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High quality phased assembly of grape genome offer new opportunities in chimera detection
Get PDFIn perennial plants and especially those propagated through cuttings, several genotypes can coexist in a single individual, thus leading to chimeras. When the variant induces a noticeable phenotype modification, it can lead to a new cultivar. Viticulture already took economic advantage of this natural phenomenon: for instance, the berry skin of ‘Pinot gris’ derived from ‘Pinot noir’ by the selection of a chimera. Chimeras could also impact other crucial traits without being visually identified. Periclinal chimera where the variant has entirely colonized a cell layer is the most stable and can be propagated through cuttings. In grapevine, two functional cell layers are present in leaves, L1 and L2. However, lateral roots are formed from the L2 cell layer only. Thus, comparing DNA sequences of roots and leaves could allow chimera detection. In this study we used new generation Hifi long reads sequencing and recent bioinformatics tools applied to ‘Merlot’ to detect periclinal chimeras. Sequencing of ‘Magdeleine Noire des Charentes’ and ‘Cabernet franc’, the parents of ‘Merlot’, allowed haplotype resolved assembly. Pseudomolecules were built with few contigs, in some occasions only one per chromosome. This high resolution allowed haplotype comparison. Annotation from PN40024 was transferred to all pseudomolecules. Through variant detection, periclinal chimeras were found on both haplotypes. These results open new perspectives on chimera detection, which is an important resource to improve cultivars through clonal selection or breed new ones. Detailed results will be presented and discussed
The Brazilian grapevine variety called ‘Peverella’ corresponds to the ‘Boschera’ variety
Get PDFThrough fingerprinting analysis using reference microsatellite markers and comparing with the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) database, it was possible to discover that in Brazil, the wine grape variety cultivated for over 70 years, called \u27Peverella\u27 (Variety number VIVC = 12963; National Register of Vine Varieties (Italy), code: 254) is actually the grape variety called \u27Boschera\u27 (Variety number VIVC = 1576;National Register of Vine Varieties (Italy), code: 326). This discovery makes wines produced in Brazil even rarer (with only approximately 10 hectares planted worldwide), presenting an additional means to promote and market this historic variety
Superfood – Fakten aus dem Reich der Wundermittel [Book Review]
No full textFor some years, superfoods have been very much in vogue, especially among younger people who often get their nutritional knowledge from various social media channels. It is therefore very positive that the author Reinhild Berger has taken on this important topic and critically examines the most popular and currently most advertised products in her entertainingly written “mini textbook”.
In particular, the author takes a closer look at the following plant-based raw materials and the preparations made from them: Açai berries, acerola, algae species such as chlorella and spirulina, aloe vera, amaranth, aronia, buckwheat, camu camu, chia seeds, coracorn, curcuma, psyllium husks, fonio, goji berries, pomegranate, hemp seeds, clinoptilolite, coconut oil, kombucha, MCT oil, papaya, quinoa, teff and zeolite. The author tries to determine what is behind the products advertised as "superfoods" and how the suppliers succeed in appealing to their respective clientele with clever marketing. For example, it is stated that health-related claims about food in the European Union are subject to the requirements of the Health Claims Regulation and therefore the respective "superfoods" are often advertised very imaginatively by the respective marketing departments. Furthermore, the author notes that the composition of food supplements enriched with "superfoods" is often not precisely known and, moreover, the claimed health benefits are not always scientifically proven. It is also criticized that the vitamins contained in food supplements are often synthetic additives, although the advertising of the products indicates that only natural raw materials have been used. The author even warns that "superfoods" might be contaminated with harmful substances and are comparatively expensive compared to domestic vegetables and fruits. In addition, it is pointed out that especially exotic foods involve an increased risk of food allergies or intolerances and that undesirable interactions with medicines may be also possible.
