The Economic Situation of Family-Farm Enterprises in the Southern Black Forest

Changes in the economic environment, including increased international competition caused by globalisation, low-priced imports and high costs of labour, are influencing the economic situation of all agricultural enterprises, and naturally including those on forest land. As a result, changes are taking place in the structure of agricultural enterprises, with smaller units disappearing. Enterprises with greater areas of agricultural and forest land strive to expand by purchasing or leasing more agricultural area or forests, depending on their labour and financial resources. Another way to overcome the economic needs and to survive as a family enterprise in the future is to find new sources of income. In a case study in the Southern Black Forest an investigation of 32 family-enterprises with agricultural and forest land and members of an accounting network was carried out in order to register all types of income of the family which contribute economically to their costs of living. Besides the traditional income from agriculture and forestry, income was found to be derived from renting rooms or flats for holiday-makers, employment outside the enterprise, contract-working, and direct-marketing of own products. This paper presents the results of the study, showing the overall distribution of the total income of the family to the various types of activities of the family. On average, agriculture, forestry and the other income sources are found to each contribute about one third to overall income. The great variety of income combinations are illustrated in diagrams and clustered to different types of organization of family-farm enterprise. It is also notable that the amount of the total income varies from very high to very low between individual enterprises

Synopse zu Arbeit und Nachhaltigkeit in Zukunftsstudien

Die erste Phase des bundesdeutschen Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurses wurde von ökologischen Problemstellungen dominiert. Erst im Laufe der zweiten Hälfte der neunziger Jahre fanden die Massenarbeitslosigkeit, die Probleme der sozialen Sicherung und ökonomischer Leistungsfähigkeit Eingang in den Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurs. Zeitgleich fand das „Drei-Säulen- Modell“ nachhaltiger Entwicklung breitere Akzeptanz. Ziel der vorliegenden deskriptivanalytischen Betrachtung ist zu erfassen, ob und inwiefern es ab der sog. Wuppertal-Studie zu Veränderungen der Gewichtungen der drei Nachhaltigkeitsdimensionen gekommen ist, ob und wie die soziale Dimension und darunter besonders die arbeitspolitischen Aspekte gleichberechtigt einbezogen und ausgeformt wurden und wie, über die konzeptuellen Fortschritte hinaus, gesellschaftliche Interessenvermittlung und akteursrelevante Bezüge entwickelt wurden. Hierzu werden die relevanten Nachhaltigkeits- und Zukunftsstudien anhand von neun Kategorien ausgewertet. Daran anschließend wird der Verlauf des Nachhaltigkeitsdiskurses in Bezug auf die Fragestellungen synthetisiert. Am Ende wird den ausgewerteten Studien das Verbundprojekt „Arbeit und Ökologie“ gegenübergestellt. -- Ecological problems stood in the centre of the first phase of the German discourse about sustainable development. Only in the second half of the last decade mass unemployment, the problems of the social system and economic competitiveness had been established as topics in this discourse. Meanwhile the acceptance of the “Three-Pillar-Model” of sustainable development has grown. It is the aim of this descriptive and analytical paper to investigate whether and how since the publishing of the so-called “Wuppertal-Studie” changes have taken place between the dimensions of sustainability, if and how the social dimension and in particular employment-related topics have been treated equally and how they have been worked out, and how, above conceptional progress, the arrangements of different interests in society and the actor relations have been developed. For this aim the relevant studies on sustainable development and future studies will be analysed in this paper along nine categories. In the next step the changes in the discourses on sustainable development will be summarised. At the end of this paper the surveyed studies will be contrasted with the interdisciplinary project on “Work and Environment”.

