Galega orientalis – a new persistant plant as fodder crop and substrate for biogas production

In einem langjährig angelegten Anbauversuch soll das jährliche Ertragspotential der ausdauernden Leguminose Galega orientalis (Lam.) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ermittelt werden. In den ersten vier Anbaujahren belief sich der jährliche Trockenmasseertrag auf durchschnittlich 100 dt/ha. Die Leguminosenart erwies sich als sehr winterhart. Sie reagierte auf Trockenheit mit verringertem Wachstum, aber ohne die Gefahr des Absterbens. Krankheiten oder Schädlinge wurden nicht beobachtet. Die Pflanzen gelangten sicher zur Samenreife. Im Laborversuch konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass Galega­substrat unter Beachtung der üblichen Silierregeln erfolgreich siliert werden kann. Die durchgeführten Gärversuche im Batch-Betrieb wiesen eine Eignung der Galega für eine Biogasgewinnung nach. Die Ergebnisse belegen, dass Galega unter den natürlichen Bedingungen von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern anbauwürdig ist.    A long-term cultivation trial was established to estimate the agricultural potential of the perennial legume Galega orientalis (Lam.) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Herbage productivity was monitored for four years. The average annual dry-matter yield of fodder galega was about 10 t ha–1. This legume species was found to be very resistant to frost. Drought induces reduced growth, however there is no danger of dead loss. Diseases or pests were not observed. The plants reliably accomplished seed maturity. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that galega can be ensiled successfully according to the common principles of ensiling. The fermentation batch tests demonstrated the suitability for bio-energy production. Our results indicate that galega is suitable for cultivation under the natural conditions of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.   &nbsp

High phenotypic plasticity of Suaeda maritima observed under hypoxic conditions in relation to its physiological basis

Phenotypic plasticity, the potential of specific traits of a genotype to respond to different environmental conditions, is an important adaptive mechanism for minimizing potentially adverse effects of environmental fluctuations in space and time. Suaeda maritima shows morphologically different forms on high and low areas of the same salt marsh. Our aims were to examine whether these phenotypic differences occurred as a result of plastic responses to the environment. Soil redox state, indicative of oxygen supply, was examined as a factor causing the observed morphological and physiological differences. Reciprocal transplantation of seedlings was carried out between high and low marsh sites on a salt marsh and in simulated tidal-flow tanks in a glasshouse. Plants from the same seed source were grown in aerated or hypoxic solution, and roots were assayed for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alcohol dehydrogenase, and changes in their proteome. Transplanted (away) seedlings and those that remained in their home position developed the morphology characteristic of the home or away site. Shoot Na, Cl and K concentrations were significantly different in plants in the high and low marsh sites, but with no significant difference between home and away plants at each site. High LDH activity in roots of plants grown in aeration and in hypoxia indicated pre-adaptation to fluctuating root aeration and could be a factor in the phenotypic plasticity and growth of S. maritima over the full tidal range of the salt marsh environment. Twenty-six proteins were upregulated under hypoxic conditions. Plasticity of morphological traits for growth form at extremes of the soil oxygenation spectrum of the tidal salt marsh did not correlate with the lack of physiological plasticity in the constitutively high LDH found in the roots