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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.

2022

Abstract

Green roofs are increasingly being used to meet the challenges of extreme rainfall and surface water management in cities and towns. Biochar is a locally sourced and carbon-negative material that can be used as a substrate component for green roofs. Here are some experiences NIBIO has gained in this area through research and testing of various concept.

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Abstract

Aquaculture industry is one of the world’s fastest and largest growing food producing sector. Most importantly, the usage of fish meal in aquaculture has been replaced with alternate protein sources due to their production cost, demand of raw materials and various environmental issues. The insect black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larval (BSFL) meal is being recognized as a feed ingredient in aquafeeds for their protein rich content similar to fish meal (FM). BSFL meal has been utilized as a fish meal or soy meal substitution in aquaculture to improve the nutrition. The culture of H. illucens larvae can be achieved using various biodegradable wastes and converted into a valuable biomass. In addition, the proximate analysis of H. illucens has been analyzed for its multifaceted role in poultry, cattle feed preparation and human consumption. The effectiveness of BSFL diet was analyzed for final body weight (FBW), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed intake (FI), feed efficiency (FE) and survival (SUR) of different fish and shrimp used as an experimental models with FM as the control diet. However, there is no comprehensive review available on the BSFL as an alternate protein source in aquaculture till date. Hence, the present review aimed to evaluate the feasible role of BSFL in feed, its sustainable production and challenges of BSFL meal in aquaculture sector along with their merits and demerits.

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Abstract

The reduction of copper-based plant-protection products with the final aim of phasing out has a high priority in European policy, as well as in organic agriculture. Our survey aims at providing an overview of the current use of these products in European organic agriculture and the need for alternatives to allow policymakers to develop strategies for a complete phasing out. Due to a lack of centralized databases on pesticide use, our survey combines expert knowledge on permitted and real copper use per crop and country, with statistics on organic area. In the 12 surveyed countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK), we calculated that approximately 3258 t copper metal per year is consumed by organic agriculture, equaling to 53% of the permitted annual dosage. This amount is split between olives (1263 t y−1, 39%), grapevine (990 t y−1, 30%), and almonds (317 t y−1, 10%), followed by other crops with much smaller annual uses (<80 t y−1). In 56% of the allowed cases (countries × crops), farmers use less than half of the allowed amount, and in 27%, they use less than a quarter. At the time being, completely abandoning copper fungicides would lead to high yield losses in many crops. To successfully reduce or avoid copper use, all preventive strategies have to be fully implemented, breeding programs need to be intensified, and several affordable alternative products need to be brought to the market.

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Abstract

This study investigates the combined impacts of climate change and agricultural conservation on the magnitude and uncertainty of nutrient loadings in the Maumee River Watershed, the second-largest watershed of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Two scenarios — baseline agricultural management and increased agricultural conservation — were assessed using an ensemble of five Soil and Water Assessment Tools driven by six climate models. The increased conservation scenario included raising conservation adoption rates from a baseline of existing conservation practices to feasible rates in the near future based on farmer surveys. This increased adoption of winter cover crops on 6%–10% to 60% of cultivated cropland; subsurface placement of phosphorus fertilizers on 35%–60% to 68% of cultivated cropland; and buffer strips intercepting runoff from 29%–34% to 50% of cultivated cropland. Increased conservation resulted in statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) reductions in annual loads of total phosphorus (41%), dissolved reactive phosphorus (18%), and total nitrogen (14%) under the highest emission climate scenario (RCP 8.5). While nutrient loads decreased with increased conservation relative to baseline management for all watershed models, different conclusions on the true effectiveness of conservation under climate change may be drawn if only one watershed model was used.

Abstract

Goal: to detect both known and unknown pesticides and their transformation products in the environment The high-resolution accurate mass Thermo Scientific QExactive instrument in combination with the UltiMate 3000 UHPLC and Thermo Accucore aQ separation column, has for us proven a very robust setup for the screening of 850 pesticides and degradation products with unknown and known retention times in soil, water and food of plant origin. The screening method, with quantification, is used routinely for our research projects. Our screening method covers almost all the pesticides used in Norway. Exceptions are e.g. glyphosate, acidic herbicides and a few biopesticides and growth regulators which require adapted analysis methods, and some pesticides that can only be measured by GC-MS.

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Abstract

Invasive species are leading causes of biodiversity loss and economic damage. Prevention and management of invasions requires risk assessments based on ecological knowledge for species of potential concern. Interactions between introduced species and heterospecifics in the recipient community may affect the likelihood of establishment through biotic resistance and facilitation and are therefore important predictors of invasion risk. Experimentally exposing one species to another to observe their interactions is not always safe or practical, and containment facilities offer artificial environments which may limit the number of species and the types of interactions that may be tested. To predict biotic resistance and facilitation in a more natural setting, we deployed traps with pheromone lures in the field to mimic the presence of two potentially invasive spruce bark beetles, the European Ips typographus (tested in eastern Canada), and the North American Dendroctonus rufipennis (tested in Norway). We identified and counted possible predators, competitors, and facilitators that were captured in the traps. In eastern Canada, possible predators and competitors responded strongly to I. typographus lures, suggesting the potential for considerable biotic resistance. In Norway, D. rufipennis lures prompted little response by predators or competitors, suggesting that D. rufipennis may experience reduced biotic resistance in Europe. Dendroctonus rufipennis was also attracted to I. typographus pheromone, which may encourage facilitation between these species through cooperative mass attack on trees. Our findings will inform invasive-species risk assessments for I. typographus and D. rufipennis and highlight useful methods for predicting interactions between species that rely heavily on semiochemical communication.