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.
2023
Authors
Thiago InagakiAbstract
The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) has been working on many fronts to promote sustainable agriculture. As part of the Department of Biogeochemistry and Soil Quality, I will present initiatives and progress made by the NIBIO Institute in promoting soil organic matter persistence and sustainable agriculture in Norway and worldwide. Two major challenges have been targeted with a focus on Norway: waste generation by several industries (e.g., agriculture, forestry, and fishery) and the short time of the cropping season in the country due to climatic constraints. To solve these issues, we are working on several projects focused on re-utilizing waste products by producing organic fertilizers, optimizing these fertilizers (e.g., biochar N-enrichment), and improving current cropping systems with crop diversification. Our main objective is to investigate the benefits of these practices in improving soil quality and crop productivity and enhancing soil organic matter persistence. Our work on soil science also goes beyond Norwegian and Nordic conditions. Among our international collaborations, we are currently working on a multi-institution bilateral project between China and Norway to promote the restoration of a semi-arid ecosystem in Inner Mongolia. We are also often engaging in project proposals for promoting sustainable agriculture in tropical regions. To develop these ideas, we promote a combined approach of spectroscopy techniques in collaboration with other institutions, such as nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) in partnership with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and NMR spectroscopy in partnership with the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-Pisa). Also, our research facilities count on good infrastructure, focusing on incubations with 13C and 15N labeled amendments and 13C pulse labeling.
Authors
Leonor Rodrigues Alice Budai Lars Elsgaard Brieuc Hardy Sonja G. Keel Claudio Mondini Cesar Plaza Jens LeifeldAbstract
Biochar is a carbon (C)-rich material produced from biomass by anoxic or oxygen-limited thermal treatment known as pyrolysis. Despite substantial gaseous losses of C during pyrolysis, incorporating biochar in soil has been suggested as an effective long-term option to sequester CO2 for climate change mitigation, due to the intrinsic stability of biochar C. However, no universally applicable approach that combines biochar quality and pyrolysis yield into an overall metric of C sequestration efficiency has been suggested yet. To ensure safe environmental use of biochar in agricultural soils, the International Biochar Initiative and the European Biochar Certificate have developed guidelines on biochar quality. In both guidelines, the hydrogen-to-organic C (H/Corg) ratio is an important quality criterion widely used as a proxy of biochar stability, which has been recognized also in the new EU regulation 2021/2088. Here, we evaluate the biochar C sequestration efficiency from published data that comply with the biochar quality criteria in the above guidelines, which may regulate future large-scale field application in practice. The sequestration efficiency is calculated from the fraction of biochar C remaining in soil after 100 years (Fperm) and the C-yield of various feedstocks pyrolyzed at different temperatures. Both parameters are expressed as a function of H/Corg. Combining these two metrics is relevant for assessing the mitigation potential of the biochar economy. We find that the C sequestration efficiency for stable biochar is in the range of 25%–50% of feedstock C. It depends on the type of feedstock and is in general a non-linear function of H/Corg. We suggest that for plant-based feedstock, biochar production that achieves H/Corg of 0.38–0.44, corresponding to pyrolysis temperatures of 500–550°C, is the most efficient in terms of soil carbon sequestration. Such biochars reveal an average sequestration efficiency of 41.4% (±4.5%) over 100 years.
Authors
Tatiana Francischinelli Rittl Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Eva Farkas Trond Henriksen Sigrid Trier Kjær Peter Dörsch Randi Berland FrøsethAbstract
In Norway, cover crops were introduced to prevent loss of nitrogen and phosphorous from fields to waterways. Today, cover crops are also used to restore soil organic matter and improve soil health. Yet, the direction and magnitude of these effects are variable, and little is known about the persistence of the C derived from the cover crops in the soil. In the CAPTURE project, we evaluated the soil C sequestration potential from different cover crops used in the main cereal production areas in Norway. To do so, we used pulse labelling with 13C (CO2) to label four different cover crop species Italian ryegrass, phacelia, oilseed radish and summer vetch through their growing period. Cover crops were grown in a monoculture to enable the labelling. The results of the first year of the experiment show that cover crops produced 10- 14 Mg ha-1 above ground biomass, corresponding to 4-6 Mg C ha-1. At the end of the growing season, 3-5% of cover crop C was found in the soil particulate organic matter (POM) fraction and 2-4% in the soil mineral organic matter fraction (MAOM). In the following years, the fate of C derived from the cover crops in the soil will be determined. Furthermore, the soil C sequestration of the different cover crops will be scaled to barley plots in the same experiment, to which cover crops had been undersown in spring or summer. In these plots, N2O emissions have been measured through the whole year. The greenhouse gas trade-offs of cover crops in Norwegian cereal production will be estimated.
