New responsibilities of agriculture: structural differences in stakeholder networks and intentions towards climate change abatement strategies in peatland

Agriculture is required to fulfil the needs and wants of society in a variety of fields: food supply, environmental services, landscape preservation and finally: climate mitigation. Using the example of land-use change in peatland in order to create possibilities for greenhouse-gas reduction, a survey about the intentions and future expectations of stakeholders was undertaken. The underlying network structure of these stakeholders in three representative peatland areas of Germany was determined and compared. The results show that considerable differences exist in the degree of knowledge about climate change and in the willingness to cooperate. Depending on the area studied, the most influential political entities are different and thus require different strategies for agenda setting. From the study it can be concluded, that the realisation of a political or societal goal, for example greenhouse-gas reduction, relies largely on the intentions among the stakeholders and structural differences in the stakeholder networks. Our example has shown that for these reasons, land-use change for climate protective reasons will be supported more in the study-area in the South of Germany in comparison to the case in the eastern part.Land-use in peatland areas, network analysis, climate change mitigation., Land Economics/Use, D83, D85, L31, Q54.,

Agrophotovoltaik – Auswirkungen auf Mikroklima und landwirtschaftliche Erträge

Agrophotovoltaik (APV) ermöglicht die simultane Produktion von Nahrungsmitteln und Strom auf derselben Fläche, indem die Solarmodule etwa sechs Meter über der landwirtschaftlichen Fläche montiert sind. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden die Auswirkungen von APV auf die ökologische Produktion von Kleegras und Winterweizen sowie verschiedene mikroklimatische Parameter untersucht. Infolge veränderter mikroklimatischer Bedingungen und einer Reduktion der photosynthetisch aktiven Strahlung, kam es zu einer Abnahme der landwirtschaftlichen Erträge

Taxonomical and chorological remarks on the Mediterranean Poa maroccana (Poaceae) and the first record in Italy from the Sicilian flora

Poa maroccana is an annual Mediterranean species, which is recorded for the first time from Sicily and for the entire territory of Italy. It usually occurs in synanthopic habitats, represented mainly by urban and suburban roadsides, where it is quite sporadic. Based on current knowledge, it has been hitherto reported only in a few localities of the Mediterranean area, specifically in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Syria and Crimea. Field observations and herbarium investigations have shown that this species is often mistaken for P. annua, mainly due to its morphological similarities, as well as for having the same ecological needs, therefore its real geographical distribution has yet to be verified. Although the two species are both tetraploids (2n = 28), they clearly differ in numerous relevant features concerning the shape and size of ligules, inflorescence, spikelet, glumes, palea, lemma, anthers, lodicules and seed. In order to better clarify the relationships of P. maroccana with P. annua and other annual species of this genus occurring in the Mediterranean, a careful morphological description and an iconography are provided, as well as a comparative morphological table of all allied species and also an analytical key for their easy identification

Gemüsebau bleibt praxisnah

Ein junges Team übernimmt den FiBL-Gemüsebau. Geleitet wird die Gruppe vom erfahrenen Praktiker Samuel Hauenstein. Für Zierpflanzen ist neu Kathrin Huber zuständig

IFZ news Winter 2011/2012

Grund:Wasser. -*Biokohle auf dem Prüfstand. -*Neue Strukturdetails für gezielte Medikamentenentwicklung. -*Invasive gebietsfremde Pflanzenarten in China. -*In aller Kürze. -*Rapssorten für eine Welt im Klimawandel. -*Schaltergene in der Wurzel. -*Zweite Auflage von „Liebigs Suppenfest“ unter starker Beteiligung des IFZ. -*Biosphere IFZ — Die Salzgärten des IFZ

Phylogeny, character evolution, and biogeography of the gondwanic moss family Hypopterygiaceae (Bryophyta)

Phylogenetic relationships among the seven genera of the Hypopterygiaceae, represented by 14 of the 21 species recognized in the family, were reconstructed based on variation in nucleotide sequences of six nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid loci