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Evaluation of state of the art methods for water foot prints |
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Within the framework of Life Cycle Analyses, the amount of water used and/or needed for a certain product defines the pressure this product exerts on the natural ressource water. This has been coined water foot print analogous to similar approaches on carbon emissions. In collaboration with TÜV Süd we offer the possibility for a Master of Science Thesis with the objective to evaluate current state of the art methods to calculate or asses the water foot print of agricultural products within the frame work of a life cycle assesment. The study will involve a stay of several weeks in Munich. Begin: immediately |
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Contact: fa @uni-hohenheim.de |
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Estimating net primary production in grasslands of Ethiopia |
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Estimation of net primary productivity in grasslands often rely on remote sensing and NDVI data. The influence of vegetation type specific micro climate in relation to the general weather conditions is often neglected. This study will concentrate on diurnal measurements of carbon assimilation in different vegetation types and the species comprised within a vegetation type. Based on a statistical evaluation of most "typical" contrasting daily wheather conditions a set of benchmark days will be defined and the net carbon assimilation will be measured for those type of days on up to four different vegetation types within a grassland region of southern Ethiopia. The experimental part of the study will take 3-4 months. Supervision will be ensured by a PhD student working in the region. Additional funding may be obtained. Begin any time |
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Contact: fa @uni-hohenheim.de |
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Link to the ILRI project description |
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Estimation of below-ground biomass of grassland species in Ethiopia |
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Estimation of below-ground biomass in grasslands is mostly done by fixed partitioning factors, neither taking into account the species nor the vegetation type in which this species is found. This study will focus on pot experiments on selected species most descriptive for a vegetation type defined earlier. After establishing root - shoot ratios in semi-artificial conditions results will be validated in the field. All experiments will be conducted in southern Ethiopia. The experimental part of the study will take 3-4 months. Supervision will be ensured by a PhD student working in the region. Additional funding may be obtained. Begin any time |
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Contact: fa @uni-hohenheim.de |
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Link to the ILRI project description |
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Evaluation of vegetation type influences on water balance in Ethiopian grasslands |
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Vegetation types as defined for grasslands in southern Ethiopia exert a strong influence on the characteristics of the soil they are growing in and as well as influence the water balance within them via their effects on the micro-climate. This study will relate vegetation type with water infiltration rates, soil bulk density and bare soil evaporation to help understand the water balance as influenced by vegetation type. Experiments will be conducted on selected field sites in southern Ethiopia. The experimental part of the study will take 3-4 months. Supervision will be ensured by a PhD student working in the region. Additional funding may be obtained. Begin any time |
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Contact: fa @uni-hohenheim.de |
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Link to the ILRI project description |
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Effects of phytohormone application on the root length of aeroponically grown rice |
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One of the major problems in growing plant without substrate is the space available for the root zone. Unproductive promotion of root growth should be avoided to reduce the yield penalty. Roots of aeroponically grown rice tend to elongate more than when grown in soil. Plant hormones as well as pH levels are known to affect morphology and size of root systems. This study will investigate if a combination of phyto-hormones and pH levels can be employed to restrict root length while maintaining root density. Two rice varieties will be tested in an aeroponic system available for responses of their root system to different combinations of pH and phyto-hormones such as ethylene, ABA, and jasmonates. The experimental part of the study will take 4-5 months Begin: any time |
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Contact: fa @uni-hohenheim.de |
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QTLs for salt tolerance of barley introgression lines as affected by relative air humidity |
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Barley is among the most salt tolerant cereals. A study was conducted on the genetic basis of salt toerance mechanisms in barley based on 42 near isogenic lines developed by Klaus Pillen. All data are available. This study will involve calculation of salt uptake patterns for the barley lines and its correlation with marker analyses to identifiy QTLs for salt uptake and tolerance. This study will be jointly supervised with Prof. Dr. Klaus Pillen, University of Halle. There are no experiments involved in this study, but genetic analyses to be conducted in Halle. Begin: any time |
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Contact: fa @uni-hohenheim.de |
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