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Exploiting cereal biodiversity in nutrient use and biological interactions in crop resilience breeding, Teilvorhaben B

Biopores in the subsoil: Formation, nutrient turnover and effects on crops with distinct rooting systems (BioFoNT)

Perennial fodder cropping potentially increases subsoil biopore density by formation of extensive root systems and temporary soil rest. We will quantify root length density, earthworm abundance and biopore size classes after Medicago sativa, Cichorium intybus and Festuca arundinacea grown for 1, 2 and 3 years respectively in the applied research unit's Central Field Trial (CeFiT) which is established and maintained by our working group. Shoot parameters including transpiration, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence will frequently be recorded. Precrop effects on oilseed rape and cereals will be quantified with regard to crop yield, nutrient transfer and H2-release. The soil associated with biopores (i.e. the driloshpere) is generally rich in nutrients as compared to the bulk soil and is therefore supposed to be a potential hot spot for nutrient acquisition. However, contact areas between roots and the pore wall have been reported to be low. It is still unclear to which extent the nutrients present in the drilosphere are used and which potential relevance subsoil biopores may have for the nutrient supply of crops. We will use a flexible videoscope to determine the root-soil contact in biopores. Nitrogen input into the drilosphere by earthworms and potential re-uptake of nitrogen from the drilosphere by subsequent crops with different rooting systems (oilseed rape vs. cereals) will be quantified using 15N as a tracer.

Carbon acquisition during pathogenic development of Ustilago maydis and Colletotrichum graminicola

The biotrophic fungus Ustilago maydis infects corn and induces the formation of tumors. In order for the fungus to proliferate in the infected tissue, U. maydis has to redirect the metabolism of the host to the site of infection. We wish to elucidate how this is accomplished. To this end we will perform transcript profiling during the time course of infection for both, the fungus and the maize plant. This will be complemented by metabolome analysis of different tissues during infection as well as by apoplastic fluid analysis. The goals will be to identify the carbon sources taken up by the fungus during biotrophic growth, to identify the transporters required for uptake, determine their specificity and elucidate how these carbon sources are provided by the plant. Fungal mutants affected in discrete stages of pathogenic development will be included in these studies. Likely candidate genes for carbon uptake/supply as well as for redirecting host metabolism will be functionally characterized by generating knockouts in the fungus and by isolating plants carrying mutations in respective genes or by generating transgenic plants expressing RNAi constructs.

Ecosystem Engineering: Sediment entrainment and flocculation mediated by microbial produced extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)

Sediment erosion and transport is critical to the ecological and commercial health of aquatic habitats from watershed to sea. There is now a consensus that microorganisms inhabiting the system mediate the erosive response of natural sediments ('ecosystem engineers') along with physicochemical properties. The biological mechanism is through secretion of a microbial organic glue (EPS: extracellular polymeric substances) that enhances binding forces between sediment grains to impact sediment stability and post-entrainment flocculation. The proposed work will elucidate the functional capability of heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae for mediating freshwater sediments to influence sediment erosion and transport. The potential and relevance of natural biofilms to provide this important 'ecosystem service' will be investigated for different niches in a freshwater habitat. Thereby, variations of the EPS 'quality' and 'quantity' to influence cohesion within sediments and flocs will be related to shifts in biofilm composition, sediment characteristics (e.g. organic background) and varying abiotic conditions (e.g. light, hydrodynamic regime) in the water body. Thus, the proposed interdisciplinary work will contribute to a conceptual understanding of microbial sediment engineering that represents an important ecosystem function in freshwater habitats. The research has wide implications for the water framework directive and sediment management strategies.

