idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Research on the physiological background and agronomic applications of "Sulphur Induced Resistance (SIR)" were the core of a long-term successful cooperation between scientists of the Scottish Agricultural Colleges (SAC) at Aberdeen in Scotland and the Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science of the Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL) at Braunschweig, Germany. Meanwhile 15 years ago they started with first field experiments investigating the effect of sulphur fertilisation on fungal infections of oilseed rape. Scottish sites are particularly suited for these investigations because of low atmospheric sulphur inputs and a high and continuous risk of fungal infections at the same time. Until 18 years ago the "white flowering" of oilseed rape (photo 1) was believed to be of genetic origins namely through inbreeding of Canadian rapeseed varieties. However, scientists at FAL revealed this phenomenon to be caused by lack of sulphur in plant nutrition. The observation that white flowering came often along with increased fungal infestations in an oilseed rape crop finally induced the initiation of research on SIR.
Actually in Scotland sulphur deficiency can be that much pronounced that an entire flowering oilseed rape field looses completely its yellow colour (photo 1). Accordingly, some of the experiments revealed distinct results: in the Scottish trials yield of oilseed rape with an optimised sulphur fertilisation to a non-resistant variety could be as high as that of resistant varieties or varieties with full fungicide treatments.
The results of 15 years of successful co-operation between SAC and FAL have been presented in joint presentations to the science community on many places in the world, most recently at the International Sulphur Workshop in Ciba, Japan. But finally the Scottish and German team leaders, Dr. Kerr Walker (SAC) and Prof. Dr. Dr. Ewald Schnug (FAL) presented an exceptional extra upshot of their cooperation: White rapeseed flowers may become a newcomer in modern decorative floristics! (photo 2)!
Publications about are available at http://www.pb.fal.de
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Ewald Schnug and Dir. & Prof. Dr. Silvia Haneklaus, Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL), Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Bundesallee 50, D-38116 Braunschweig, Germany, E-Mail: pb@fal.de
http://www.pb.fal.de - Publications
http://idw-online.de/pages/de/news152915 - deutsche Version der Pressemitteilung
Photo 1: from left: Prof. Dr. Dr. Ewald Schnug (FAL) and Dr. Kerr Walker (SAC) evaluate a white flo ...
Photo: FAL
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Photo 2: A very special bouquet with a newcomer in modern decorative floristics: white flowering oil ...
Photo: FAL
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Criteria of this press release:
Biology, Environment / ecology, Information technology, Oceanology / climate, Zoology / agricultural and forest sciences
transregional, national
Research projects, Research results
English
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