumption and for the maintenance of natural ecosystems. The majority of the population in the Tarim River region still depends on agriculture as their main source of income. To maintain societal harmony and promote human wellbeing a steady increase of incomes of rural households is indispensable. Environmental protection is still not that prominent on the political agenda. To assess the impact of certain policy measures that aim at reducing agricultural water consumption on farm management (and farmers income), the application of farm optimization models is a powerful tool. In that respect the introduction (increase) of water prices on agricultural water usage and farm management practices are tested. Furthermore we are involved in the elaboration of frame-scenarios that build the general research reference for all subprojects of the overall project.
Introduction: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change classified SF6 as greenhouse gas, and the Annex I countries are obliged to publish the inventory of SF6 and to reduce emissions. However, survey data show an increasing concentration of SF6 (1), and recent evaluations demonstrate that only 30 Prozent of SF6 emissions are reported (2). Novel regulations and technical development must aim at decreasing SF6 emissions below the natural decomposition rate. For dielectric insulation applications, i.e. in situations where discharges are exceptional, it might be possible to replace SF6 by a different gas or gas mixture. No alternative gas is established, despite an extensive study of the dielectric strength of electron attaching gases in the past (3), (4). As many of the well investigated gases are covered by the Kyoto protocol, new options must be provided by fundamental research. In the present research project, the dielectric strength of alternative gases will be evaluated. There is general agreement, that mixtures of two or more gases are most suitable for replacing SF6 in dielectric insulation applications. Due to 'synergistic effects' the dielectric strength of a mixture can be higher than of pure gases (5), or at least the dielectric strength of a mixture can be higher than the linear combination of the strength of the constituents (6). Various types of synergistic effects have so far been described on the basis of the electron velocity distribution function or on the basis of ion-neutral collisions. Methods: The methods developed for investigating electron attaching gases may be classified to three groups: Phenomenological, macroscopic and microscopic methods. The research strategy of the project at hand is a combination of two established methods. In a Pulsed Townsend Discharge (PTD) experiment the macroscopic parameters of electron-ion swarms in attaching gases are measured. Synergistic effects in gas mixtures will be investigated microscopically by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The PTD is a traditional method and considerable experience has been gained at the HVL during the years 1980-1990 (7,8). The group of de Urquijo (Mexico) lately used a PTD for studying the alternative gas CF3I (9). In figure 1 the principle of the PTD setup is given. The swarm parameters are obtained from a fit of the analytical expression of the displacement current to the recorded current. Refer to (10) for more details on our swarm parameter experiment SParX. Recently satisfying agreement was achieved between MC simulations and data from PTD experiments (11, 12). The critical issue of these simulations is the availability of a consistent set of cross sections of electron-neutral and ion-neutral collisions. In the present study the output of SParX serves for calibrating the cross sections and the simulations. usw.
Climate warming allows invasive pests to establish in areas where they have not been recognized before. Since its introduction in the 1950s in South France, Grapevine Fla-vescence dorée (GFD), a major disease of grapevines, has spread significantly in Europe and has now reached the southeast of Styria, which currently marks the northeastern border of its extension. The present project aims to model the current and future potential distribution of the disease and its vector, the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus, in Europe under the influence of climate change. Vine growing areas of high risk in Austria will be defined. An epidemiological model will simulate the temporal and spatial dynamics of the spread of the disease and its vector. The epidemiological model will then be used to assess the potential economic impact of GFD to Austrian viticulture. The results of the project will be communicated to stakeholders, risk managers, policy makers and the public.
Physical process based erosion models like SWAT, WEPP etc. are very data demanding in both their amount of input variables and their temporal and spatial resolution requirements. On the other hand, less data demanding empirical based models are developed for a certain environmental set up and their applicability are restricted to the region where they are developed. Basically, landscape erosion risk modeling involves various environmental controlling parameters which are fuzzy in reality. When mapping erosion risk, the introduction of fuzzy sets instead of crisp sets to define classes will help to incorporate the degree of fuzziness within each class. The ability of fuzzy logic to describe and transform the knowledge in a descriptive human like manner in the form of simple rules using defined linguistic variables have provided a new direction to explore and develop a simple, efficient and well structured tool. This proposed research aims at developing a fuzzy based methodological framework to map the degree and magnitude of the interaction, between the changing patterns of various parameters that influence water induced land erosion processes and the influence of these changes on the rate of soil loss. The spatial distribution of the erosion potential (or the actual erosion risk, resp.) should be the result of the fuzzy modelling.
