Das Projekt "Plant-soil interactions in changing rice cropping systems and their influence on C and N dynamics" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bonn, Institut für Nutzpflanzenwissenschaften und Ressourcenschutz - Pflanzenernährung (Prof. Werner) durchgeführt. Plant-soil interactions drive the input, cycling and losses of C and N in soil. This subproject aims at elucidating the input and fate of C in the soil-plant systems and its effect of N retention in soil under different paddy management (continuous vs. alternating with maize cropping). In particular we will investigate (i) how much of the assimilate C is released by the plants into the rhizosphere soil, and how this rhizodeposition is affected by N supply, soil density and crop variety during plant development, (ii) how the exudation of C and N responds to land use change, (iii) how C released into the rhizosphere affects the turnover of soil C and utilization of fertilizer N, and (iv) to what degree leaching contributes to the loss of C and N from the rooted surface soil. To answer these questions, we will combine the use of isotopic 13C and 15N labeling in laboratory and field experiments with a sophisticated characterization of root exudates, root border cells, and compound-specific isotope tracing in the residues of bacteria and fungi in rhizosphere, bulk soil as well as within different dissolved organic and inorganic carbon species in soil leachates. In this way and in collaboration with SP 2, 5, 6, and 7 of this research unit, our project links the cycling of C and N in paddy soils to one of its most prominent drivers, the release of organic compounds by roots.
Das Projekt "Soil N dynamics as affected by different land use in Western and Southern China" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Bodenkunde und Standortslehre durchgeführt. The aim of the research project is to quantify the stocks and turnover of soil nitrogen in Western and Southern China as dependent from soil structure and land use. Key soil characteristics are determined at representative sites with regional specific land use and degradation status. The investigations will follow a land use gradient of natural forests, arable and pasture soils, the latter ones considering different degradation and rehabilitation status. The actual and potential soil nitrogen turnover will be horizon-wise quantified and related to soil structure and land use impacts. Beside mineral nitrogen, also preliminary organic N compounds using physical and chemical extraction will be detected. Parameters for the investigations are, beside total C and N stocks and distribution, gross and net N mineralization, nitrification, microbial biomass C and N and microbial respiration and indicators for soil N turnover like active N pools and light fraction of organic matter. In the last phase the structure of the soil microbial microbial community will be determined and related to indicators of nitrogen status and efficiency. The research activities will be carried out in close co-operation with the Institute for Soil and Water Conservation/ Yangling University at loess soils and the Nanjing Institute for Soil Science/ Chinese Academy for Science in Nanjing at red soil sites.
Das Projekt "Bees in Europe and Sustainable Honey Production (BEE SHOP)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Fachbereich Biologie, Institut für Zoologie, Arbeitsgruppe Molekulare Ökologie durchgeführt. Honey is among the oldest food products of mankind and beekeeping is deeply rooted in every European culture. Numerous European and national regulations control honey quality, which reflects both the high nutritional and societal value of the product. Yet in an environment with increasing chemical pollution and the wide use of agrochemicals, honey runs high risks of becoming chemically polluted. In addition a broad spectrum of chemicals is used to treat honeybee diseases, further contaminating honey with sometimes highly toxic compounds. The BEE SHOP is a network of ten leading European honeybee research groups in honey quality, pathology, genetics and behaviour as well as selected beekeeping industries, which all share a common interest in promoting Europe's high honey quality standards. The prime goal is to reduce potential sources of honey contamination due to both foraging contaminated nectar and chemotherapy of honeybee diseases. The BEE SHOP will therefore deal with the development of biological resistance to pests and pathogens to avoid chemotherapy. Various European honeybee races and populations will be screened for their disease resistance potential to the main pressing pathogens. Differences in foraging patterns among European honeybees and their underlying mechanisms will be studied to identify behavioural traits reducing contamination. Differences in disease susceptibility will be genetically analysed by QTL mapping. Major loci in the genome will be identified with the aid of the published honeybee genome. SNPs will be developed to allow for selection of specific target genes in both drones and queens before insemination. This will greatly accelerate the selection progress in honeybee breeding allowing for the swift establishment of resistant but efficient stock. New tools for testing honey quality and authenticity will be developed to allow inspections of honey according to the current EC directives on honey quality and organic beekeeping.
