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
Arne Verstraeten Andreas Schmitz Bernd Ahrends Nicholas Clarke Wim de Vries Karin Hansen Char Hilgers Carmen Iacoban Tamara Jakovljevic Per Erik Karlsson Till Kirchner Aldo Marchetto Henning Meesenburg Gunilla Pihl Karlsson Anne-Katrin Prescher Anne Thimonier Peter WaldnerAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Aline Roma Tomaz William Ramos da Silva Thiago Inagaki Emylaine Oliveira Santos Giselle Gomes Monteiro Fracetto Felipe José Cury Fracetto Vitor da Silveira Freitas Diego Victor Babos Debora Marcondes Bastos Pereira Milori Abelardo Antônio de Assunção Montenegro Ademir de Oliveira FerreiraAbstract
Knowledge gaps persist regarding mulch decomposition, nutrient dynamics, and microbial responses in semi-arid soils under reclaimed water irrigation. This is a critical issue for water-scarce regions like the Brazilian semi-arid. This study evaluated these processes in cactus-sorghum intercropping systems with mulch under irrigation depths with reclaimed water. The study employed a randomized block design with four replicates, testing irrigation depths of 0 %, 80 %, 100 %, and 120 % of sorghum ETc. Mulch decomposition was monitored for 165 days using litter bags, with subsequent C/N analysis of residual biomass. Soils at 0–0.10 m and 0.10–0.20 m depths were sampled to determine the contents of NO₃−, NH₄+, P, and microbial biomass C (MB-C), basal soil respiration, and aromatization index (ALIFS). Decomposition revealed the highest rates at 10 days (16 %) under 80 % ETc and at 25 days (24 %, 22 %, and 21 %) under 80 %, 100 %, and 120 % ETc, surpassing non-irrigated soils. Residue half-life was 182–196 days. Mulch N content declined most sharply at 10 days (1.2–1.8 g kg−1 in irrigated treatments). Soil NH₄+ and NO₃− peaked in the 0–0.10 m layer, but nitrate decreased by 15–62 % at 65 days, signaling microbial disruption from water excess. MB-C dropped >90 % at 65 days but recovered by 165 days, with the 80 % and 100 % treatments showing the highest MB-C in surface soils. These treatments also increased available P₂O₅ by 46–216 mg kg−1 versus 0 % and 120 % ETc. The ALIFS was higher in irrigated soils, especially at 120 % ETc (0–0.10 m). Reclaimed water irrigation enhanced nutrient supply, decomposition, and microbial activity, reducing synthetic fertilizer dependency while improving soil health in semi-arid agroecosystems.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Christophe Moni Eva Farkas Claire Coutris Hanna Marika Silvennoinen Anders Aas Marit Almvik Liang Wang Kathinka Lang Liu Xingang Marianne StenrødAbstract
Biochar and pesticides are likely to be increasingly used in combination in agricultural soils, yet their combined effects on climate change mitigation remain unexplored. This study presents an 8-month incubation experiment with different soil types (silt loam and sandy loam), biochars (corncob and corn stem), and pesticides (with and without a pesticide mixture), during which CO2 production from soil organic matter (SOM) and biochar mineralisation was monitored using isotopic methods. A comprehensive modelling approach, describing all mineralisation results over the entire incubation with a reduced set of parameters, was employed to isolate the effects of biochar, pesticides, and their interactions across soil types and carbon pools, and captured the dynamic effect of biochar on SOM mineralisation. Over 99.5% of biochars remained inert after 8 months, confirming the role of biochar as a carbon sequestration technology. Biochar addition showed higher SOM stabilisation potential in soil with high clay content compared to soil with low clay content. This suggests that biochar amendment should be considered carefully in clay-depleted soils, as it could result in a loss of native SOM. Corn stem biochar, characterised by high surface area and low C/N ratio, demonstrated higher SOM stabilisation potential than corncob biochar with low surface area and high C/N ratio. Pesticide application reduced SOM mineralisation by 10% regardless of soil and biochar types. Finally, the interaction between corncob biochar and pesticides further reduced SOM mineralisation by 5%, while no interactive effect was observed with corn stem biochar. These findings highlight the importance of considering biochar-pesticide interactions when evaluating the impact of biochar amendments on native SOM stability.