Abstract
CAPTURE project meeting presentation: assess the suitability of different cover crops for C sequestration under Norwegian conditions.
Authors
Yinyin Luan Ming Li Wei Zhou Yuanyuan Yao Yalin Yang Zhen Zhang Einar Ringø Rolf-Erik Olsen Jihong Liu Clarke Shouqi Xie Kangsen Mai Chao Ran Zhigang ZhouAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Hugh Riley Vegard Martinsen Ievina Sturite Adam Thomas O'Toole Samson Øpstad Thomas CottisAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Junbin ZhaoAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Julia Le Noë Stefano Manzoni Rose Abramoff Tobias Bölscher Elisa Bruni Rémi Cardinael Philippe Ciais Claire Chenu Hugues Clivot Delphine Derrien Fabien Ferchaud Patricia Garnier Daniel Goll Gwenaëlle Lashermes Manuel Martin Daniel Rasse Frédéric Rees Julien Sainte-Marie Elodie Salmon Marcus Schiedung Josh Schimel William Wieder Samuel Abiven Pierre Barré Lauric Cécillon Bertrand GuenetAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Questions Observations in permanent forest vegetation plots in Norway and elsewhere indicate that complex changes have taken place over the period 1988–2020. These observations are summarised in the “climate-induced understorey change (CIUC)” hypothesis, i.e. that the understorey vegetation of old-growth boreal forests in Norway undergoes significant long-term changes and that these changes are consistent with the ongoing climate change as an important driver. Seven testable predictions were derived from the CIUC hypothesis. Location Norway. Methods Vegetation has been monitored in a total of 458 permanently marked plots, each 1 m2, in nine old-growth forest sites dominated by Picea abies at intervals of 5–8 years over the 32-year study period. For each of the 52 combinations of site and year, we obtained response variables for the abundance of single species, abundance and species density of taxonomic–ecological species groups and two size classes of cryptogams, and site species richness. All of these variables were subjected to linear regression modelling with site and year as predictors. Results Mean annual temperature, growing-season length and the number of days with precipitation were higher in the study period than in the preceding ca. 30-year period, resulting in increasingly favourable conditions for bryophyte growth. Site species richness decreased by 13% over the 32-year study period. On average, group abundance of vascular plants decreased by 24% (decrease in forbs: 38%). Patterns of group abundance change differed among cryptogam groups: although peat-moss abundance increased by 39%, the abundance of mosses, hepatics and lichens decreased by 13%, 49% and 67%, respectively. Group abundance of small cryptogams decreased by 61%, whereas a 13% increase was found for large cryptogams. Of 61 single species tested for abundance change, a significant decrease was found for 43 species, whereas a significant increase was found only for 6 species. Conclusions The major patterns of change in species richness, group species density and group abundance observed over the 32-year study period accord with most predictions from the CIUC hypothesis and are interpreted as direct and indirect responses to climate change, partly mediated through changes in the population dynamics of microtine rodents. The more favourable climate for bryophyte growth explains the observed increase for a few large bryophyte species, whereas the decrease observed for small mosses and hepatics is interpreted as an indirect amensalistic effect, brought about by shading and burial in mats of larger species and accelerated by reduced fine-scale disturbance by microtine rodents. Indirect effects of a thicker moss mat most likely drive the vascular plant decline although long-term effects of tree-stand dynamics and former logging cannot be completely ruled out. Our results suggest that the ongoing climate change has extensive, cascading effects on boreal forest ecosystems. The importance of long time-series of permanent vegetation plots for detecting and understanding the effects of climate change on boreal forests is emphasised.