A new member of the family Reoviridae may contribute to severe crumbly fruit in red raspberry, Rubus idaeus ‘Meeker’

AbstractA virus induced crumbly fruit disease of considerable importance in ‘Meeker’ and other cultivars of red raspberry has been observed in northern Washington, USA, and British Columbia, Canada and to a lesser extent in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV), a pollen-borne virus, has been considered the causal agent of the disease. However, dsRNA extractions from raspberry plants exhibiting severe crumbly fruit in northern Washington revealed multiple bands in addition to those corresponding to RBDV (5.5kb and 2.2kb). Sequence analyses of these dsRNAs showed the presence of two additional viruses. One has significant amino acid identity to proteins encoded by Rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV), a ten-segmented dsRNA Oryzavirus that belongs to the family Reoviridae. Thus far, all dsRNA segments, except the one that corresponds to S6 of RRSV, have been fully sequenced and found to have characteristic features of other plant reoviruses genomes. In addition, Raspberry leaf mottle virus (RLMV), a recently characterized member of the Closteroviridae, has also been identified from raspberries with severe crumbly fruit. These findings along with the lack of severe crumbly fruit symptoms in ‘Meeker’ red raspberry singly infected with RBDV in Oregon, suggest the existence of a novel virus complex associated with severe crumbly fruit in red raspberries. The complex may involve RBDV, RLMV and/or this new reovirus, provisionally named Raspberry latent virus (RpLV). Keywords: Raspberry crumbly fruit, Raspberry bushy dwarf virus, Raspberry leaf mottle virus, Raspberry leaf spot virus, plant reoviruses

Mengen- und wertmäßige Bedeutung des Biomasseimports von Deutschland - Eine detaillierte Auswertung der Importstatistik (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7719)

Im Rahmen der Globalisierung der Rohstoffmärkte, der Ausrichtung der Wirtschaft in Richtung Bioökonomie und der Energiewende gewinnt die Biomasse als Nahrungsmittel, Rohstoff und Energieträger für Deutschland zunehmend an Bedeutung. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde für Deutschland auf Basis der Außenhandelsstatistik ein Überblick über die derzeit mengen- und wertmäßig bedeutendsten Biomasseträger und deren Herkunftsländer erstellt, ausgehend von den Importen für das Jahr 2014

Alternative fuels from forest residues for passenger cars - an assessment under German framework conditions

Background Due to the available volumes, biogenic residues are a promising resource for renewable fuels for passenger cars to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we compare three fuels from forest residues under German framework conditions: biogenic electricity, substitute natural gas (SNG), and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel. Methods Fuels from forest residues are compared with regard to their technical efficiency (here defined as ‘pkm per kg biomass’), costs, and environmental impacts with a focus on GHG emissions. We took into consideration the real-life driving conditions and corresponding car classes as well as market penetration scenarios for electric and gaseous fuel cars. Results Our results show that the technical efficiency of biogenic electricity is high, while the economic and environmental results strongly depend on the car size and market penetration assumptions. Furthermore, it is essential to clearly define the main goal of introducing fuels from forest residues. If the goal is to reduce GHG emissions at the lowest cost, SNG (and natural gas) in bigger cars is preferable. For high GHG reductions at the lowest forest residue consumption, biogenic electricity in smaller commuter-type cars are found to be a good solution. This also proves true for the aggregated environmental impact score ReCiPe Total. Conclusions It is important to include mobility patterns and a clear goal definition when comparing biogenic fuels. In Germany, biogenic electricity, SNG, and FT diesel can reduce GHG emissions at reduction costs of around 100 €/t CO2-Eq when used the right way