Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2024
Abstract
To facilitate nutrient management and the use of manure as a feedstock for biogas production, manure is often separated into a solid and a liquid fraction. The former fraction is usually high in P and low in N, so when incorporated in the soil as fertilizer, it needs to be supplemented by N from, e.g., mineral fertilizers or nitrogen-fixing species. To explore strategies to manage N with solid-separated manure, we examined how the amount of digestate and the N:P ratio of pig digestate, i.e., manure that had partially undergone anaerobic digestion, affected the productivity of Westerwolds ryegrass and red clover in a pot experiment with one soil which was rich and another which was poor in plant nutrients. The soil and plant species treatments were combined with four doses of digestate, which gave plant available phosphorus (P) concentrations of 2, 4, 8, or 16 mg P100 g−1 soil. Ammonium nitrate was dosed to obtain factorial combinations of digestate amount and N:P ratios of 1.8, 4, 8, and 16. Clover was harvested once at the beginning of flowering (15 weeks after seeding), while Westerwolds ryegrass was allowed to regrow three times after being cut at the shooting stage (in total, 4 cuts, 6, 9, 12, and 15 weeks after seeding). Ryegrass yield increased by up to 2.9 times with digestate dosage. Interactions with the N:P ratio and soil type were weak. Hence, the effect of increasing the N:P ratio was additive across digestate dosages. Red clover biomass also increased by up to 39% with digestate dosage. Residual nutrients in the soil after red clover cultivation were affected by the initial differences in soil characteristics but not by digestate treatment or biomass of harvested red clover. A targeted N management is required to benefit from the P-rich digestate in grass cultivation, while the long-term effects of red clover culture on N input need further investigation.
Authors
Claire Coutris Karl Andreas Jensen Pierre-Adrien Rivier Selena Deviller Anastasia Georgantzopoulou Sebastian KuehrAbstract
By the time they enter soils, engineered nanomaterials (ENM) have undergone physicochemical transformations and may no longer resemble the pristine materials which have been thoroughly investigated during two decades of nanotoxicology research. Is the behavior of environmentally relevant chemical forms of ENM different from that of other metallic species present in soils? Are they more available to soil organisms than their naturally occurring counterparts? The present study aimed at answering these questions, through the use of isotopically enriched ENMs, which could be traced at low concentrations in soil microcosms, despite high natural metallic background. The relevance of the chemical forms was ensured by introducing isotopically enriched 109Ag, 68ZnO and 46TiO2 ENM to a wastewater treatment plant and using the resulting sewage sludge (final sink for most ENM) as amendment in soil microcosms with earthworms. The sludge application rate to soil was similar to that used in agriculture and the experiment lasted for a month. Protocols using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were developed for determination of isotope ratios in complex matrixes, such as soil and organisms. For 109Ag ENM, the dissolved fraction in soil (i.e. the most easily accumulated in organisms) was extremely low and comparable to that of Ag naturally present in soil, and transfer factors to earthworms were similar to those of natural Ag. For 46TiO2 ENM, the transfer to earthworms was negligible, similarly to what was observed for natural Ti. While no difference in behavior and bioavailability was observed between ENM and their naturally occurring counterparts for Ag and Ti, different results were obtained for Zn. The dissolved fraction for 68ZnO ENM was 3-5 times higher than for Zn forms naturally present in soil, and transfer factors to earthworms twice those of natural Zn. Overcoming long-standing challenges related to environmental relevance of chemical forms and concentrations in nanotechnology studies, the approach provides valuable insight into behavior and impacts of environmentally relevant forms of ENM in soils.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Background The order Lepidoptera has an abundance of species, including both agriculturally beneficial and detrimental insects. Molecular data has been used to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of major subdivisions in Lepidoptera, which has enhanced our understanding of the evolutionary relationships at the family and superfamily levels. However, the phylogenetic placement of many superfamilies and/or families in this order is still unknown. In this study, we determine the systematic status of the family Argyresthiidae within Lepidoptera and explore its phylogenetic affinities and implications for the evolution of the order. We describe the first mitochondrial (mt) genome from a member of Argyresthiidae, the apple fruit moth Argyresthia conjugella. The insect is an important pest on apples in Fennoscandia, as it switches hosts when the main host fails to produce crops. Results The mt genome of A. conjugella contains 16,044 bp and encodes all 37 genes commonly found in insect mt genomes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and a large control region (1101 bp). The nucleotide composition was extremely AT-rich (82%). All detected PCGs (13) began with an ATN codon and terminated with a TAA stop codon, except the start codon in cox1 is ATT. All 22 tRNAs had cloverleaf secondary structures, except trnS1, where one of the dihydrouridine (DHU) arms is missing, reflecting potential differences in gene expression. When compared to the mt genomes of 507 other Lepidoptera representing 18 superfamilies and 42 families, phylogenomic analyses found that A. conjugella had the closest relationship with the Plutellidae family (Yponomeutoidea-super family). We also detected a sister relationship between Yponomeutoidea and the superfamily Tineidae. Conclusions Our results underline the potential importance of mt genomes in comparative genomic analyses of Lepidoptera species and provide valuable evolutionary insight across the tree of Lepidoptera species.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Michal SposóbAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Qiang Liu Haoyu Zhang Shou Chen Yeqing Li Mahmoud Mazarji Lu Feng Junting Pan Hongjun Zhou Chunming XuAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Highlights • Methyl jasmonate has been used for more than 20 years to study conifer inducible defenses. • We summarized the key experimental methods used to study methyl jasmonate effects on conifers. • Meta-analysis showed that methyl jasmonate significantly reduces growth and pest/pathogen damage. • We identified important knowledge gaps that hinder the practical use of methyl jasmonate as a protective measure in forestry.
Authors
Knut ØistadAbstract
No abstract has been registered