Das Projekt "D 1.3: Regulation of flowering in tropical fruit crops on erosion prone sites in Northern Thailand" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Kulturpflanzenwissenschaften, Fachgebiet Ertragsphysiologie der Sonderkulturen (340f) durchgeführt. NRCT component: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Sruamsiri, Pittaya - Development of Clean Technology for Off-season Fruit Production: A Case Study of Mango, Longan, Litchi and Tangerine. Specific basic and applied science activities for each crop will be carried out in an attempt to solve the following issues. Longan: Previous research work has shown that flower induction can successfully be manipulated by application of KClO3. This crop is therefore an ideal model plant to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of flowering by: 1. determining acquisition and distribution of KClO3 using isotope labelling techniques and measuring enzyme activities in leaves to decide whether nitrate reductase is involved in the conversion and flower inducing activity of KClO3; 2. identifying mutual influences between hormones including their time-dependent changes brought about by manipulation of hormone biosynthesis through exogenously applied plant growth regulators (PGRs); 3. investigating the effect of off-season production systems on carbohydrate distribution and reserves. Mango: Paclobutrazol (PBZ) is already commercially used to manipulated flower induction in mango, however, the technique may not be sustainable due to its persistence in plant and soil. Prohexadione-Ca (Pro-Ca), another gibberellin biosynthesis inhibiting compound, and specific crop management techniques may prove to be successful and more sustainable alternatives to PBZ and warrant detailed investigation by: 1. evaluating appropriate time-of-season, concentration and application procedure (injection or spray) of Pro-Ca as possible alternative of PBZ and subsequent effects on hormonal status; 2. pruning or defoliation techniques which may induce a secondary flower through an altered hormonal status in the bud tissue. Litchi: There are still no proven orchard management practices for inducing off-season flowering in litchi. The main research objective is to study the significance of plant stress (pruning, girdling shoot tipping techniques, water and nutrient deficiency) on flowering signals by determining carbohydrate changes and hormonal status.
Das Projekt "Storage of hydrogen in hydrides" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik durchgeführt. Hydrogen is the ideal synthetic fuel to convert chemical energy into electrical energy or into motive power because it is light weight, highly abundant and its oxidation product is vapor of water. Thus its usage helps to reduce the greenhouse gases and it conserves fossile resources. There is even a clean way to produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water by means of photo voltaics (SvW06, VSM05, PMM05). There are various possibilities to store the hydrogen for later use: Liquid and gaseous hydrogen can be stored in a pressure vessel, hydrogen can be adsorped on large surface areas of solids, and finally crystal lattices of metals or other compounds can be used as the storage system, where hydrogen is dissolved either on interstitial or on regular lattice sites by substitution (SvW06, San99). The latter process and its reversal is called hydriding respectively dehydriding. The subject of this proposal is the modeling and simulation of that process. The main problem of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is likewise a storage problem, because in a rechargeable battery, both the anode and cathode do not directly take part in the electrochemical process that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, rather they act as host systems for the electron spending element, which is here lithium (Li). During the last month the applicant developed and exploited a mathematical model that is capable to capture the storage problem of an iron phosphate (FePO4) cathode, where the Li atoms are stored on interstitial lattice sites (DGJ07).
