A methodological approach for the on-site quantification of food losses in primary production: Austrian and German case studies using the example of potato harvest.

In the last decade, in many European Countries more and more measures have been initiated aiming at the prevention of food losses and wastes along the entire value chain. In order to evaluate or monitor such important measures it is crucial to obtain quantitative information on generated food waste amounts, subsequently enabling the quantitative evaluation of the measure's outcomes and efficiency. Currently there is a paucity of quantitative information, particularly on food losses that are directly generated during harvesting processes.

Trichoderma brevicompactum sp. nov.

Trichoderma brevicompactum, a new species, was isolated from soil or tree bark in North, Central and South America, including the Caribbean Islands, and southwestern and southeastern Asia. Morphological and physiological characters, the internal transcribed spacer regions of the rDNA cluster (ITS1-5.8SrDNA-ITS2) and partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) are described.

Plant root carbohydrates affect growth behaviour of endophytic microfungi.

Abstract Peucedanum alsaticum and Peucedanum cervaria represent characteristic umbellifers (Apiaceae) of calcareous grasslands in Central and Eastern Europe. Both accumulate glucose, fructose, mannitol and sucrose as dominant carbohydrates in their roots. The objective of the study was to determine if endophytes utilise host plant carbohydrates differently than rhizosphere and bulk soil microfungi.

Determination of the carbon content of airborne fungal spores.

Airborne fungal spores contribute potentially to the organic carbon of the atmospheric aerosol, mainly in the "coarse aerosol" size range 2.5-10 microm aerodynamic equivalent diameter (aed). Here, we report about a procedure to determine the organic carbon content of fungal spores frequently observed in the atmosphere.