Worldwide an important part of agricultural added value is produced under irrigation. By irrigation unproductive areas can be cultivated, additional harvests can be obtained or different crops can be planted. Since its introduction into Northern Thailand lychee has developed as one of the dominating cash crops. Lychee is produced in the hillside areas and has to be irrigated during the dry season, which is the main yield-forming period. Water therefore is mainly taken from sources or streams in the mountain forests. As nowadays all the available resources are being used do to increased production, a further increase in production can only be achieved by increasing the water use efficiency. In recent years, partial root-zone drying has become a well-established irrigation technique in wine growing areas. In a ten to fifteen days rhythm one part of the root system is irrigated while the other dries out and produces abscisic acid (ABA) a drought stress hormone. While the vegetative growth and thus labor for pruning is reduced, the generative growth remains widely unaffected. Thereby water-use efficiency can be increased by more than 40Prozent. In this sub-project the PRD-technique as well as other deficit irrigation strategies shall be applied in lychee and mango orchards and its effects on plant growth and yield shall be analyzed. Especially effects of this water-saving technology on the nutrient balance shall be considered, in order to develop an optimized fertigation strategy with respect to yield and fruit quality. As shown in preliminary studies, the nutrient supply is low in soils and fruit trees in Northern Thailand (e.g. phosphate) and even deficient for both micronutrients boron (B) and zinc (Zn). Additionally, non-adapted supply of nitrogen (mineralization, fertilization) can induce uneven flowering and fruit set. Therefore, improvement is necessary. For a better understanding of possible influence of low B and Zn supply on flowering and fruit set, mobility and retranslocation of both micronutrients shall be investigated for mango and lychee. Finally, the intended system of partial root-zone fertigation (PRF) shall guarantee an even flowering and a better yield formation under improved use of the limited resource water. As this modern technique, which requires a higher level of irrigation-technology, cannot be immediately spread among the farmers in the region, in a parallel approach potential users shall be integrated in a participative process for adaptation and development. Water transport and irrigation shall be considered, as both factors offer a tremendous potential for water saving. Local knowledge shall be integrated in the participatory process (supported by subproject A1.2, Participatory Research) in order to finally offer adapted technologies for application within PRF systems for the different conditions of farmers in the hillsides of Northern Thailand.
Objective: Hydrogen storage is a key enabling technology for the extensive use of H2 as energy carrier. In fact, one of the greatest technological barriers to the widespread introduction of hydrogen in vehicles is an efficient and safe storage method. Providing economically and environmentally attractive solutions for these three storage options for transport applications and reinforcing the competitiveness of the European car industry are indeed the main STORHY objectives. This IP is a European initiative on automobile H2 storage driven by major European car manufacturers and covering the full spectrum of currently qualified technologies. Although the primary target of STORHY is the automobile industry, the preparation of spin-offs for stationary systems is also considered. In the three vertical SPs, viable solutions will be developed based on the defined requirements. SP Pressure Vessel concentrates on developing a 700 bar storage technology including production technologies for composite vessels. SP Cryogenic Storage will develop free form lightweight tanks manufactured from composites as well as adequate production technologies. SP Solid Storage assesses current progress in the storage of solid materials and will focus its primary research activities on alienates. Furthermore, up scaling of the material production process will be considered resulting in the construction and testing of prototype tanks. These developments are accompanied by safety studies and pre-normative research within SP SAR. The three storage technologies will be evaluated applying technical, economic, social and environmental criteria in SP Evaluation. The final outcome of the project is to identify the most promising storage solution for different vehicle applications. Such results should illuminate the future perspectives of H2 storage for transport and stationary applications and assist decision makers and stakeholders on the road to an H2 economy.
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