Das Projekt "Improved Building Integration of PV by using Thin Film Modules in CIS Technology (BIPV-CIS)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg durchgeführt. Objective: The results of the project will improve and widen the potential for the integration of solar (PV) energy systems into existing buildings. Special attention will be paid architectural and aesthetic questions. Building integration of PV systems in most cases leads to a 'high tech' and 'modern' appearance of the building. This is caused by the typical window-like surface of most conventional PV modules. Regarding however that90Prozent of the building stock consists of longer existing, that means 'old fashioned' buildings, it is evident that anaesthetically satisfying building integration of PV needs a lot of good will and creativity from planners and architects. In many existing building integrated PV systems the modules contrast with the building and its surroundings. A European survey on the potential and needs for building integrated PV components and systems will identify the basis for the development of modules away from the glass / window-like appearance. In the project PV roof tiles, overhead glazing and facade elements based on CIS thin film technology will be developed and investigated which have a modified optical appearance for better adaptation to the building skin. One of the ideas is optical decoupling of substrate and cover glass. A complete roof tile system with thin film cells adapted to the visual appearance of conventional roof tiles and innovative connection and mounting will be developed. The work includes prototype fabrication and tests according to relevant standards and subsequent performance tests. Novel overhead glazing includes semitransparent thin film modules optimised for daylight transmission. The backside appearance will be modified in order to represent the visible inner part of the building skin. For overhead and insolating glazing an invisible interconnection and for PV roof tiles a low cost connector will be developed. Project results will be systems ready for industrial production.
Das Projekt "14C content of specific organic compounds in subsoils" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität zu Köln, Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie durchgeführt. Organic matter (OM) composition and dynamic in subsoils is thought to be significantly different from those in surface soils. This has been suggested by increasing apparent 14C ages of bulk soil OM with depth suggesting that the amount of fresh, more easily degradable components is declining. Compositional changes have been inferred from declining ä13C values and C/N ratios indicative for stronger OM transformation. Beside these bulk OM data more specific results on OM composition and preservation mechanisms are very limited but modelling studies and results from incubation experiments suggest the presence and mineralization of younger, 'reactive carbon pool in subsoils. Less refractory OM components may be protected against degradation by interaction with soil mineral particles and within aggregates as suggested by the very limited number of more specific OM analysis e.g., identification of organic compound in soil fractions. The objective of this project is to characterize the composition, transformation, stabilization and bioavailability of OM in subsurface horizons on the molecular level: 1) major sources and compositional changes with depth will be identified by analysis of different lipid compound classes in surface and subsoil horizons, 2) the origin and stabilization of 'reactive OM will be revealed by lipid distributions and 14C values of soil fractions and of selected plant-specific lipids, and 3) organic substrates metabolized by microbial communities in subsoils are identified by distributional and 14C analysis of microbial membrane lipids. Besides detailed analyses of three soil profiles at the subsoil observatory site (Grinderwald), information on regional variability will be gained from analyses of soil profiles at sites with different parent material.
Das Projekt "Establishment and exploration of a gas ion source for micro-scale radiocarbon dating of glaciers and groundwater" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Umweltphysik durchgeführt. Recent progress in the operation of CO2 gas ion sources for accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) 14C analysis on microgram-size samples opens a wide range of new applications in dating studies, e.g. for environmental and archeological applications. This proposal aims at implementing a gas ion source at the AMS system MICADAS at the Klaus-Tschira Laboratory of the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum für Archäometrie (CEZA) in Mannheim and to use this new capability for cutting-edge applications in environmental studies, namely the dating of small amounts of organic carbon contained in glacier ice and of specific organic compounds in ground water. Cold glaciers hold unique records on past climate and atmospheric composition. Mid-latitude ice cores furthermore enable reconstructions of recent ice chemistry changes, but cannot be dated by stratigraphic methods. For such ice bodies, only radiometric dating based on 14C analysis of organic matter contained in the ice matrix presently offers a reasonable dating potential in the late Holocene and beyond. The challenge of this approach lies in the very restricted availability of this matter, but the ability to analyse microgram samples of organic carbon from ice via a gas ion source should now enable reliable 14C dating of ice. Ground water constitutes an important water resource worldwide, especially in semi-arid regions, and in addition constitutes a useful climate archive. Dating of ground water by 14C in the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is standard but problematic due to the complex carbonate geochemistry. Dating of ground water based on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) has been attempted with mixed success, but now the new analytical developments enable compound-specific 14C analyses of the various DOC components, offering the chance to identify compounds suitable for dating. This project is based on the extensive experience of the collaborating scientists in 14C analytics and applications as well as in the use of glacier ice and ground water as archives, including the development and application of 14C dating methods for these systems. It will establish 14C-measurements at the MICADAS AMS of the CEZA via a gas ion source on a routine base to analyse CO2-samples in the range of 5 to 40 microgram C at a precision down to 0,5 Prozent. By improving existing sample preparation techniques for glacier ice samples, reliable 14C values of the particulate and dissolved organic fractions from small (some 100 g) ice samples shall be obtained. This capability will be applied to constrain ages of cold, sedimentary glaciers as well as of small scale, cold Alpine congelation ice bodies. The project will further develop and test the tools required for micro-scale, compound-specific radiocarbon dating of ground water via its organic fraction. For this purpose, ground water samples from the Upper Rhine Graben area will be analysed, where extensive isotopic data, including DIC 14C values, are available for comparison.
