Das Projekt "Barley dwarfs acting big in agronomy. Identification of genes and characterization of proteins involved in dwarfism, lodging resistance and crop yield" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an important cereal grain which serves as major animal fodder crop as well as basis for malt beverages or staple food. Currently barley is ranked fourth in terms of quantity of cereal crops produced worldwide. In times of a constantly growing world population in conjunction with an unforeseeable climate change and groundwater depletion, the accumulation of knowledge concerning cereal growth and rate of yield gain is important. The Nordic Genetic Resource Center holds a major collection of barley mutants produced by irradiation or chemical treatment. One phenotypic group of barley varieties are dwarf mutants (erectoides, brachytic, semidwarf, uzu). They are characterized by a compact spike and high rate of yield while the straw is short and stiff, enhancing the lodging resistance of the plant. Obviously they are of applied interest, but they are also of scientific interest as virtually nothing is known about the genes behind the development of plant dwarfism. The aim of this project is to identify and isolate the genes carrying the mutations by using state of the art techniques for gene cloning at the Carlsberg Laboratory. The identified genes will be connected with the mutant phenotype to reveal the gene function in general. One or two genes will be overexpressed and the resulting recombinant proteins will be biochemically and structurally characterized. The insights how the mutation effects the protein will display the protein function in particular. Identified genes and their mutant alleles will be tested in the barley breeding program of the Carlsberg brewery.
Das Projekt "Forschergruppe (FOR) 1320: Crop Sequence and Nutrient Acquisition from the Subsoil, Water as medium for nutrient distribution: Monitoring water distribution between subsoil and topsoil considering roles of biopores and plants, by MRT and pressure probes (WatMed)" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Bio-und Geowissenschaften (IBG), IBG-2: Pflanzenwissenschaften.Magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) on microcosm soil cores (200 mm Ø) used for CeMiX, comprising naturally stacked subsoil down to 700 mm plus topsoil from CeFiT, will be implemented at a laterally partially open Split 1.5 T magnet, with intended final in-plane spatial resolution of 200 Micro m. Three-dimensional biopore distributions and dynamics of their formation within the cores will be determined non-invasively and compared to complementing CT analyses of SP 2. One major aim is a non-invasive differentiation of the biopores into earthworm- and root system-originating ones and currently air-, water-, root- and earthwormfilled ones, based on NMR relaxation parameters. Attempts will additionally be made to classify different wall coatings of the biopores with regard to their water affinity. Dynamics of water distribution within the microcosm core and its biopore structures, starting from initial values taken from CeFiT (SP 3), will be documented with an in-plane resolution of 5 mm, in parallel to measurements of root growth dynamics for calculation of biomass and root surface area. Special emphasis will be put on the role of the plant root system for a re-distribution of water/D2O (and solutes) between different soil layers. Finally we will attempt MRT-controlled sample collection from the microcosm cores, to get - together with our research unit partners of SPs 4-8 - repeated access to minimally invasively acquired data on nutrient and microorganism distributions in concert with non-invasively collected water and root distribution data as a basis for dynamic modelling of water and solute circuits in SP 10. Beside the microcosm cores, flat rhizotrons as used in SP 3 will be employed to enable measurements of root and shoot hydrostatic pressure profiles with pressure probes, in addition to MRT measurements. In this way water distributions and corresponding driving forces and growth dynamics will be measured altogether in a minimally invasive manner.
