Nährstoffversorgung von Ackerbohnen im Ökologischen Landbau

Inadequate nutrient supply frequently limits biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), plant growth and grain yield of legumes. Under no-till conditions, root growth may be restrained and therefore reduce nutrient uptake. Our studies were carried out to assess the nutrient status of Vicia faba L. (particularly at the onset of bloom) in Germany by using newly created DRIS (Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System) norm values, Critical Nutrient Levels (CNL), and the optimum nutrient range. In a field experiment in 2010 at 4 sites (Klein-Altendorf, Wiesengut & 2 organic farms) the applied fertilizers were fermentation residues, compost, pomace, meat-bone-meal, rock-phosphate, sodium-molybdate, potassium sulphate, and borax. Nutrient elements measured in leaf samples were: C, N, S, K, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B and Mo. As S was detected to be deficient, K2SO4 (35 kg S/ha) had a significantly positive effect on plant growth, yield and symbiosis

Entwicklung neuer Strategien zur Mehrung und optimierten Nutzung der Bodenfruchtbarkeit

In vier Teilprojekten wurden Strategien zur Optimierung des ökologischen Anbaus von Ackerbohnen und Erbsen in Feldversuchen untersucht. Im Fokus stand der Einfluss verschiedener Formen reduzierter Bodenbearbeitung und temporärer Direktsaat im Verbund mit Mulchen, Zwischenfruchtanbau und gezielter Nährstoffversorgung auf Ertragsleistung und Unkrautvorkommen. Das Wachstum von Ackerbohnen und Erbsen war nach Direktsaat im Vergleich zu Pflugbearbeitung retardiert und glich sich erst mit zunehmendem Vegetationsverlauf an. In der Mehrzahl der Versuche wurde bei Nichtvorhandensein perennierender Unkräuter bei insgesamt vglw. niedrigem Ertragsniveau kein fördernder Einfluss der Pflugbearbeitung auf den Kornertrag festgestellt. Nährstoffmangel, bspw. von Schwefel, kann bei Ackerbohnen ertragslimitierend sein und ist durch entsprechende DRIS basierte Düngungsverfahren behebbar. Nichtlegume Zwischenfrüchte erhöhten die N2-Nettofixierleistung von Ackerbohnen. Gezielte Verfahren reduzierter Bodenbearbeitung bzw. temporärer Direktsaat für Ackerbohnen, bspw. mit Nutzung von Strohmulch, sind bei geeigneten Standortbedingungen insbesondere geringer Unkrautdruck ohne wirtschaftliche Ertragseinbußen möglich; im Falle von Erbsen wird das Anbaurisiko deutlich erhöht

The MPI Facial Expression Database — A Validated Database of Emotional and Conversational Facial Expressions

The ability to communicate is one of the core aspects of human life. For this, we use not only verbal but also nonverbal signals of remarkable complexity. Among the latter, facial expressions belong to the most important information channels. Despite the large variety of facial expressions we use in daily life, research on facial expressions has so far mostly focused on the emotional aspect. Consequently, most databases of facial expressions available to the research community also include only emotional expressions, neglecting the largely unexplored aspect of conversational expressions. To fill this gap, we present the MPI facial expression database, which contains a large variety of natural emotional and conversational expressions. The database contains 55 different facial expressions performed by 19 German participants. Expressions were elicited with the help of a method-acting protocol, which guarantees both well-defined and natural facial expressions. The method-acting protocol was based on every-day scenarios, which are used to define the necessary context information for each expression. All facial expressions are available in three repetitions, in two intensities, as well as from three different camera angles. A detailed frame annotation is provided, from which a dynamic and a static version of the database have been created. In addition to describing the database in detail, we also present the results of an experiment with two conditions that serve to validate the context scenarios as well as the naturalness and recognizability of the video sequences. Our results provide clear evidence that conversational expressions can be recognized surprisingly well from visual information alone. The MPI facial expression database will enable researchers from different research fields (including the perceptual and cognitive sciences, but also affective computing, as well as computer vision) to investigate the processing of a wider range of natural facial expressions

Spinster Homolog 2 (Spns2) Deficiency Causes Early Onset Progressive Hearing Loss

