Bodennutzung und Nitrat-Stickstoff in der Dränzone von Lößdecken der südlichen Niederrheinischen Bucht

Land use and nitrate-nitrogen in the vadose zone of loess deposits in the southern part of the Lower Rhenish Embayment Mean annual nitrogen-leaching was studied at seven experimental sites with grain-sugar beet crop rotation. Soil water simulation models and determination of the nitrogen content in the vadose zone below the rooting zone were combined to quantify the annual leaching rates. Leaching amounts to 11–18 kg NO₃^? N/ha · a at sites where only mineral fertilizer was applied, whereas sites with additional organic fertilizers show higher leaching rates of 30–36 kg NO₃^? N/ha · a.     

Abbau von Huminstoffen durch Bodenmikroorganismen — eine Übersicht

Degradation of humic substances by soil microorganisms — a review Humic substances which represent differently extractable fractions of the soil organic matter exert multifarious effects on soil as a site for plant growth and a part of terrestrial environments. Among them especially humic acids and fulvic acids are subject to degradation and/or transformation by soil microorganisms. Several authors demonstrated the participation of different species of fungi, actinomycetes and also of non-mycelial aerobic or anaerobic bacteria in those processes under laboratory conditions. Indications exist that humic substances irrespective of their structure undergo degradation on cell surfaces due to the activity of exoenzymes. In this respect microbial phenoloxidases play an extraordinarily important role. The degradation rate of humic substances can be followed by optical, gravimetric and chemoanalytical methods as well as using biochemical and microbiological procedures (CO₂ release, microbial growth, biomass formation). An objective evaluation, however, can be hindered by the adsorption of humic substances on microbial biomass and sometimes also by formation of novel humic-like microbial metabolites. Therefore it is necessary to apply a multifactorial approach in the study of the degradation of humic substances which includes both quantitative and qualitative parameters. To better elucidate how these processes may occur under natural conditions, mixed populations of soil microorganisms should be predominantly involved in future studies.     

Schwermetallanreicherung in den Böden des Abwasserbehandlungsgebietes Braunschweig

The accumulation of heavy metals in the soils of the Braunschweig wastewater irrigation area The concentration of lead, zink and cadmium in the Ap-horizons and subsoils of sandy Podzols and Cambisols were investigated. As compared with same soils outside the irrigation area an accumulation of the heavy metals in the Ap-horizons of the older sprinkler irrigation plots was found. On the rill irrigation area the heavy metals also were concentrated in the subsoils.     

Modelling the effects of mulching and fallow cropping on water balance in the Chinese Loess Plateau

To improve water use efficiency on drylands it is essential to understand the mechanisms affecting water balance partitioning in arable land ecosystems. A field experiment was conducted, from October 2001 to October 2004, to evaluate the effects of field management regimes on water balance and water use efficiency in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system in the Loess Plateau, China. The field management regimes tested were: (i) conventional agricultural management (winter wheat followed by a ploughed summer fallow); (ii) conventional management plus a fallow crop used as green manure; (iii) application of wheat straw mulch (0.8 kg m⁻²), which was retained throughout the year (no summer ploughing). A process-oriented ecosystem model (CoupModel) was calibrated with field measurements of soil water contents, leaf area indices, plant heights and crop yields, then used to generate comparative simulations of the water balance partitioning under the wheat straw mulch, fallow crop and conventional management regimes. The simulations indicated that during the experimental period mulching increased soil water storage by 5–8%, decreased soil evaporation by 11–13%, and increased wheat transpiration by 2–5% compared with the conventional management regime, thus increasing the wheat yield and water use efficiency. Furthermore, water reached deeper horizons under mulching than under conventional practice, resulting in 15% more deep percolation in a wet year. The simulation results also indicated that growing green manure during the fallow period decreased soil water storage, leading to lower wheat yields. Mulching proved to be an efficient measure for increasing yields, and possibly contributed to groundwater recharge.     

Long-range interactions within a nonnative protein

Protein folding and unfolding are coupled to a range of biological phenomena, from the regulation of cellular activity to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Defining the nature of the conformations sampled in nonnative proteins is crucial for understanding the origins of such phenomena. We have used a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and site-directed mutagenesis to study unfolded states of the protein lysozyme. Extensive clusters of hydrophobic structure exist within the wild-type protein even under strongly denaturing conditions. These clusters involve distinct regions of the sequence but are all disrupted by a single point mutation that replaced residue Trp62 with Gly located at the interface of the two major structural domains in the native state. Thus, nativelike structure in the denatured protein is stabilized by the involvement of Trp62 in nonnative and long-range interactions.     

Taxonomy and evolution of cultivated plants: Literature review 1977/1978

Summary Important papers on taxonomy and evolution of cultivated plants published in 1977 and 1978 were put together and briefly discussed.

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Taxonomie und Evolution der Kulturpflanzen: Literaturübersicht 1977/1978

Zusammenfassung Wichtige Arbeiten über Taxonomie und Evolution der Kulturpflanzen aus den Jahren 1977–1978 wurden zusammengestellt und kurz kommentiert.

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: 1977 1978

, 1977–1978 . .