Das Projekt "Verwertung von PUMA-Produkten" wird/wurde gefördert durch: PUMA SE. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: bifa Umweltinstitut GmbH.Im April 2012 führte PUMA das Rücknahmesystem Bring Me Back ein. Seither können Kunden in PUMA Stores weltweit gebrauchte Produkte zurückgeben, die dann durch die Firma I:CO der Weiterverwendung und Verwertung zugeführt werden. Auch die Produkte der neuen recyclefähigen und biologisch abbaubaren PUMA-InCycle-Kollektion, die seit März 2013 auf dem Markt sind, werden so erfasst. Hierzu gehört etwa das recycelbare PUMA Track Jacket, das zu 98 Prozent aus Polyester aus gebrauchten PET-Flaschen besteht. Der PUMA-Rucksack aus Polypropylen wird nach Gebrauch an den ursprünglichen Hersteller zurückgegeben, der das Material wieder zu neuen Rucksäcken verarbeitet. Durch solche Neuentwicklungen will PUMA seine Planungs- und Entscheidungsbasis verbessern. Deshalb hat sie bifa mit der Analyse abfallwirtschaftlicher Optionen für gebrauchte PUMA Produkte beauftragt. bifa untersuchte hierzu Referenzprodukte und Optionen für die Erfassung und Sortierung von Produkten und Materialien. 35 Pfade mit unterschiedlichen Verwertungs- und Beseitigungsansätzen wurden entwickelt und bewertet. Die Realisierungschancen der Pfade wurden dann dem zu erwartenden Nutzen insbes. für die Umwelt gegenübergestellt. Dabei wurde zwischen gut entwickelten und wenig entwickelten Abfallwirtschaften (Waste-Picking-Szenario W-P-Szenario) unterschieden. Es zeigte sich, dass Pfade, die im Szenario Abfallwirtschaft ökologisch nachteilig sind, im W-P-Szenario durchaus vorteilhaft sein können. Im W-P-Szenario sind zudem Pfade realisierbar, die in entwickelten Abfallwirtschaften keine Chance hätten. Die moderne Abfallverbrennung ist für W-P-Szenarien ökologisch vorteilhaft, aber dennoch eine schwierige Option. In entwickelten Abfallwirtschaften sollten Sammlung und Wiedereinsatz gebrauchter Schuhe und Textilien weiterentwickelt werden. Die folgenden generellen Empfehlungen wurden gegeben: - Der Einsatz von Recyclingmaterialien in PUMA-Produkten ist aus ökologischer Sicht zu empfehlen. Diese Erkenntnis wird auch durch die Ergebnisse der ersten ökologischen Gewinn-und-Verlust-Rechnung von PUMA belegt. Über die Hälfte aller Umweltauswirkungen entlang der gesamten Produktions- und Lieferkette des Unternehmens werden bei der Herstellung von Rohmaterialien verursacht - Das Produktdesign sollte auch für bestehende Verwertungspfade optimiert werden, da realistischerweise nur ein Teil der Produkte über das Sammelsystem erfasst werden kann - Die ökologischen Vorteile von Produkten, die aus nur einem Material bestehen, kommen nur dann zum Tragen, wenn das Produkt nach Gebrauch aussortiert und das Material tatsächlich recycelt wird - Biol. abbaubare Produkte können auch Nachteile haben, zum Beispiel die schnellere Entwicklung von klimaschädlichem Methan bei ungeordneter Deponierung - Eine Verlängerung der Produktlebensdauer über den gesamten Lebenszyklus einschl. der Verwendung als Gebrauchtprodukt ist der effektivste Weg, Umweltlasten zu reduzieren. Meth. Ökobilanzierung und Systemanalyse (Text gekürzt)
Das Projekt "Emmy Noether-Nachwuchsgruppen, Mechanisms regulating the boron nutritional status in rapeseed and Arabidopsis and their implications for the development of boron-efficient genotypes" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung.Boron (B) is an essential microelement for plants. Despite the use of modern fertilization methods, B deficiency still causes losses in agricultural plant production. Even though many positive effects of B on plant growth and physiology have been reported, a large majority of B functions and the regulatory mechanisms controlling the B nutritional status remain unknown. The main objective of this project is to elucidate how the greatly B deficiency-sensitive Brassica crop plants process and regulate their B status during vegetative and reproductive growth. In this context, the project aims at identifying the mode of action of B in mechanisms regulating the B status itself and uncovering those mechanisms contributing to B efficiency in different genotypes. Plant species subjected to investigation will be the agronomically important oilseed and vegetable plant Brassica napus (rapeseed) and its close relative the genetic and molecular model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Questions addressed within the scope of this project should lead to a detailed understanding of mechanisms controlling B uptake and allocation from the level of the whole plant down to the cellular level. B transport routes and rates will be determined in sink- and source tissues and in developmental periods with a particularly high B demand. A special focus will be on the identification of B transport bottlenecks and the analysis of B deficiency-sensitive transport processes to and within the highly B-demanding reproductive organs. Recent studies in Arabidopsis suggest that Nodulin26-like Intrinsic Proteins (NIPs), which belong to the aquaporin channel protein family, are essential for plant B uptake and distribution. The systematic focus on the molecular and physiological characterization of B. napus NIPs will clarify their role in B transport and will identify novel NIP-associated mechanisms playing key roles in the B response network.To further resolve the mostly unknown impact of the B nutritional status on gene regulation and metabolism, a transcript and metabolite profile of B-sufficient and B-deficient rapeseed plants will be generated. Additionally, an Arabidopsis transcription factor knockout collection (greater 300 lines) will be screened for abnormalities in responses to the B nutritional status. This will identify yet unknown B-responsive genes (transcription factors and their targets) and gene products (enzymes or metabolite variations) playing key roles in signalling pathways and mechanisms regulating the B homeostasis. Boron (in form of boric acid) and arsenite (As) share in all likelihood the same NIP-mediated transport pathways. To assess the consequences of this dual transport pathway the so far unstudied impact of the plants B nutritional status on the accumulation and distribution of As will be investigated in B. napus. Moreover, the current dimension of the As contamination of Brassica-based food products, to which consumers are exposed to, will be analyzed. usw.