Spinster homolog 2 (Spns2) acts as a Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) transporter in zebrafish and mice, regulating heart development and lymphocyte trafficking respectively. S1P is a biologically active lysophospholipid with multiple roles in signalling. The mechanism of action of Spns2 is still elusive in mammals. Here, we report that Spns2-deficient mice rapidly lost auditory sensitivity and endocochlear potential (EP) from 2 to 3 weeks old. We found progressive degeneration of sensory hair cells in the organ of Corti, but the earliest defect was a decline in the EP, suggesting that dysfunction of the lateral wall was the primary lesion. In the lateral wall of adult mutants, we observed structural changes of marginal cell boundaries and of strial capillaries, and reduced expression of several key proteins involved in the generation of the EP (Kcnj10, Kcnq1, Gjb2 and Gjb6), but these changes were likely to be secondary. Permeability of the boundaries of the stria vascularis and of the strial capillaries appeared normal. We also found focal retinal degeneration and anomalies of retinal capillaries together with anterior eye defects in Spns2 mutant mice. Targeted inactivation of Spns2 in red blood cells, platelets, or lymphatic or vascular endothelial cells did not affect hearing, but targeted ablation of Spns2 in the cochlea using a Sox10-Cre allele produced a similar auditory phenotype to the original mutation, suggesting that local Spns2 expression is critical for hearing in mammals. These findings indicate that Spns2 is required for normal maintenance of the EP and hence for normal auditory function, and support a role for S1P signalling in hearing

Canine Central Nervous System Neoplasm Phenotyping Using Tissue Microarray Technique

Tissue microarrays (TMAs) represent a useful technique for the simultaneous phenotyping of large sample numbers and are particularly suitable for histopathologic tumor research. In this study, TMAs were used to evaluate semiquantitatively the expression of multiple antigens in various canine central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms and to identify markers with potential discriminative diagnostic relevance. Ninety-seven canine CNS neoplasms, previously diagnosed on hematoxylin and eosin sections according to the World Health Organization classification, were investigated on TMAs, with each tumor consisting of 2 cylindrical samples from the center and the periphery of the neoplasm. Tumor cells were phenotyped using a panel of 28 monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, and hierarchical clustering analysis was applied to group neoplasms according to similarities in their expression profiles. Hierarchical clustering generally grouped cases with similar histologic diagnoses; however, gliomas especially exhibited a considerable heterogeneity in their positivity scores. Multiple tumor groups, such as astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, significantly differed in the proportion of positive immunoreaction for certain markers such as p75NTR, AQP4, GFAP, and S100 protein. The study highlights AQP4 and p75NTR as novel markers, helping to discriminate between canine astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma. Furthermore, the results suggest that p75NTR and proteolipid protein may represent useful markers, whose expression inversely correlates with malignant transformation in canine astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, respectively. Tissue microarray was demonstrated to be a useful and time-saving tool for the simultaneous immunohistochemical characterization of multiple canine CNS neoplasms. The present study provides a detailed overview of the expression patterns of different types of canine CNS neoplasms

Nutrient acquisition from arable subsoils in temperate climates: A review

In arable farming systems, the term ‘subsoil’ refers to the soil beneath the tilled or formerly tilled soil horizon whereas the latter one is denoted as ‘topsoil’. To date, most agronomic and plant nutrition studies have widely neglected subsoil processes involved in nutrient acquisition by crop roots. Based on our current knowledge it can be assumed that subsoil properties such as comparatively high bulk density, low air permeability, and poverty of organic matter, nutrients and microbial biomass are obviously adverse for nutrient acquisition, and sometimes subsoils provide as little as less than 10% of annual nutrient uptake in fertilised arable fields. Nevertheless, there is also strong evidence indicating that subsoil can contribute to more than two-thirds of the plant nutrition of N, P and K, especially when the topsoil is dry or nutrient-depleted. Based on the existing literature, nutrient acquisition from arable subsoils may be conceptualised into three major process components: (I) mobilisation from the subsoil, (II) translocation to the shoot and long-term accumulation in the Ap horizon and (III) re-allocation to the subsoil. The quantitative estimation of nutrient acquisition from the subsoil requires the linking of field experiments with mathematical modelling approaches on different spatial scales including Process Based Models for the field scale and Functional–Structural Plant Models for the plant scale. Possibilities to modify subsoil properties by means of agronomic management are limited, but ‘subsoiling’ – i.e. deep mechanical loosening – as well as the promotion of biopore formation are two potential strategies for increasing access to subsoil resources for crop roots in arable soils. The quantitative role of biopores in the nutrient acquisition from the subsoil is still unclear, and more research is needed to determine the bioaccessibility of nutrients in subsoil horizons