Ievina Sturite
Research Scientist
(+47) 934 99 484
Ievina.Sturite@nibio.no
Place
Steinkjer
Visiting address
Innocamp Steinkjer, Skolegata 22, 7713 Steinkjer
Authors
Trygve S. Aamlid Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Marit Jørgensen Kristoffer Herland Hellton Akhil Reddy Pashapu Ievina Sturite Mallikarjuna Rao Kovi Helga Amdahl Carl Gunnar Fossdal Odd Arne RognliAbstract
Timothy ( Phleum pratense L.) is the predominant forage grass species in the northern parts of the Nordic region. Because of the long andharsh winters and a short growing season, most of it with continuous light, the need for locally adapted timothy seed has been recognizedfor more than a century. However, the seed production of timothy in these marginal environments is unpredictable with acceptable seedyield and quality on average only every third year. Thus, a multiplication scheme for the northern cultivars was established with only pre-basic seed produced in the north, and basic and certified seed produced further south to secure enough seed of good quality. In recentdecades this scheme has been more or less abandoned with continous generations produced in the south. Farmers are complaining andare questioning whether the cultivars has changed and lost winter hardiness. We studied freezing and ice-encasement tolerance of generations of the the northern timothy cultivars ‘Engmo’ (old landrace) and ‘Noreng’(synthetic) multiplied for one, two or three generations in Central, Southern and Northern Norway. The trials introduce very largedifferences in mean temperature, growing degree days and photoperiod between place of parental origin and sites of multiplication so theeffects on fitness observed could arise from both selection and and induced epigenetic changes. Large changes (loss) in freezing and ice-encasement tolerance were observed, especially at the southern location in the first generation.The cultivars behaved differently and there were significant interactions. The extreme phenotypic changes observed might be explained bygenetic selection or epigenetic memory of the environmental conditions experienced during seed production, or a combination of the two.We are currently analysing GBS data of all generations and this will be used to test whether genetic shifts has occured during themultiplication in the different environments.
Authors
Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Thomas Cottis Erik J. Joner Vegard Martinsen Adam O'Toole Hugh Riley Synnøve Rivedal Ievina Sturite Gunnhild Søgaard Simon Weldon Samson ØpstadAbstract
Carbon content is a key property of soils with importance for all ecosystem functions. Measures to increase soil carbon storage are suggested with the aim to compensate for agricultural emissions. In Norway, where soils have relatively high carbon content because of the cold climate, adapting management practices that prevent the loss of carbon to the atmosphere in response to climate change is also important. This work presents an overview of the potential for carbon sequestration in Norway from a wide range of agricultural management practices and provides recommendations based on certainty in the reported potential, availability of the technology, and likelihood for implementation by farmers. In light of the high priority assigned to increased food production and degree of self-sufficiency in Norway, the following measures were considered: (1) utilization of organic resources, (2) use of biochar, (3) crop diversification and the use of cover crops, (4) use of plants with larger and deeper root systems, (5) improved management of meadows, (6) adaptive grazing of productive grasslands (7) managing grazing in extensive grasslands, (8) altered tillage practices, and (9) inversion of cultivated peat with mineral soil. From the options assessed, the use of cover crops scored well on all criteria evaluated, with a higher sequestration potential than previously estimated (0.2 Mt CO2-equivalents annually). Biochar has the largest potential in Norway (0.9 Mt CO2-equivalents annually, corresponding to 20% of Norwegian agricultural emissions and 2% of total national emissions), but its readiness level is not yet achieved despite interest from industry to apply this technology at large scale. Extensive grazing and the use of deep-rooted plants also have the potential for increasing carbon storage, but there is uncertainty regarding their implementation and the quantification of effects from adapting these measures. Based on the complexities of implementation and the expected impacts within a Norwegian context, promising options with substantial payoff are few. This work sheds light on the knowledge gaps remaining before the presented measures can be implemented.
Abstract
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