Marine biodiversity hotspots and conservation priorities for tropical reefs

Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse of shallow water marine ecosystems but are being degraded worldwide by human activities and climate warming. Analyses of the geographic ranges of 3235 species of reef fish, corals, snails, and lobsters revealed that between 7.2% and 53.6% of each taxon have highly restricted ranges, rendering them vulnerable to extinction. Restricted-range species are clustered into centers of endemism, like those described for terrestrial taxa. The 10 richest centers of endemism cover 15.8% of the world's coral reefs (0.012% of the oceans) but include between 44.8 and 54.2% of the restricted-range species. Many occur in regions where reefs are being severely affected by people, potentially leading to numerous extinctions. Threatened centers of endemism are major biodiversity hotspots, and conservation efforts targeted toward them could help avert the loss of tropical reef biodiversity.     

van der waals interactions in the Cl + HD reaction

The van der Waals forces in the entrance valley of the Cl + HD reaction are shown here to play a decisive role in the reaction's dynamics. Exact quantum mechanical calculations of reactive scattering on a potential energy surface without Cl-HD van der Waals forces predict that the HCl and DCl products will be produced almost equally, whereas the same calculations on a new ab initio potential energy surface with van der Waals forces show a strong preference for the production of DCl. This preference is also seen in crossed molecular beam experiments on the reaction. The study of chemical reaction dynamics has now advanced to the stage where even comparatively weak van der Waals interactions can no longer be neglected in calculations of the potential energy surfaces of chemical reactions.     

RBM134: A mutant of Russet Burbank susceptible to blackspot bruise

A radiation induced mutant of Russet Burbank was recovered that is more susceptible to blackspot bruise than the original cultivar. The mutant was evaluated and characterized for several agronomic and biochemical traits. Compared to Russet Burbank the mutant had slightly lower tuber yield, smaller average tuber weight, a higher number of tubers per plant, higher percent tuber dry matter, similar total tuber dry matter yield, lower tuber protein and higher free tyrosine content. Vine growth and appearance was indistinguishable from Russet Burbank. This mutant should provide an excellent tool for better understanding the tuber characteristics contributing to blackspot bruising in potatoes.     

Effects of the application of inorganic and organic manures on the market quality and on the biological value of agricultural products

The influence of inorganic and organic manures on the market quality and on the nutritional value of food plants is subject of this publication. Nutritional experiments with infants who were fed with vegetables of different fertilizer treatments gave significant results as follows:Organic manuring alone will not be sufficient to obtain a normal yield and an optimum nutritional value. A combined manuring-organic and inorganic (stable manure+NPK) — gave the best nutritional results in infants.On the other hand detrimental consequences in quality (obviously in market quality and not visible in intrinsic value) may occur by the use of exclusively mineral fertilizers in excess e.g. of Nitrogen in cultivating vegetables:Decreases in taste, flavor, in keeping during the storage, in resistance against diseases and pests as well as lowering of the biological value of products e.g. losses in contents of Vitamins and of the essential amino acid Methionine, of the mineral K important for nutrition.An excess in feeding plants with K decreases the contents of Mg even when potashmagnesia sulphate is used.Considering overproduction of certain fruit and vegetables in the Common Market claims are made on good medium yields involving high nutritional value instead of maximum yields with a decreased intrinsic quality.

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Zusammenfassung Der Einfluß einer anorganischen und organischen Düngung auf die Marktqualität und auf den Biologischen Wert von Nahrungspflanzen ist Gegenstand der Arbeit.Ernährungsversuche mit Kleinkindern, die verschieden gedungte Gemüse erhalten hatten, zeigten in signifikanten ERgebnissen, daß eine alleinige organische Düngung bei den rasch wachsenden Gemüsen nicht ausreicht, um einen optimalen ernährungsphysiologischen Wert und einen ausreichenden Ertrag der Erzeugnisse zu sichern. Besten ernährungsphysiologischen Erfolg bei den Kleinkindern bot jedoch eine kombinierte organische und anorganische Düngung (Stallmist+NPK) in einem ausgewogenen Mengenverhältnis.Bei alleiniger Mineraldüngung besteht die Gefahr, daß bei dem derzeitigen, vor allem im Gemüsebau übersteigerten Verbrauch an Stickstoffdüngern zur Erzielung von Höchsterträgen Qualitätsschäden auftreten. Solche Beeinträchtigungen der äußeren und der inneren Qualität manifestieren sich in Minderungen von Geschmack und Haltbarkeit, höherer Krankheits- und Schädlingsanfälligkeit sowie einer Herabsetzung des ernährungsphysiologischen Werts, insbesondere durch Abnahme im Gehalt an ernährungswichtigen Mineralstoffen, z.B, an K sowie an Vitaminen und der essentiellen Aminosäure Methionin (Abfall der Eiweißqualität).Auch ein Übermaß an Kali in der Düngung steigert zwar die Gehalte an erwünschtem K in Nahrungspflanzen, setzt aber selbst dann den Gehalt an Magnesium in pflanzlichen Organismen herab, wenn als Kalidünger Schwefelsaure Kalimagnesia verabfolgt wird.Angesichts der in der EWG vielfach vorhandenen Überproduktion an bestimmten Obst- und Gemüsesorten wird die Forderung erhoben, anstelle maximaler, gute Mittelerträge mit hoher ernährungsphysiologischer Qualität zu erzeugen.

