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.
2025
Authors
Alice BudaiAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Peter Waldner Katrin Meusburger Bruno de Vos Henning Meesenburg Kai Schwärzel Carmen Iacoban Zoran Galic Arne Verstraeten Andreas Schmitz Aldo Marchetto Nicholas Clarke Heleen Deroo Nathalie Cools Anne Thimonier Vera Fadrhonsovà Holger Sennhenn-Reulen Anna Andreetta Elena Vanguelova Antti-Jussi Lindroos Anita Zolles Tiina M. NieminenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
In recent years, biochar loaded with urea has been proposed as a promising N-rich fertilizer with both high-N capacity and slow release. Understanding the interaction between urea and biochar at the molecular level is key to product design. Solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy is a particularly powerful method to probe molecular composition and interactions within the bulk of materials. The objective of this work was to identify molecular structures and interactions when urea is loaded into and released from biochar. To do so, we carried out SSNMR investigations of biochar loaded with 13C and 15N isotopically enriched urea. Biochar-urea composites were prepared both with a saturated aqueous urea solution (BUs) and with molten urea (BUm). SSNMR analysis revealed that urea is predominantly in a paracrystalline form on the biochar surface or physically entrapped within biochar pores. In BUm, products of the thermal degradation of urea were also detected, mainly in the form of biuret. Water-immersion experiments showed that 78 and 64% of the urea contained in BUs and BUm is released, respectively, after 24 h, demonstrating substantial retention of urea. The residual urea is mainly physically confined in the biochar pores. In the case of BUm, urea thermal degradation species are also partially retained.
Authors
Junbin Zhao Mikhail Mastepanov Cornelya Klutsch Hanna Marika Silvennoinen David Kniha Svein Wara Runar KjærAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Yanqing Li Yulian Zeng Daojun Li Lijuan Yu Qianwen Ding Yalin Yang Chao Ran Yuanyuan Yao Rolf-Erik Olsen Einar Ringø Jihong Liu Clarke Zhen Zhang Zhigang ZhouAbstract
Butyric acid and its derivatives are widely applied in aquaculture as an alternative to antibiotics, which are beneficial for the growth and health of aquatic animals. However, these products have some disadvantages including poor stability, a bitter taste, and low bioavailability. In this study, a novel butyric acid, namely pentabutyryl glucose ester (PGE), was synthesized, and the effects of PGE on the growth, liver and intestinal health, and gut microbiota of zebrafish were evaluated. We found that the supplementation of PGE at a level of 0.05% promoted the growth performance of zebrafish, decreased the level of serum LPS, ALT, and AST, and improved liver health. The expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors (NF-κBp65 and IL-6) were notably downregulated, while those of anti-inflammatory factors (TGF-β and IL-10) were upregulated, in the intestines of zebrafish fed 0.05% PGE compared with the control group. Additionally, inclusion of PGE in the diet of zebrafish increased the relative abundance of probiotic bacteria such as Bacillus and Lentilactobacillus. Overall, this study demonstrated that PGE is beneficial for the growth, liver and intestinal health, and the gut microbiota of zebrafish, providing a novel pathway to improve the application of butyric acid as a feed additive in aquaculture.
Authors
Arne Verstraeten Andreas Schmitz Aldo Marchetto Nicholas Clarke Anne Thimonier Char Hilgers Anne-Katrin Prescher Till Kirchner Karin Hansen Tamara Jakovljevic Carmen Iacoban Wim de Vries Bernd Ahrends Henning Meesenburg Gunilla Pihl Karlsson Per Erik Karlsson Peter WaldnerAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
João Carlos de Moraes Sá Rattan Lal Klaus Lorenz Yadunath Bajgai Carla Gavilan Manan Kapoor Ademir De Oliveira Ferreira Clever Briedis Thiago Inagaki Lutecia Beatriz Canalli Daniel Ruiz Potma Gonçalves Jeankleber BortoluzziAbstract
No-till systems grounded in the principles of conservation agriculture can restore the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and environmental sustainability. Here, we assessed the SOC stocks to 1-m depth for three land-uses (i.e., native vegetation - NV, no-till system – NTS, and plow-based tillage - PBT) across 26 sites in the Cerrado and 37 sites in the Atlantic Forest biomes of Brazil for 3402 soil samples. The depletion of SOC stocks under PBT compared to NV was equivalent to a loss of 38.1 % and 45.8 % of the original NV SOC stock for Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes, respectively. The SOC stocks of 16 NTS sites exhibited levels that exceeded those under NV, and SOC stock was restored from 80 to 100 % of its NV levels in 27 other NTS sites across the Brazilian biomes. The SOC stock at seven of 13 edaphoclimatic zones (Clusters) was comparable to or more than that under NV. The duration of NTS to restore SOC stock to that under NV ranged from 36.4 to 55.0 years for the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes, respectively. The NTS/NV SOC stock ratio indicated that one hectare of land under NTS has the potential to avert deforestation for food production of 0.81 ± 0.18 to 1.01 ± 0.15 ha of NV in the Brazilian biomes. In essence, NTS has been demonstrated to effectively restore SOC stocks in Brazil's biomes and play a pivotal role in integrating agriculture as a part of the solution for mitigation strategies for climate change.