Das Projekt "Wissenschaftliche Arbeit in den Kustodiaten und Informationstransfer" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V.. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V., Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut.Die Insektensammlung des DEI ist mit etwa 3.000.000 präparierten Objekten eine faktische Datensammlung, die kritisch erschlossen werden muss. Nur so können die in der Sammlung enthaltenen Primärinformationen sowohl auf dem Gebiet der Taxonomie als auch für andere biologische sowie zoogeographische Untersuchungen nutzbar gemacht werden. Die Neuordnung von Sammlungsteilen unter modernen wissenschaftlichen Gesichtspunkten zur Sicherstellung der internationalen Verfügbarkeit der Bestände und die Publikation damit zusammenhängender Kataloge sind wesentliche Projektbestandteile.
Das Projekt "INFRES:Innovative and Effective Technology and Logistics for Forest Residual Biomass Supply in the EU" wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Universität Freiburg, Institut für Forst- und Umweltpolitik.INFRES is a three year EU FP7 funded study focused on developing innovative technology and logistics for the forest residual biomass supply chain. The goal is to improve the overall competitiveness of forest residue biomass throughout the EU by accelerating technological (equipment and software) development and demonstrations. Following the directive for renewable energy targets in the EU, forest residue will continue to play an leading role in the renewable energy sector. This overall study focuses on the efficient collection, processing and delivery of woody feed stock for heating, power and emerging bio-refining uses. This research and demonstration project involves 23 partners, including nine research universities and organizations and 14 SMEs FELIS: FELIS will be leading Work Package 3, titled 'Business innovations and adaptations of forestry practices to bioenergy supply'. This research effort first evaluates the future customers and markets of forest biomass to 2050 and then focuses on how existing forestry practices may be modified in order to enhance and improve biomass recovery. Partnering with both software companies and regional bioenergy firms, this work task develops business and service innovations in order to improve organization efficiency, lowering cost and improving service.
Das Projekt "Schwerpunktprogramm (SPP) 1530: Flowering time control: from natural variation to crop improvement, Analysis of genetic variation for flowering time in wild barley grown under different environmental conditions" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung.The time of flowering is crucial for a plant's adaptation to a given environment and has a major impact on grain yield in crop species. A large number of flowering time genes have been identified in A. thaliana, and many of them are structurally conserved across species including cereals. However, the majority of these orthologs have not been functionally characterized in barley or wheat so far. Here, we propose to conduct the first comprehensive survey on variation in flowering time candidate genes and flowering time behavior under different environmental conditions in wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum Thell. We aim at identifying novel associations between candidate genes and flowering time, and to advance the functional characterization of flowering time genes in barley. To this end we will I) characterize genetic variation at 16 candidate genes in a unique collection of 480 diverse barley lines established by the applicant, II) associate genetic variation with flowering behavior under different field and controlled conditions, and III) analyze gene expression and characterize genetic diversity in putative regulatory regions of candidate genes. The characterization of natural genetic variation at flowering time candidate genes will make an important contribution to understanding developmental genetic processes underlying adaptation and thus grain yield in barley and other grasses and increase the pool of alleles available for breeding.