European Investment Bank - Water Management

BACKGROUND: The Kingdom of Jordan belongs to the ten water scarcest countries in the world, and climate change is likely to increase the frequency of future droughts. Jordan is considered among the 10 most water impoverished countries in the world, with per capita water availability estimated at 170 m per annum, compared to an average of 1,000 m per annum in other countries. Jordan Government has taken the strategic decision to develop a conveyor system including a 325 km pipe to pump 100 million cubic meters per year of potable water from Disi-Mudawwara close to the Saudi Border in the south, to the Greater Amman area in the north. The construction of the water pipeline has started end of 2009 and shall be finished in 2013. Later on, the pipeline could serve as a major part of a national water carrier in order to convey desalinated water from the Red Sea to the economically most important central region of the country. The conveyor project will not only significantly increase water supplies to the capital, but also provide for the re-allocation of current supplies to other governorates, and for the conservation of aquifers. In the context of the Disi project that is co-funded by EIB two Environmental and Social Management Plans have been prepared: one for the private project partners and one for the Jordan Government. The latter includes the Governments obligation to re-balance water allocations to irrigation and to gradually restore the protected wetlands of Azraq (Ramsar site) east of Amman that has been depleted due to over-abstraction by re-directing discharge of highland aquifers after the Disi pipeline becomes operational. The Water Strategy recognizes that groundwater extraction for irrigation is beyond acceptable limits. Since the source is finite and priority should be given to human consumption it proposes to tackle the demand for irrigation through tariff adjustments, improved irrigation technology and disincentive to water intensive crops. The Disi aquifer is currently used for irrigation by farms producing all kinds of fruits and vegetables on a large scale and exporting most of their products to the Saudi and European markets and it is almost a third of Jordan's total consumption. The licenses for that commercial irrigation were finished by 2011/12. Whilst the licenses will be not renewed the difficulty will be the enforcement and satellite based information become an important supporting tool for monitoring. OUTLOOK: The ESA funded project Water management had the objective to support the South-North conveyor project and the activities of EIB together with the MWI in Jordan to ensure the supply of water for the increasing demand. EO Information provides a baseline for land cover and elevation and support the monitoring of further stages. usw.

Bioenergieanlagen (Landkreis Göttingen)

Standorte der vorhandenen Bioenergieanlagen im Landkreis Göttingen. Es handelt sich um Anlagen zur Erzeugung regenerativer Energien (Biogas) aus Biomasse durch Vergärung. Biogas stellt eine wichtige und vielseitige Form der Bioenergie aus der Landwirtschaft dar. Die neuen Anlagen setzen fast ausnahmslos nachwachsende Rohstoffe (NaWaRo) wie Mais, Getreide, Hirse, Zuckerrüben, Sonnenblumen und teilweise Aufwuchs von Grünland mit oder ohne Gülle ein. Biogas wird derzeit überwiegend dezentral produziert und als Strom- und Wärmelieferant genutzt. Aufgrund dieser Dezentralität der Anlagen, die dadurch begründet ist, dass das primäre Ausgangsmaterial für die Biogaserzeugung wie Gülle oder Energiepflanzen aufgrund der niedrigen Energiedichte aus ökonomischen Gründen in der Regel nicht über längere Distanzen transportiert werden kann, ist die Integration guter Wärmenutzungskonzepte nicht immer möglich.

Mini-Chromosomen als horizontale Gen-Shuttles im Multihost-Blast-Pilz

Magnaporthe oryzae ist ein äußerst verheerendes Pflanzenpathogen, welches eine Vielzahl von Getreidearten, sowie Wildgräser, infizieren kann. Blast-Pilz M. oryzae-Stämme, welche für die bisherigen Pandemien bei Nutzpflanzen verantwortlich sind, haben einen klonalen Ursprung und vermehren sich ungeschlechtlich. Trotz der fehlenden genetischen Veränderung durch Rekombination gelingt es M. oryzae sich schnell an seinen Wirt anzupassen und Krankheitsresistenzen zu überwinden, was eine große Herausforderung für die Entwicklung Blast-resistenter Nutzpflanzen darstellt. Dies wirft ebenfalls die Frage auf, wie sich klonale M. oryzae-Stämme ständig an neue Wirte anpassen können, obwohl sie nur über begrenzte genetische Vielfalt verfügen.Ich stelle die Hypothese auf, dass genetisches Material wie Virulenzfaktoren, zwischen M. oryzae-Stämmen horizontal durch Mini-Chromosomen übertragen werden kann. Des Weiteren stelle ich die Hypothese auf, dass diese kleine (500kb - 3Mb) überzählige Chromosomen, die als horizontale Gen-Shuttles fungieren, wichtige Determinanten der klonalen Anpassung von M. oryzae sind. Vorhergehende Analysen des Gastgeberlabors ergaben das Vorhandensein eines Mini-Chromosoms unbekannter Herkunft in einem klonalen Reis-infizierenden M. oryzae-Stamm nahe. Die Sequenz des neuartigen mChr zeigt am meisten Ähnlichkeit mit Sequenzen von Wildgräser-infizierenden M. oryzae-Stämmen. Diese M. oryzae-Stämme, die nicht kultivierte Gräser infizieren, treten im Feld gemeinsam mit reisinfizierenden M. oryzae-Stämmen auf, was darauf hindeutet, dass die fremde Mini-Chromosom-Sequenz von dort stammt. Darüber hinaus trägt das neuartige Mini-Chromosom eine Reihe bereits bekannter, sowie potentiell neuartiger, Virulenzgene, was darauf hindeutet, dass es die Virulenz beeinflussen kann. Ich werde auf diesen spannenden Ergebnissen aufbauen, und den ersten Fall eines horizontalen mChr-Transfers zwischen pflanzenpathogenen Pilzen im Feld nachweisen, indem ich: i) den Ursprung des neuartigen Mini-Chromosoms bestimme und ii) seine Auswirkungen auf die Virulenz des Wirts feststelle. Um diese beiden Ziele zu erreichen, werde ich eine Kombination aus vergleichenden genomischen, pilzgenetischen und pflanzenpathologischen Ansätzen verwenden.Nach Abschluss dieses Vorhabens werde ich nachgewiesen haben, dass der horizontale Mini-Chromosomentransfer nicht nur im Feld vorkommt, sondern auch eine Triebkraft für die Wirtsanpassung im Blast-Pilz ist.

