Seit die Preise für Erdöl und Erdgas steigen, gilt Biomasse als Hoffnungsträger für die Energieversorgung. Die Politik fördert den Ausbau der Bioökonomie, denn pflanzliche Rohstoffe können energetisch und stofflich genutzt werden. Doch Wissenschaft und Zivilgesellschaft sehen den massiven Anbau von Mais, Raps und Co. zunehmend kritisch, da Nachhaltigkeitskriterien und die Beteiligung von Bürger(inne)n missachtet werden. Transdisziplinäre Nachhaltigkeitsforschung kann Wege aufzeigen, wie die Bioökonomiepläne transparen ter und gerechter gestaltet werden können.

The European Union in general and Germany in particular want to lead the way to substantially expand renewable energies for power production. Considering the extremely ambitious objectives of the German Federal Government, a strong, nationwide increase in cultivating energy crops can be anticipated. However, the expansion of biomass production, which is already in progress, has led to several environmental and ecological objections. Aside from competing for land, for food and feed production, the expansion of monocultures for biomass and biofuel production with a concentration on maize (Zea mays) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) can be problematic for biodiversity conservation. To face these challenges, the provision and cultivation of additional crop species and cultivars for biomass production would help to avoid these problems. The designated energy crop Miscanthus 9 giganteus represents an alternative species for extended biomass production. This giant grass is characterized by a broad range of possible applications and a high potential in producing and providing biomass in a sustainable way. In our study, we conducted a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based analysis of the cultivation potential of M. giganteus in Germany. As a result, we generated digital maps that display preferential regions for the cultivation of M. giganteus where a high productivity and quality of biomass is expected. Combining different climate-and soil-dependent scenarios, a total acreage potential of 4 million ha is predicted for Germany.

This study was performed in the Oderbruch region, a landscape where Ostrinia nubilalis occurs in high densities. From 2000 to 2005, field pairs (half-fields) planted with Bt maize (Cry 1Ab) and a conventional maize variety, respectively, were investigated using different monitoring methods (visual counts, wholeplant harvesting and pitfall trapping) to determine densities of taxa on plants, activity densities and diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods. A total of 48 taxa were determined in counts and 90 in whole-plant harvests; 75 carabid species and 62 spider species were identified by pitfall trapping. Density comparisons of different taxa, such as aphids, thrips, heteropterans, aphid specific predators, spiders and carabids, revealed a few significant differences for specific taxa but no general tendencies during the six years. Canonical corresponding analyses revealed small but statistically significant differences in community composition between Bt and conventional maize fields. Generally, year-toyear changes in environmental conditions, field characteristics, and population dynamics had much stronger effects on the arthropod community than the use of Bt maize. Three baselines were used for evaluation of findings: (1) mean and variation of a specific variable (e. g. density) in a given conventional maize field, (2) mean and variation of a specific variable in conventional maize fields in the last five years and (3) mean and variation of a specific variable in conventional maize fields within a given year. This methodological approach is tested for suitability for casespecific monitoring.

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Mit dem verstärkten Anbau von Mais (Zea mays) und Raps (Brassica napus) als nachwachsende Rohstoffe werden die Auswirkungen dieser einseitigen Ausrichtung auf die Landwirtschaft sowie die Umwelt sichtbar. Eine Alternative zu den bisher angebauten und genutzten Kulturen kann u. a. das Schilfgras Miscanthus giganteus bieten. In dem vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) geförderten Teilprojekt "Call-Bio -Beitrag Technikfolgenabschätzung" werden ökologische, ökonomische und soziale Aspekte des Anbaus und der Nutzung von Miscanthus giganteus betrachtet.