Das Projekt "From Biodiversity to Chemodiversity: Novel Plant Produced Compounds with Agrochemical and Cosmetic interest (AGROCOS)" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaften Brüssel. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: BASF SE.The consortium will discover and carry to the stage of development candidates, plant derived small molecules with potential as new cosmetic and agrochemical agents. These compounds will derive from plants originating from major biodiversity hotspots in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The starting point of the project will be a diversity-oriented natural product library of 500 compounds from the existing compound repositories of three project partners. Screening of this compound library in assay panels for agrochemical (antifungal, herbicidal, insecticidal) and cosmetic properties (UV-protection, anti-aging, anti-hyper-pigmentation) will rapidly identify promising scaffolds. This knowledge will serve as entry points for a chemotaxonomy and chemo-diversity oriented collection of plants which are thought to contain structural variants and decorations of these scaffolds. A liquid library of 3600 extracts will be generated and screened. Stringent prioritization and profiling procedures will generate 300 compounds as focused sub-libraries around the privileged scaffolds. A state-of-the-art technology platform for miniaturized natural product discovery will be used for the purpose. Evaluation of these sub-libraries will lead to 30 compounds which will undergo advanced testing to qualify 5 compounds as development candidates for novel agrochemical and/or cosmetic agents with new or improved properties over existing active ingredients. An additional outcome of the project will be an extract library with a unprecedented level of associated spectroscopic information and metadata, to be used for future purposes. The high-caliber consortium brings together international leaders in small molecule natural products, bio-prospection, leading industries in agro-chemistry, cosmetics, and spectroscopic data management and analysis. Prime Contractor: University Athens (National and Kapodistrian Univ.); Athen; Graces/Hellas.
Das Projekt "OPERA - OnderzoeksProgramma Eindberging Radioactief Afval^OPERA - OnderzoeksProgramma Eindberging Radioactief Afval - Work package 2, Scenario development and Performance Assessment - OPERA Salt Safety Case (OSSC), Work package 2, Scenario development and Performance Assessment - OPERA Safety Case for Radioactive waste disposal (OSCAR)" wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group.
Das Projekt "Sources, sinks and impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Arctic (NSINK), WP5: Aquatic Ecosystems and Palaeolimnology" wird/wurde gefördert durch: Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaften Brüssel. Es wird/wurde ausgeführt durch: Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Ökologie.The NSINK Initial Stage Network training network targets one of the most vital, interdisciplinary problems facing future Arctic environmental management: namely the enrichment of Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by reactive atmospheric nitrogen from low latitude emission centres. This problem will greatly exacerbate ecosystem response to climate change, and urgently requires holistic, sources to sinks type studies of nitrogen dynamics. The delivery of nitrogen from tropospheric and even stratospheric sources will be considered using lagrangian and eulerian approaches that directly link air mass movements to the mass balance of nitrogen at the ground surface. NSINK will then track the fate of this nitrogen through the polar sunrise and into the melt period by considering atmosphere-snow-soil-organism transfers at small plot to catchment scales. Further, in order to constrain temporal change in nitrogen accumulation in this sensitive environment, research into the collection and interpretation of ice core and lake sediment archives will also be undertaken and linked to a reanalysis of atmospheric observations collected over the last 16 years at Ny Ålesund. The concept behind NSINK is that a major European research facility (namely Ny Ålesund in Svalbard) can be used to train a significant cohort of new expertise in environmental science to tackle a major environmental problem from a multidisciplinary perspective. NSINK therefore offers training in atmospheric sciences, snow physics, hydrology, biogeochemistry and aquatic/terrestrial ecology from experienced practitioners in UK , Norwegian, Swedish, Austrian and German institutions. The principal scientific objectives of NSINK are to: 1. Establish the climatology and dynamics of atmospheric nitrogen delivery to the European High Arctic at an unprecedented range of temporal scales; 2. Construct mass balance models of the biogeochemical cycling of reactive nitrogen in the resident snow, ice and ecosystem stores within this part of the European High Arctic; 3. Conduct process studies of nitrogen dynamics that include the use of natural and artificial tracers (where relevant) of the fluxes that link the above stores; 4. Determine ecosystem response to enhanced atmospheric N deposition, and consequences for ecosystem biodiversity, productivity and carbon balance; 5. Produce models with the capacity to forecast ecosystem response to scenarios of coupled climate warming and atmospheric nitrogen enrichment. Fellow 5A ( Nitrogen Cycling in Aquatic Ecosystems ) will consider microbial foodwebs and nitrogen cycling in the aquatic ecosystems of the Ny Ålesund area whilst under the supervision of Birgit Sattler and Roland Psenner. Fellow 5B ( Palaeolimnology ) will work on the palaeolimnology of local lakes in Svalbard under the supervision of Karin Koinig (second supervisor: Anne Hormes). This work will constrain the history and drivers of physico-chemical conditions throughout the late Holocene by exa