Authors
Iuliana Caras Irina-Elena Ionescu Ana-Maria Pantazica Andre van Eerde Hege Særvold Steen Inger Heldal Sissel Haugslien Catalin Tucureanu Raluca-Elena Chelmus Vlad-Constantin Tofan Adriana Costache Adrian Onu Hang Su Norica Branza-Nichita Jihong Liu Clarke Crina StavaruAbstract
Introduction: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is still an ongoing public health issue worldwide. The most efficient tool in preventing HBV infection remains vaccination and significant efforts have been made in the last decade to improve current HBV vaccines. Owing to the strict HBV tropism for the human liver, developing animal models for preclinical screening of vaccine candidates is extremely challenging. To date, there are only a few reports regarding the use of humanized mouse models for the evaluation of the immunogenic properties of viral antigens.Methods: Previously we showed that a Nicotiana benthamiana-produced HBV-S/preS116-42 antigen elicited strong HBV-specific immune responses in BALB/c mice. In the current study, we used immunodeficient NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice as recipients of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs), to evaluate the immunogenicity of the recently developed chimeric HBV immunogen produced in CRISPR/Cas9-edited N. benthamiana, under more “humanized” conditions.Results: Analysis of the immune response in NSG mice immunized with the chimeric antigen demonstrated induction of virus infection-neutralizing antibodies, indicating activation of antigen-specific B cells.Discussion: The ability of hPBMCs-engrafted NSG mice to mount specific humoral immune responses after immunization with viral antigens supports this animal model as a promising tool for pre-clinical evaluation of human vaccine antigens.
Authors
Ruochen Li Xin Pei Ming Zhang Xuhui Deng Chengyuan Tao Jiabao Wang Xueli Chen Nicholas Clarke Lidia Sas-Paszt Zongzhuang Shen Rong Li Qirong ShenAbstract
The application of livestock manure is a common waste utilization measure that can increase soil fertility and crop yields, but the antibiotics and resistance genes involved result in a potential threat to human health and animal welfare. Here, lettuce, a widely popular edible vegetable, was selected as a model with which to investigate the effects of long-term application (FM) and temporary cessation (cessation) of fresh chicken manure on the distribution and movement of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the soil-root-plant system to elucidate the bottleneck in assessing the health risks of manure application. ARGs associated with 13 antibiotics and 384 subtypes in soil were quantitatively analyzed via high-throughput qPCR, and the results revealed that cessation treatment significantly affected the patterns of bacteria, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and ARGs in the soil, leaves and roots in the soil–lettuce cropping system compared with FM treatment. Cessation of manure application reduced the abundance of ARGs by 34.0 %, 53.7 %, and 23.9 % in the bulk soil, rhizosphere soil, and leaves, respectively. Correlation network and source-tracking analyses of ARGs and bacteria within leaves and roots revealed that cessation treatment reduced the diffusion of ARGs and bacteria within leaves and roots into adjacent sites, and partial least squares path model (PLSPM) analysis indicated that FM treatment indirectly affected the pattern of ARGs in soil by influencing the bacterial community and soil properties, which play key roles in the distribution of ARGs. In summary, we investigated the driving mechanism of the effects of manure on the microbial community and ARG spectrum in a soil–lettuce planting system, and the results can support strategies for managing the spread of ARGs in the soil.
Authors
Junbin Zhao Simon Weldon Alexandra Barthelmes Erin Swails Kristell Hergoualc’h Ülo Mander Chunjing Qiu John Connolly Whendee L. Silver David I. CampbellAbstract
No abstract has been registered