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Abstract: Previous experiments have not considered in situ evaluations of CO2 enrichment on oilseed rape (OSR) under European climates with regard to energetic value and seed quality. Therefore, Brassica napus cv. Campino was grown in a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) field experiment at Stuttgart-Hohenheim (Germany) under ambient (388±9μll−1) and elevated (494±16μll−1) CO2 concentrations. Aboveground biomass production and energy yields of both straw and seeds increased, while energy contents per dry weight were identical in both CO2 treatments. Among the mineral concentrations in seeds, sulphur, boron and cadmium were significantly reduced and zinc and manganese tended to decrease (0.1≥ P >0.05) under elevated CO2. Total protein concentration declined significantly by 4.6% with CO2 enrichment, although increased seed yield (+18.4%) compensated for the change on a production basis. Accordingly, several proteinogenic amino acids per unit meal weight were significantly reduced (asparagine/aspartic acid, glycine, alanine, cysteine, valine, isoleucine, and leucine) or tended to decrease (glutamine/glutamic acid, methionine) in the high-CO2 treatment, resulting in higher carbon/nitrogen ratios. Amino acids on a per protein basis and total oil concentrations were unaffected, while oil yield per unit ground area tended to increase by 19.8%. Elevated CO2 slightly changed the composition of fatty acids on a per dry weight basis, which was more pronounced for unsaturated fatty acids. The concentration of major unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid increased significantly, while linolenic acid, nervonic acid and the group of essential fatty acids were decreased. There was also a negative trend for cis-11-eicosenic acid. The same holds true for the composition of fatty acids on a per oil basis. Among glucosinolates, only progoitrin tended to decrease under CO2 enrichment. The results indicate that elevated CO2 levels may have implications for food and feed quality and use for industrial processing of OSR in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article investigates the spatial and temporal variation of pollutant and nutrient loads in various environmental media in permanent forest and grassland plots in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Study shows that lead and sulphur concentrations are the most marked downward trends in three foliage and grassland samples. It indicates that the reduced levels of these elements in the biomonitors reflect the successful execution of clean air policies.

Due to integrated pollution prevention and control measures and the reduced burning of coal, air concentrations of mercury (Hg 0 ) are currently levelling off. In the future, however, evasion from land surfaces will probably reverse this trend. Reasons are the rising temperatures and the loss of forest cover caused by calamities, droughts, storms and wildfires. Plant leaves constitute an important matrix for the accumulation of gaseous mercury and uptake and re-volatilisation by plants depends on the species, the vitality and the age and morphology of leaf organs. It has been shown that older conifer needles show higher concentrations than young needles and Hg accumulation is increasing throughout the season. In present study, we collected branches from Norway Spruce (Picea abies) in a former cinnabar mining region in Northern Palatinate, where artisanal and small-scale mining left innumerable waste dumps. While mining, smelting and processing of the ores were terminated during WWII, high total mercury concentrations remained in the top soils locally, with presumably only small fractions being plant available. In the lab, up to seven needle age classes were analysed. 1000 needle weights increased with age and as expected, also the Hg concentrations were elevated in the older needles. Needle concentrations were higher than those reported from other national biomonitoring programs confirming the regional imprint from legacy mercury. To complement our biomonitoring study, we collected edible mushrooms in former mining areas. Hg concentrations in most samples exceeded the EU maximum residue levels (MRL), while only a few broke the existing cadmium and lead limits. Tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for inorganic mercury would be surpassed with the consumption of a small portion of mushrooms. Further studies should be performed on the outgassing of Hg from mine wastes and the incorporation of Hg in the local food web, including its methylation and biomagnification., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a mobile heavy metal and soybeans accumulate more of this element compared to other grain crops. Because vegan and vegetarian lifestyles are increasingly popular, plant-based diets should be free from contaminants. Cd minimization has recently been identified as a breeding aim in addition to protein and oil levels. It is also important to consider the regional variability of Cd in crops., Results: A large sample collection (n = 602) was subjected to Cd analyses. Soybeans were grown using a standard protocol by private gardeners in a citizen science program. Some 12.5% of samples exceeded European Union limits, although Cd concentrations and exceedances showed regional variation around the national mean (0.13 mg kg -1 ). Contamination was higher in densely populated regions, possibly as a result of the long-term emissions of heavy metal loaded dusts from industry, traffic and energy production. Cd concentrations were also elevated in regions once characterized by mining and heavy industry. Values were low overall in rural areas and agricultural regions despite potential inputs via phosphate fertilizers., Conclusion: Grain Cd levels are highly variable across Germany. Soybean farming may be problematic in regions with a long history of mining and heavy metal deposition. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.)