Einfluss der Kleegras-Nutzung auf die N-Versorgung und Ertragsleistung marktfähiger Folgefrüchte

Im Rahmen des Forschungsschwerpunktes „Ökologischer Landbau und extensive Landnutzungssysteme“ wurden auf dem Versuchsgut für Ökologischen Landbau der Universität Kiel (Lindhof) in den Jahren 1999-2003 Untersuchungen zur Optimierung des N-Transfers vom Kleegras zur Folgefrucht Getreide durchgeführt. Als Versuchsfaktoren wurde die Kleegras-Bewirtschaftung (3x Schnittgutabfuhr, 2x Schnittgutabfuhr + 1x Mulchen, 3x Mulchen), die Umbruchart (Pflug, Fräse + Pflug), der Umbruchtermin (Herbstumbruch/ Winterweizen, Frühjahrsumbruch/ Sommerweizen bzw. Hafer) und eine organische Düngung zu EC 45 (0, 75 kg N/ha) geprüft. Die Kleegras-Bewirtschaftung beeinflusste nicht den Kornertrag von Winterweizen (Ø 48,4 dt/ha), Sommerweizen (Ø 46,6 dt/ha) und Hafer (Ø 58,5 dt/ha). Dagegen bewirkte die Kleegras-Stoppelbearbeitung eine Ertragssteigerung beim Sommerweizen (+ 3,9 dt/ha) und die Gülledüngung einen positiven Effekt auf den Kornertrag von Winterweizen (+ 5,9 dt/ha). Im Vergleich zur Kleegras-Überwinterung erhöhte der Herbstumbruch die NO3-N-Fracht im Sickerwasser um 16 kg N/ha. Die vollständige Schnittgutabfuhr reduzierte sowohl bei Kleegras-Überwinterung als auch bei Herbstumbruch die NO3-N-Fracht im Sickerwasser. In der zweiten Sickerwasserperiode nach der Kleegras-Bewirtschaftung war die NO3-N-Fracht im Sickerwasser nach Sommerweizen höher als nach Winterweizen und konnte durch den Anbau der Zwischenfrucht Gelbsenf signifikant gesenkt werden

Assessing the Potential of Diverse Forage Mixtures to Reduce Enteric CH\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e Emissions

Enteric methane (CH4) is a main source of agriculture-related greenhouse gasses. Conversely, pasture is increasingly demanded by customers due to both perceived and real benefits regarding animal welfare, environmental aspects and product quality. However, if implemented poorly, CH4 emissions can increase, thus contributing to climate change. One promising option to reduce enteric CH4 emissions are plant specialized metabolites (PSM), and particularly tannins. Consequently, we conducted two complementary experiments to determine to what extent enteric CH4 emissions can be reduced, and how this affects milk yields: a) an in vivo experiment with grazing Jersey cows, where CH4 emissions were quantified using the SF6 tracer technique, and b) an in vitro experiment using the Hohenheim gas test. In the in vivo experiment, a binary mixture consisting of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) was compared against a diverse mixture consisting of eight species, including birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), and salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor). In the in vitro experiment, the eight species from the in vivo experiment were combined in binary mixtures with perennial ryegrass in increasing proportions, to determine the mitigation potential of each species. Results show an increase in milk yield for the diverse mixture, although this is also accompanied by higher CH4 emissions. Nevertheless, these emissions are lower across both mixtures, when compared with similar trials. This is probably due to a very high digestibility of the ingested forage. With the in vitro experiment, we were able to confirm a substantial potential for CH4 reduction when including species rich in PSM. However, those forbs with the higher anti-methanogenic potential were only present in minor proportions in the pasture. Hence, further research will be required on how to increase the share of the bioactive species with lower competitiveness and confirm their potential in vivo

Nitrous Oxide Emission from Grazing Is Low across a Gradient of Plant Functional Diversity and Soil Conditions

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from pastures can vary significantly depending on soil and environmental conditions, nitrogen (N) input, as well as the plant’s ability to take up the N. We tested the hypothesis that legume-based N sources are characterized by significantly lower emission factors than mineral N based dairy systems. Therefore, this study monitored N2O emissions for a minimum of 100 days and up to two growing seasons across a gradient of plant species diversity. Emissions were measured from both grazed pastures and a controlled application of urine and dung using the static chamber method. About 90% of the simulated experiments’ accumulated N2O emissions occurred during the first 60–75 days. The average accumulated N2O emissions were 0.11, 0.87, 0.99, and 0.21 kg ha−1 for control, dung, urine patches, and grazed pastures, respectively. The N uptake efficiency at the excreta patch scale was about 70% for both dung and urine. The highest N2O-N emission factor was less than half compared with the IPCC default (0.3 vs. 0.77), suggesting an overestimation of N2O-N emissions from organically managed pastures in temperate climates. Plant diversity showed no significant effect on N2O emission. However, functional groups were significant (p < 0.05). We concluded that legume-containing pasture systems without a fertilizer addition generally appear capable of utilizing nitrogen inputs from excreta patches efficiently, resulting in low N2O emissions

Methane Emission and Milk Production from Jersey Cows Grazing Perennial Ryegrass–White Clover and Multispecies Forage Mixtures