Formation of water-soluble metal cyanide complexes from solid minerals by Pseudomonas plecoglossicida

A few Pseudomonas species are able to form hydrocyanic acid (HCN), particularly when grown under glycine-rich conditions. In the presence of metals, cyanide can form water-soluble metal complexes of high chemical stability. We studied the possibility to mobilize metals as cyanide complexes from solid minerals using HCN-forming microorganisms. Pseudomonas plecoglossicida was cultivated in the presence of copper- and nickel-containing solid minerals. On powdered elemental nickel, fast HCN generation within the first 12 h of incubation was observed and water-soluble tetracyanaonickelate was formed. Cuprite, tenorite, chrysocolla, malachite, bornite, turquoise, millerite, pentlandite as well as shredded electronic scrap was also subjected to a biological treatment. Maximum concentrations of cyanide-complexed copper corresponded to a solubilization of 42% and 27% when P. plecoglossicida was grown in the presence of cuprite or tenorite, respectively. Crystal system, metal oxidation state and mineral hydrophobicity might have a significant influence on metal mobilization. However, it was not possible to allocate metal mobilization to a single mineral property. Cyanide-complexed gold was detected during growth on manually cut circuit boards. Maximum dicyanoaurate concentration corresponded to a 68.5% dissolution of the total gold added. These findings represent a novel type of microbial mobilization of nickel and copper from solid minerals based on the ability of certain microbes to form HC

Detection of Bacterial Endospores in Soil by Terbium Fluorescence

Spore formation is a survival mechanism of microorganisms when facing unfavorable environmental conditions resulting in “dormant” states. We investigated the occurrence of bacterial endospores in soils from various locations including grasslands (pasture, meadow), allotment gardens, and forests, as well as fluvial sediments. Bacterial spores are characterized by their high content of dipicolinic acid (DPA). In the presence of terbium, DPA forms a complex showing a distinctive photoluminescence spectrum. DPA was released from soil by microwaving or autoclaving. The addition of aluminium chloride reduced signal quenching by interfering compounds such as phosphate. The highest spore content (up to 109 spores per gram of dry soil) was found in grassland soils. Spore content is related to soil type, to soil depth, and to soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Our study might provide a basis for the detection of “hot spots” of bacterial spores in soil

Host-Plant Selectivity of Rhizobacteria in a Crop/Weed Model System

Belowground microorganisms are known to influence plants' performance by altering the soil environment. Plant pathogens such as cyanide-producing strains of the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas may show strong host-plant selectivity. We analyzed interactions between different host plants and Pseudomonas strains and tested if these can be linked to the cyanide sensitivity of host plants, the cyanide production of bacterial strains or the plant identity from which strains had been isolated. Eight strains (four cyanide producing) were isolated from roots of four weed species and then re-inoculated on the four weed and two additional crop species. Bacterial strain composition varied strongly among the four weed species. Although all six plant species showed different reductions in root growth when cyanide was artificially applied to seedlings, they were generally not negatively affected by inoculation with cyanide-producing bacterial strains. We found a highly significant plant species x bacterial strain interaction. Partitioning this interaction into contrasts showed that it was entirely due to a strongly negative effect of a bacterial strain (Pseudomonas kilonensis/brassicacearum, isolated from Galium mollugo) on Echinochloa crus-galli. This exotic weed may not have become adapted to the bacterial strain isolated from a native weed. Our findings suggest that host-specific rhizobacteria hold some promise as biological weed-control agents

Short-term dynamic patterns of bioaerosol generation and displacement in an indoor environment

The short-term dynamics and distribution of airborne biological and total particles have been assessed in a large university hallway by particle counting using laser particle counters and impaction air samplers. Particle numbers of four different size ranges were determined every 2min over several hours. Bioaerosols (culturable bacteria and fungi determined as colony-forming units) were directly collected every 5min on Petri dishes containing the appropriate growth medium. Results clearly show distinct short-term dynamics of particulate aerosols, of both biological and non-biological origin. These reproducible periodic patterns are closely related to periods when lectures are held in lecture rooms and the intermissions in between when students are present in the hallway. Peaks of airborne culturable bacteria were observed with a periodicity of 1h. Bioaerosol concentrations follow synchronously the variation in the total number of particles. These highly reproducible temporal dynamics should be considered when monitoring indoor environments to determine air qualit

Effects of natural and chemically synthesized furanones on quorum sensing in Chromobacterium violaceum