Erfassung der Befahrbarkeit von Ackerböden und Maßnahmenvorschläge zur Reduzierung der Bodengefährdung durch Schadverdichtung

Das Bundes-Bodenschutzgesetz (BBodSchG) fordert in § 17 (Gute fachliche Praxis in der Landwirtschaft) die Vermeidung von Bodenverdichtungen. Doch sowohl in der gültigen BBodSchV als auch in der in 08/2023 in Kraft tretenden Mantelverordnung zu deren Novellierung finden sich für die landwirtschaftliche Nutzung keine materiellen Maßstäbe für die Bewertung von Boden(schad)verdichtungen. Für DEU wird von einem Äquivalent eines Ernteausfalls bei kleinkörnigen Getreidearten von ca. 487 Mio. Euro ausgegangen. Ziel des Vorhabens ist eine Erfassung der tatsächlichen Bodenverdichtung in ausgewählten Risiko-Gebieten. Mit diesem Vorhaben soll analysiert und bewertet werden, wie hoch das Schadenspotenzial von Bodenverdichtung ist, auch unter Berücksichtigung möglicher Schritte hin zur Ermittlung von Wirkungsschwellen zur Ableitung von Richt- oder Erwartungswerten für die Befahrung landwirtschaftlicher Flächen. Vor dem Hintergrund der neuen EU-Strategien soll das Vorhaben auch Betriebsflächen in Risiko-Gebieten ausweisen, die als Living Labs bzw. für einen Leuchtturm geeignet sein könnten.

Getreidemonokultur auf extrem leichten Boeden

Wirkungen einer Gertreidemonokultur auf extrem leichten Boeden im Hinblick auf die Ertragsbildung und das Auftreten von Krankheiten.

Molecular, genetic and phenotypic analysis of an early-heading mutant in diploid einkorn wheat

In cereal breeding, optimal adaptation to a given environment and subsequently high yield potential is mainly determined by the time of flowering. Time to flowering, however, is commonly affected by a complex interplay between three determinants: photoperiodic and vernalization requirements as well as the intrinsic capability of a cultivar/genotype to flower. The intrinsic capability to flower early is also called 'earliness per se'. Here we would like to investigate an earlyheading mutant from diploid einkorn wheat (T. monococcum L.), line KT3-5, which possesses a single major recessive earliness per se (eps) locus on the very distal end of the long arm of chromosome 3A. During the proposed project we will (i) perform detailed phenotypic analyses and high-resolution genetic mapping of the early-heading mutant KT3-5 in diploid einkorn wheat, (ii) identify and isolate novel grass-specific genes/proteins which affect early spike development, controlling flowering time and spikelet number, and (iii) study the expression pattern, tissue-specificity and function of candidate gene(s) during early spike development. The molecular isolation of genes involved in early spike development will make an important contribution to future fine-tuning of flowering time in small grain cereal crops by providing a better understanding of the developmental genetic processes underlying heading time and spikelet number in wheat and related grasses.

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