Methane is a major constituent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ruminants, and mitigation strategies are needed to alleviate this negative environmental impact while maintaining the environmental and other benefits of grazing systems. Forages containing plant-specialized metabolites (PSM), particularly condensed tannins, may help reduce enteric methane (CH4) emis- sions. However, information on in vivo CH4 emissions from cows grazing mixtures that contain bioactive herbs is scarce. Accordingly, this study compared a binary mixture of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) against a diverse mixture of six additional species, including tannin-rich species like birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), in a full-grazing dairy system. Enteric CH4 emissions were measured using the SF6 tracer technique. Cows grazing diverse mixtures increased their energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield by 4% (p < 0.001) compared with binary mixtures. However, CH4 emissions per kg ECM were also 11% greater for the diverse mixtures (p < 0.05). The very high feed quality and milk yield from both mixtures explained the low CH4 emissions recorded relative to the milk output. The addition of forbs did not provide additional benefits at these intensities, as they were maintained in low yield shares throughout

Pflanzen für die Gesundheit-Vorstellung eines neuen interdisziplinären Forschungsprojektes zum ökologischen Anbau von Arzneipflanzen

Ecologically grown medicinal plants containing bioactive compounds hold great poten-tial as high-value niche crops for farmers. However, the way to grow these plants differs from traditional crops. Growing techniques, harvest methods and postharvest handling of the raw material plays a crucial role regarding the quality of the raw material that the farmers can offer. The purpose of a new research project financed by EU-Interreg IIIA programme is among other things to carry out production, harvest and processing experiments with plants containing bioactive plant compounds that hold a preventive effect toward diabetes II. One of the project´s goals is to draw up cultivation instructions for the primary producers to use when cultivating the plants in question. Examples of the plants that are being examined in the project are Goat´s Rue (Galega officinalis) and Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

High Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Levels Are Detectable in the Serum of Patients with Lung Cancer and May Be Exploited as Screening Biomarkers.

Objectives: Since early detection improves overall survival in lung cancer, identification of screening biomarkers for patients at risk represents an area of intense investigation. Tumor liberated protein (TLP) has been previously described as a tumor-associated antigen (complex) present in the sera from lung cancer patients. Here, we set out to identify the nature of TLP to develop this as a potential biomarker for lung cancer screening. Materials and Methods: Beginning from the peptide epitope RTNKEASI previously identified from the TLP complex, we produced a rabbit anti-RTNKEASI serum and evaluated it in the lung cancer cell line A549 by means of immunoblot and peptide completion assay (PCA). The TLP sequence identification was conducted by mass spectrometry. The detected protein was, then, analyzed in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and benign lung pathologies and healthy donors, by ELISA. Results: The anti-RTNKEASI antiserum detected and immunoprecipitated a 55\u2009kDa protein band in the lysate of A549 cells identified as aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1A1, revealing the molecular nature of at least one component of the previously described TLP complex. Next, we screened blood samples from a non-tumor cohort of 26 patients and 45 NSCLC patients with different disease stages for the presence of ALDH1A1 and global ALDH. This analysis indicated that serum positivity was highly restricted to patients with NSCLC (ALDH p &lt; 0.001; ALDH1A1 p=0.028). Interestingly, the global ALDH test resulted positive in more NSCLC samples compared to the ALDH1A1 test, suggesting that other ALDH isoforms might add to the sensitivity of the assay. Conclusion: Our data indicate that ALDH levels are elevated in the sera of NSCLC patients, even with early stage disease, and may thus be evaluated as part of a marker panel for non-invasive detection of NSCLC

Winter wheat roots grow twice as deep as spring wheat roots, is this important for N uptake and N leaching losses?

Cropping systems comprising winter catch crops followed by spring wheat could reduce N leaching risks compared to traditional winter wheat systems in humid climates. We studied the soil mineral N (Ninorg) and root growth of winter- and spring wheat to 2.5 m depth during three years. Root depth of winter wheat (2.2 m) was twice that of spring wheat, and this was related to much lower amounts of Ninorg in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after winter wheat (81 kg Ninorg ha-1 less). When growing winter catch crops before spring wheat, N content in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after spring wheat was not different from that after winter wheat. The results suggest that by virtue of its deep rooting, winter wheat may not lead to high levels of leaching as it is often assumed in humid climates. Deep soil and root measurements (below 1 m) in this experiment were essential to answer the questions we posed

Multicenter Evaluation of Independent High-Throughput and RT-qPCR Technologies for the Development of Analytical Workflows for Circulating miRNA Analysis.

BACKGROUND:Among emerging circulating biomarkers, miRNA has the potential to detect lung cancer and follow the course of the disease. However, miRNA analysis deserves further standardization before implementation into clinical trials or practice. Here, we performed international ring experiments to explore (pre)-analytical factors relevant to the outcome of miRNA blood tests in the context of the EU network CANCER-ID. METHODS:Cell-free (cfmiRNA) and extracellular vesicle-derived miRNA (EVmiRNA) were extracted using the miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Advanced, and the ExoRNeasy Maxi kit, respectively, in a plasma cohort of 27 NSCLC patients and 20 healthy individuals. Extracted miRNA was investigated using small RNA sequencing and hybridization platforms. Validation of the identified miRNA candidates was performed using quantitative PCR. RESULTS:We demonstrate the highest read counts in healthy individuals and NSCLC patients using QIAseq. Moreover, QIAseq showed 15.9% and 162.9% more cfmiRNA and EVmiRNA miRNA counts, respectively, in NSCLC patients compared to healthy control samples. However, a systematic comparison of selected miRNAs revealed little agreement between high-throughput platforms, thus some miRNAs are detected with one technology, but not with the other. Adding to this, 35% (9 of 26) of selected miRNAs in the cfmiRNA and 42% (11 of 26) in the EVmiRNA fraction were differentially expressed by at least one qPCR platform; about half of the miRNAs (54%) were concordant for both platforms. CONCLUSIONS:Changing of (pre)-analytical methods of miRNA analysis has a significant impact on blood test results and is therefore a major confounding factor. In addition, to confirm miRNA biomarker candidates screening studies should be followed by targeted validation using an independent platform or technology