In her critical observations, however, the author fails to mention that superfoods can certainly enrich the diet and provide completely new flavour experiences, even if a significant added health value, when compared to domestic vegetables and fruits, cannot always be expected. Unfortunately, the author does not address the fact that some of the "superfoods" listed in the book not only serve a healthy diet but, as several evidence-based studies show, can also be an important factor in human nutrition and integrative medicine. Since the author is primarily concerned with conveying "miracle medicine facts" to the reader in a concise form, the scientific aspects have unfortunately been somewhat neglected. The book is primarily aimed at nutritionists and (the predominantly young) consumers of food supplements and calls for a new perspective away from the mainstream and a more critical look at the promises made in the marketing of superfood products
Water consumption of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) during dry growing seasons (2018–2022) in NE Germany
Get PDFIn den Jahren 2018, 2019 und 2020 war Europa von einer extremen Dürre betroffen. Im Zuge des Klimawandels wird davon ausgegangen, dass Dürren häufiger auftreten und extremer ausfallen, so dass die Landwirtschaft sich an Trockenperioden anpassen muss. Der Anbau von Hanf (Cannabis sativa L.) wird als eine Möglichkeit der Anpassung an Trockenperioden angesehen. Hanf liefert Biomasse als Rohstoff für eine Reihe von Wertschöpfungsketten, z. B. für Fasern und Textilien, als Baumaterial, Chemikalien oder als Nahrungsmittel.Hanf bildet ein tiefgehendes Wurzelsystem, durch das die Hanfpflanze ihren Wasserbedarf auch während längerer Trockenphasen aus tieferen Bodenschichten decken kann, was zu einem Entzug der Bodenfeuchte aus dem Unterboden führen kann. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde in dieser Studie der Wasserverbrauch von Hanf auf Standorten in Nordostdeutschland (Uckermark) in den Jahren 2018–2022 ermittelt. Dafür wurde der Penman-Monteith Ansatz verwendet, wobei die fernerkundungsbasierte Methode S-SEBI, mit Landsat Satellitenbildern als Datengrundlage, eingesetzt wurde, um Crop-Koeffizienten in diese Penman Monteith Berechnungen einzuspeisen.Der Wasserverbrauch von Hanf lag zwischen 310 mm und 407 mm, jeweils für die Vegetationsperioden 2018–2022 bei Stängelerträgen von 9 t ha-1 (außer 2018 mit 7,8 t ha-1). Diese Wasserverbräuche überstiegen die Niederschläge während der jeweiligen Vegetationsperioden, sie überstiegen jedoch nicht die Jahresniederschläge der jeweiligen hydrologischen Jahre. Daher übernutzt Hanf nicht die Bodenfeuchte, sondern Hanf nutzt die Bodenfeuchte, die im Herbst und Winter in den Boden infiltriert war, so dass Hanf dadurch gut an ein trockeneres, wärmeres und variableres Klima angepasst ist.Europe experienced unprecedented droughts during the years 2018, 2019, and 2020. In the course of climate change, it is expected that such drought events will occur more frequently so that agriculture needs to adapt to droughts. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has been promoted as an adaptation to water limited conditions. Hemp delivers biomass as a raw material to a variety of different value chains, such as fibers and textiles, house construction, chemicals, or food applications.Hemp develops a deep root system, which enables it to cover its water demand even during longer dry periods. This may lead to an over exploitation of soil moisture of deeper soil layers or of the groundwater in the long-term. Against this background, this study assessed the water consumption of hemp in Northeastern Germany (region Uckermark) during the growing seasons 2018–2022. The Penman Monteith approach was used to calculate the water consumption, whereby the remote sensing based S-SEBI approach was employed, with Landsat satellite images as input data, to feed crop coefficients into those calculations.The water consumption of hemp ranged from 310 to 407 mm over the growing seasons 2018–2022, while stem yields were 9 t ha-1 (except 2018 with 7.8 t ha-1). This water consumption did exceed the precipitation during the growing seasons, but did not exceed the total precipitation of the given hydrological years so that growing hemp does not constitute an over-exploitation of water. Instead, hemp taps the soil moisture that has infiltrated into the soil during autumn and winter. This makes hemp a crop well suited for an adaptation to a drier, hotter, and more variable climate