Das Projekt "The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Fachhochschule Köln, Institut für Technologie- und Ressourcenmanagement in den Tropen und Subtropen (ITT) durchgeführt. In order to understand the interlinked problems in the Nexus (Latin = connection, linkage, interrelation) of water, energy and food security, close cooperation between scientists and practitioners from different fields is necessary. The present and future challenge of a reliable supply with water, energy and food is an example, where isolated considerations do not lead to viable solutions. Sustainable action and meaningful research in these highly interconnected fields require a holistic and comprehensive perspective and a new approach. In this sense, a collaborative research structure with a holistic view on the Nexus of Water, Energy and Food security was established in 2013 at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. The project bundles some of the research efforts of 11 professors from different faculties and institutes. The researchers jointly work on initiating new cooperation projects with partners from industry, academia and civil society. Together they aim at exploring new technologies and applying new approaches to solve major issues of efficiency and sustainability in resource use.
Das Projekt "Electrification through Micro Hydro Power Sites in Rural Indonesia" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e.V. RWI, Kompetenzbereich Umwelt und Ressourcen durchgeführt. While urban Indonesia is almost completely electrified, two-thirds of the rural population still lack access to electricity. In many cases, the mountainous rural areas are difficult to access and sparsely populated implying high investment costs for infrastructure extension. Against this background the German International Cooperation (GIZ) supports the implementation of micro hydro plants (MHP) in rural communities to supply the population with decentralized electricity. During its first project phase between 2006 and 2009, GIZ has supported the construction of 96 MHPs on two of the five main islands of Indonesia, Sulawesi and Sumatra. These activities have been funded as part of the Dutch-German Energy Partnership Energising Development (EnDev), an output-oriented programme that aims at providing modern energy to 6.1 million people in 21 countries. In a second project phase starting in 2010 (EnDev II), more than 200 micro-hydro schemes are planned to be supported. RWI has been assigned to assess the socio-economic impacts of electrification through MHP on household level through both a cross-sectional and a difference in differences approach. For this purpose, 800 households were interviewed in a first survey wave in September and November 2010. Half of them are located in 20 EnDev II villages that only got connected to an MHP after data collection. The remainder of the sample has already been using electricity at that time from a working micro hydro scheme supported within EnDev I. The second survey wave is scheduled for autumn 2012. The cross-sectional arm of the study allowed for gauging the impacts of the connection to an MHP already after the first wave at the end of 2010. For the electrified, hence, treated EnDev I households, comparable EnDev II households have been used as controls. Having follow-up data at hand at the end of 2012, difference in differences estimators can be applied to more rigorously assess the impacts of the connection to an MHP. In this approach, the EnDev I households already connected in 2010 and still connected in 2012 will serve as a reference group for the EnDev II households who got treated between the 2010 and 2012 survey. This prevents that changes induced by external influences (e.g. general economic development) are falsely ascribed to the treatment. For the reference group of EnDev II households it was found in 2010 that an important share already used 'pre-electrification' sources like generators or very simple traditional waterwheels - so called kincirs. The impact assessment will therefore not only illustrate the change from traditional energy sources like kerosene to electricity but also deliver impact findings on using a modern electricity source in comparison to pre-electrification sources that tend to be either costly and dirty (generators), or unstable and weak (kincir).
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