Future management of arable perennials - an introduction to the project AC/DC-weeds

Mehrjährige Wurzelunkräuter beeinträchtigen die ackerbauliche Produktion. Verbreitete Bekämpfungspraktiken sind intensive wendende Bodenbearbeitung und chemisch-synthetische Herbizide. Diese gebräuchlichen Methoden haben allerdings unerwünschte Effekte auf Nicht-Ziel-Organismen und die Umwelt. Ziel des SusCrop-ERA-NET geförderten Europäischen Projekts ‘AC/DC-weeds’ ist es, agrarökologisch basiertes Management von mehrjährigen Wurzelunkräutern zu etablieren. Beiträge zur Reduktion von wendender Bodenbearbeitung in ökologischen und konventionellen Ackerbau und dem Ersatz von Glyphosat in letzterem zu liefern, sind die übergeordneten Aufgaben. Getragen von sieben Partnern aus fünf europäischen Ländern läuft das Projekt von 2019 bis 2022. Drei wichtige mehrjährige Arten in Nord- und Zentral-Europa werden fokussiert (Sonchus arvensis, Cirsium arvense und Elymus repens). Zu diesen Arten erfasst AC/DC-weeds Ökologie und Wirkungen des agronomischen Managements mit Experimenten und einer systematischen Literatur-Recherche. Neues agrar-ökologisches Managements der Arten wird in Feldversuchen und Semi-Feld Versuchen untersucht. Für die Erfassung werden innovative Technologien eingesetzt, um der nesterweisen Verteilung im Feld gerecht zu werden. Qualitative Modelle nutzen Wissen zu den Einflussfaktoren auf das Vorkommen von mehrjährigen Unkräutern, um sie für Entscheidungen nutzbar zu machen. Das Wachstum der Arten und die Effekte des Managements werden einfach und grafisch in einer Web-Anwendung visualisiert. Die Versuche und Modellierungen werden begleitet durch eine Umweltbewertung- und ökonomische Kalkulationen.Creeping perennial weeds have strong negative impacts on arable production. The common control practices are intensive inversion tillage and chemical herbicides. However, these traditional methods negatively affect non-target species and the environment. The objective of the SusCrop-ERA-NET funded European project ‘AC/DC-weeds’ is to implement agro-ecological management for creeping perennials in arable farming. The overall aim of this project is to reduce plough-tillage in organic and conventional farming, and to replace glyphosate in the latter system. From 2019 to 2022, this project involves seven partners from five European countries. Focusing on three important perennial species in central and northern Europe (Sonchus arvensis, Cirsium arvense and Elymus repens), AC/DC-weeds will thoroughly study the ecology and agronomical management of these species through systematic literature reviews and experiments. Novel agro-ecological management of these species is examined in field experiments and semi-field approaches. Innovative technology will be used to identify and monitor the distribution of these weeds on fields. Qualitative models are developed to make use of existing knowledge and expertise of the influences on perennial infestations in management decisions. A graphic web tool will enable visualization of the growth of the species and the effects of weed management. Environmental and economic evaluations on different weed management accompany the experimental and modelling work

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Radar Observations and the Shape of Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 EV5

We observed the near-Earth asteroid 2008 EV5 with the Arecibo and Goldstone planetary radars and the Very Long Baseline Array during December 2008. EV5 rotates retrograde and its overall shape is a 400 /pm 50 m oblate spheroid. The most prominent surface feature is a ridge parallel to the asteroid's equator that is broken by a concavity 150 m in diameter. Otherwise the asteroid's surface is notably smooth on decameter scales. EV5's radar and optical albedos are consistent with either rocky or stony-iron composition. The equatorial ridge is similar to structure seen on the rubble-pile near-Earth asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4 and is consistent with YORP spin-up reconfiguring the asteroid in the past. We interpret the concavity as an impact crater. Shaking during the impact and later regolith redistribution may have erased smaller features, explaining the general lack of decameter-scale surface structure.Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication in Icarus: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WGF-5207B2F-4/2/d87cd2ae4da00c2b277e2dc79a532c4

Current and future glyphosate use in European agriculture

There has been a longstanding and contentious debate about the future of glyphosate use in the European Union (EU). In November 2023, the European Commission approved the renewal of the use registration for glyphosate for a further 10 years. Nevertheless, the EU Farm to Fork strategy calls for a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030. In November 2022, the European Weed Research Society organised a 2 day workshop to identify critical glyphosate uses in current EU cropping systems and to review the availability of glyphosate alternatives. Workshop participants identified four current, critical uses in EU cropping systems; control and management of perennial weeds, weed control in conservation agriculture, vegetation management in tree and vine crops and herbicide resistance management. There are few herbicide alternatives that provide effective, economic, broad-spectrum control of weeds, particularly perennial weeds. Mechanical weed control, and in particular, soil cultivation is the most obvious glyphosate alternative. However, this is not possible in conservation agriculture systems and, in general, increased soil cultivation has negative impacts for soil health. Emerging technologies for precision weed control can enable more targeted use of glyphosate, greatly reducing use rates. These technologies also facilitate the use and development of alternative targeted physical weed control (e.g. tillage, lasers, electricity), reducing the energy and environmental costs of these approaches. In tree crops, the use of organic and inorganic mulches can reduce the need for glyphosate use. In general, reduced use of glyphosate will require an even greater focus on integrated weed management to reduce weed establishment in agroecosystems, increase weed management diversity and limit the use of alternative resistance-prone herbicides

CASTAway: An asteroid main belt tour and survey

CASTAway is a mission concept to explore our Solar System’s main asteroid belt. Asteroids and comets provide a window into the formation and evolution of our Solar System and the composition of these objects can be inferred from space - based remote sensing using spectroscopic techniques. Variations in composition across the asteroid populations provide a tracer for the dynamical evolution of the Solar System. The mission combines a long-range (point source) telescopic survey of over 10,000 objects, targeted close encounters with 10–20 asteroids and serendipitous searches to constrain the distribution of smaller (e.g. 10 m) size objects into a single concept. With a carefully targeted trajectory that loops through the asteroid belt, CASTAway would provide a comprehensive survey of the main belt at multiple scales. The scientific payload comprises a 50 cm diameter telescope that includes an integrated low-resolution (R=30 – 100) spectrometer and visible context imager, a thermal (e.g. 6 – 16 μm) imager for use during the flybys, and modified star tracker cameras to detect small (~10 m) asteroids. The CASTAway spacecraft and payload have high levels of technology readiness and are designed to fit within the programmatic and cost caps for a European Space Agency medium class mission, whilst delivering a significant increase in knowledge of our Solar System

Neopterin release from human endothelial cells is triggered by interferon-gamma

SUMMARY Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were investigated for their ability to produce neopterin, a biochemical marker for an activated immune system. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor, phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A were used to stimulate HUVEC. While IFN-γ induced neopterin release from HUVEC in a time- and dose-dependent manner, all the other cytokines used had no effect on neopterin production. High neopterin levels are found in patients with rejection episodes or infections. Our results suggest that not only monocytes and macrophages, which are known to synthesize neopterin, but also endothelial cells are responsible for these high serum neopterin levels.</jats:p