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Résumé L'influence de la fumure minérale ou organique sur la qualité commerciale, et sur la valeur nutritionnelle des végétaux alimentaires est traitée dans ce mémoire. Des essais nutritionnels sur de jeunes enfants, recevant des légumes soumis à des fumures diverses ont donné des résultats significatifs: une fumure exclusivement organique sur des légumes à croissance rapide, ne suffit pas a assurer une valeur nutritionnelle optimale, ni un rendement quantitatif convenable. Les résultats nutritionnels les meilleurs sont obtenus, chez les jeunes enfants, par la combination des fumures minérales et organique (fumier de ferme et NPK), dans des proportions déterminées.La fumure minérale exclusive présente un danger: un emploi exagéré de sels azotés, permettant les rendements les plus élevés, peut diminuer la qualité. Cette diminution de la qualité externe et de la qualité interne se manifeste par une altération du goût, une diminution de l'aptitude à conservation, une sensibilité plus grande aux parasites et aux maladies, un abaissement de la valeur nutritionnelle, notamment par la réduction des taux d'éléments minéraux important K, des taux de vitamines, du taux de l'aminoacid essentiel méthionine (chute de la valeur protéique).Un excès de K dans la fumure augmente il est vrai le taux de K, ce qui est désirable, mais diminue le taux de Mg, même lorsque l'on utilise comme engrais le sulfate double de potassium et de magnesium.La production de certaines variétés de fruits et légumes est souvent excidentaire, dans les pays du marché commun, il parait donc opportun de conseiller, non la recherche de rendements plus élevés, mais la recherche de rendements d'une bonne moyenne, assortis d'une qualité nutritionelle élevée.

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Paper read on the Expert Panel, Effects of Intensive Fertilizer Use on the Human Environment 25–28 January, 1972, Rome.     

Some effects of low-oxygen atmospheres on potato tubers

American Journal of Potato Research - White Rose potatoes were held in 21, 5, 1, and 1/2% O2 at 68, 59, and 41 F to test their response to atmospheres low in O2 during a simulated transit period of...     

Pflanzenzüchtung und moderne Kulturmaßnahmen. Fortschritt oder Rückschritt?

The progress in agriculture during the last 25 years is undisputed as far as a considerable rise in yield and in ‘external’ quality of crops are concerned. From the consumer's view the latter may be regarded more as ‘cosmetic’ quality. However, for this progress we have to pay quite a heavy price. It justifies the question if the loss of nutritional and phytohygienic quality associated with maximum yield in plant crops must be looked upon as a real backward step of our present economic-chemical system in agriculture. Our special research interests emphasize quality problems of vegetable and fruit. The retrogression has been proved in different fields by experimental findings, analytical data, nutritional observations or by experiments with small animals. Unfortunately, plant constituents, essential for human nutrition, were often lost from selection- and breeding-programmes for centuries: maximum yield and giant fruits. In some special cases — such as onesided human diets — it led to nutritional deficiencies and to severe health problems e.g. pellagra, amongst maizeating populations. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently took preliminary measures in America against newly bred cultivars of inferior nutritional value and against those new cultivars possessing toxic substances in unacceptable concentrations. These objections referred to new cultivars of potatoes used for chip production, to carrots, tomatoes, beans, cabbages, wheat and peanuts. On the other hand, in Germany a group of people with self-interest and their subordinates are trying to prevent all our efforts to evaluate the ECE-standards of quality with the aim to give preference to most valuable cultivars of good taste and rich in plant constituents such as Vitamin C. In Germany some low horticultural stations testing cultivars etc. do not care about criteria of consumers' interest in strawberries such as good taste and high contents of vitamins. High yield and effectiveness in picking are the single criteria worth to be considered. Criteria of consumers' interest are even cut out by German officials, setting aside taste- and smell-tests from quality control of imported vegetables and fruit at the German frontiers. Our 12 years fertilizer experiments, chiefly with vegetables, including analytical interpretations resulted in high yield when mineral fertilizers (NPK) were applied, much lower ones when organic manures were used. However, the latter brought much higher contents in valuable plant constituents and much lower contents of substances with detrimental effects to human health. High amounts of nitrogen often have detrimental effects on ‘external’ quality and on the ‘Biological Value’ of vegetables and fruit. In addition to that they obviously favour the susceptibility to plant diseases and certain insect pests. We already warned of DDT in 1952 and in 1957 moreover of persistent organochlorides generally, but especially of the use of aldrin, dieldrin and heptachlor as seed dressing in carrots. These followed from te results of comparing organoleptic, analytical and residue-investigations combined with animal tests. We have also given warnings of 2,4-D-containing growth-regulators in the same publication due to harm to the offspring of Wistar rats. In 1964 — likely as consequence of our publications — Sweden prohibited the use of aldrin and dieldrin for seed dressing — I believe it was the first country in the world — followed by Norway in 1965. Both countries announced in 1970 a total prohibition of aldrin and dieldrin for all uses being followed for all other organochlorides lindane apart for special uses. Only in 1974 the Federal Republic of Germany anounced a prohibition of dieldrin, chlordan and isodrin. Already in 1971 restrictions of some organochlorides e.g. of aldrin, DDT, endrine, heptachlor, lindane and toxaphene have been published. In Great Britain there are no prohibitions of organochlorides, but restrictions for use. Up to 1968 we already established conclusively, that our toxicological registrations taking only the chemical itself in consideration apart of other preparations and apart of a passage through the plant to be treated, is absolutely without realism. There is no relation to practical use in agriculture and horticulture. The same is true for the tolerances and their safety being based on a registration procedure that is unreal and more reassuring than protective. No reaction to our warning has been noticed yet, though the situation may be looked at as clearly retrograde. A reform of the registration in the way described which includes the so called ‘translocation’-toxicity should be regarderd a condition ‘sine qua non’ taking an effective protection of the population into account.