BACKGROUND: Cell to cell signaling systems in Gram-negative bacteria rely on small diffusible molecules such as the N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHL). These compounds are involved in the production of antibiotics, exoenzymes, virulence factors and biofilm formation. They belong to the class of furanone derivatives which are frequently found in nature as pheromones, flavor compounds or secondary metabolites. To obtain more information on the relation between molecular structure and quorum sensing, we tested a variety of natural and chemically synthesized furanones for their ability to interfere with the quorum sensing mechanism using a quantitative bioassay with Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 for antagonistic and agonistic action. We were looking at the following questions: 1. Do these compounds affect growth? 2) Do these compounds activate the quorum sensing system of C. violaceum CV026? 3) Do these compounds inhibit violacein formation induced by the addition of the natural inducer N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone (HHL)? 4) Do these compounds enhance violacein formation in presence of HHL? RESULTS: The naturally produced N-acylhomoserine lactones showed a strong non-linear concentration dependent influence on violacein production in C. violaceum with a maximum at 3.7*10(-8 )M with HHL. Apart from the N-acylhomoserine lactones only one furanone (emoxyfurane) was found to simulate N-acylhomoserine lactone activity and induce violacein formation. The most effective substances acting negatively both on growth and quorum sensing were analogs and intermediates in synthesis of the butenolides from Streptomyces antibioticus. CONCLUSION: As the regulation of many bacterial processes is governed by quorum sensing systems, the finding of natural and synthetic furanones acting as agonists or antagonists suggests an interesting tool to control and handle detrimental AHL induced effects. Some effects are due to general toxicity; others are explained by a competitive interaction for LuxR proteins. For further experiments it is important to be aware of the fact that quorum sensing active compounds have non-linear effects. Inducers can act as inhibitors and inhibitors might be able to activate or enhance the quorum sensing system depending on chemical structure and concentration levels

Microbial recovery of metals from solids

A variety of both lithotrophic and organotrophic microorganisms are known to mediate the mobilization of various elements from solids mostly by the formation of inorganic and organic acids. Under appropriate environmental conditions, metals are solubilized and extracted from metal-rich materials in subsurface ecosystems by the action of bacteria and fungi. In mine tailings or landfills microbial metal leaching represents a potential environmental hazard. However, these microbial activities can be successfully applied in the industry for the recovery of metals from solid materials such as ores or incineration residues. Microbial leaching processes are currently used for the winning of gold and copper from low-grade ores (‘bioleaching'). Solid industrial waste materials such as fly ash, sludges, or dust might also be microbially treated to recover metals for the re-use in metal-manufacturing industries. Bioleaching allows the cycling of metals by a process close to natural biogeochemical cycles reducing the demand for resources such as ores, energy, or landfill spac

Selection in monoculture vs. mixture alters plant metabolic fingerprints

Aims In grassland biodiversity experiments, positive biodiversity effects on primary productivity increase over time. Recent research has shown that differential selection in monoculture and mixed-species communities leads to the rapid emergence of monoculture and mixture types, adapted to their own biotic community. We used eight plant species selected for 8 years in such a biodiversity experiment to test if monoculture and mixture types differed in metabolic profiles using infrared spectroscopy. Methods Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to assess metabolic fingerprints of leaf samples of 10 individuals of each species from either monocultures or mixtures. The FTIR spectra were analyzed using multivariate procedures to assess (i) whether individuals within species could be correctly assigned to monoculture or mixture history based on the spectra alone and (ii) which parts of the spectra drive the group assignment, i.e. which metabolic groups were subject to differential selection in monocultures vs. mixtures. Important Findings Plant individuals within each of the eight species could be classified as either from monoculture or mixture selection history based on their FTIR spectra. Different metabolic groups were differentially selected in the different species; some of them may be related to defense of pathogens accumulating more strongly in monocultures than in mixtures. The rapid selection of the monoculture and mixture types within the eight study species could have been due to a sorting-out process based on large initial genetic or epigenetic variation within the specie