Zur Rolle der Wissenschaft für eine verantwortungsvolle Regulierung des Pflanzenschutzes: Wissenschaftlicher Vortrag anlässlich der Verabschiedung des Vizepräsidenten des JKI Dr. Peter Zwerger am 27.6.2023 in Braunschweig
Get PDFMöglichkeiten und Grenzen der Reduktion chemischer Pflanzenschutzmittel in der Landwirtschaft aus ökonomischer Sicht: Wissenschaftlicher Vortrag anlässlich der Verabschiedung des Vizepräsidenten des JKI Dr. Peter Zwerger am 27.6.2023 in Braunschweig
Get PDFSmall-scale analysis of population genetics and abundance patterns of honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum L. (Caprifoliaceae) in a North Sea island woodland system
Get PDFInvasive alien plants are considered a major driving force of biodiversity loss and can deeply alter ecosystem functioning. However, invaders can also facilitate the distribution and establishment of native species, although this has been rarely documented in the literature. We observed an increase in population abundance of the liana Lonicera periclymenum L. (honeysuckle) on the north Frisian island of Amrum and hypothesized, that a surge in phorophyte availability due to the invasive neophyte Prunus serotina Ehrh. (black cherry) supported the colonization of new patches for this autochthonous liana species. Analysis of population genetics by inter-simple-sequence repeats polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR) revealed high interpopulational differentiation. The genetic diversity within populations was low. The results indicated that barriers prevent small distance dispersal of seed and pollen. Further, additional results supported our hypothesis that honeysuckle may occasionally take advan-tage of the invasive neophyte black cherry
Legal framework and support for urban agriculture
Get PDFDie Heterogenität der Formen in der urbanen Landwirtschaft ist eine große Herausforderung für die Implementierung einer zielgenauen Förderung. Dieser Beitrag hat daher das Ziel, auf Grundlage einer schriftlichen Befragung einen Überblick über die bestehenden Fördermöglichkeiten zu geben und wichtige rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen für die Entwicklung der urbanen Landwirtschaft zu identifizieren. Dazu wurde ein exploratives Vorgehen mit einer qualitativen Befragung von Gartenbaureferent*innen der Länder und des Bundes gewählt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es in vielen Bundesländern weder besondere rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen noch eine spezifische Förderung für die urbane Landwirtschaft gibt. Des Weiteren fehlen in vielen Bundesländern spezielle Ansprechpartner*innen zu diesem Themengebiet. Als Fördermöglichkeiten wurden die allgemeine Agrarförderung genannt sowie unter anderem die ELER- und, als Teil davon, die LEADER-Förderung. Zusätzlich wurden (potenzielle) Probleme der urbanen Landwirtschaft, wie zum Beispiel eine geringe Effizienz oder Flächenknappheit und -konkurrenz angemerkt. Aus den Ergebnissen lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass das Thema der urbanen Landwirtschaft auf politischer Ebene zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen hat, allerdings auf Ebene der Agrarverwaltung noch wenig relevant ist.The heterogeneity of urban agriculture is a major challenge for the implementation of target specific support schemes. Hence, the objective of this paper is, to provide an overview of existing funding schemes and to identify important legal framework conditions for the development of urban agriculture. For this purpose, an explorative approach was chosen with a qualitative survey of horticultural desk officers of the federal states and the federal government in Germany.The results show that neither special legal frameworks nor specific support schemes for urban agriculture exist in many federal states. Furthermore, many federal states do not have specific contact persons for this topic. General agricultural funding as well as ELER and, as a part of it, LEADER funding, among others, were mentioned as funding options. In addition, (potential) problems of urban agriculture, such as low efficiency or land shortage and competition, were mentioned. Based on the results it can be concluded that the issue of urban agriculture has become increasingly important at the political level, but is still of little relevance at the level of agricultural administration