Authors
Chi Wu Yuzhu Wang Jihong Liu Clarke Hang Su Liang Wang Olga A. Glazunova Konstantin V. Moiseenko Lan Zhang Liangang Mao Lizhen Zhu Xingang LiuAbstract
Owing to wide application and persistence, fluridone has demonstrated side-effects on non-target plants and aquatic organisms. This study investigated the potential of biochar as remediation in soil using rice hull biochar (BCR) produced at different temperatures and in four types of soil. The results indicated that, with increasing pyrolytic temperature from 300 to 700 ºC, biochar properties changed, for example, specific surface area values increased from 38.21 to 126.12 m2 g−1. Sorption affinity (Kf) of BCR ranged from 409 to 1352 and 1301 to 6666 (μg/g)/(mg/L)n for fluridone and its metabolite fluridone acid respectively. After amendment with 2% BCR500, fluridone and fluridone acid could easily be adsorbed in different types of soils, and Kf values were 1.30–3.73 times higher than those in pure soil. Half-lives values varied between different soils and fluridone acid (179–306 days) persisted significantly longer than fluridone (39–179 days) in soil. After amendment with 2% BCR500, fluridone and fluridone acid were degraded faster. Experiments under sterilized conditions demonstrated biodegradation to be the dominant process in unamended (61.59%–64.70%) and amended (67.71%–77.67%) soil. Bioinformatic analysis showed that fluridone reduced the diversity of the soil microbial community, but the abundance of microorganisms with degradation function increased and these became dominant species after BCR was added, particularly with higher numbers of degrading bacteria like Lysobacter, Pseudonocardia and Sphingomonas. Co-occurrences also revealed that BCR tightened bacterial connection and relieved fluridone stress. This work helps us better understand these processes and optimize the application of biochar for reducing pesticide contamination in agricultural soils.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Belchior Oliveira Trigueiro da Silva Ademir De Oliveira Ferreira Rattan Lal Thiago Inagaki Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado João Carlos De Moraes Sá Edivan Rodrigues de Souza Aline Roma Tomaz William Ramos da Silva Felipe José Cury FracettoAbstract
Frequent and intensive tillage in conventional agriculture disrupts soil aggregates, engendering significant depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Long-term studies are essential for assessing the impact of sustainable practices on aggregate dynamics and carbon sequestration in sugarcane monocropping in tropical ecosystems. The following hypothesis was first, conventional sugarcane management would degrade soil, thereby reducing C stocks and breaking down aggregates. Second, conservation management that involves reduced disturbance could restore C storage, reaching levels similar to those observed in native vegetation (NV) over time. Third, macroaggregation could be a key mechanism for C storage under conservation management. This study evaluated the distribution of SOC among distinct aggregate classes under conventional (CC) and minimum (MC) cultivation in a 60-year-old sugarcane system, comparing results with undisturbed NV. The monitored properties included aggregate mass, SOC content and stock, weighted average diameter (WAD), aggregate and C stability indexes (ASI and CSI), soil C–CO2 emissions, and C preservation capacity (CPC). The long-term CC had a significant impact on aggregate dynamics, manifesting in a reduction in macroaggregate mass and SOC content, an increase in CO2 emissions, and a decrease in CPC. While the total SOC stock remained comparable in NV and MC (76 Mg C ha−1), CC led to a 20% SOC loss. Although CC led to an increase in microaggregate C, it failed to counterbalance the loss of macroaggregate C. The ASI, with a reliability of approximately 99% in NV, exhibited a decline of 1% at 10 cm and 2% at 20 cm under MC and CC conditions. Concurrently, WAD reduced by 16% at 10 cm. CSI exhibited higher levels in NV and MC compared to CC at 10 cm depth. CPC in large macroaggregates was highest in NV (21 g kg−1), decreasing by 50% in CC (7 g kg−1) and by 33% in MC (14 g kg−1). At a depth of 20 cm, large macroaggregate mass was 28% lower in CC and 14% lower in MC compared to NV, resulting in a 29% and 21% reduction in macroaggregate C stock, respectively. In summary, the application of MC resulted in the preservation of SOC stocks at levels comparable to those observed in NV, thereby underscoring its capacity to maintain crop sustainability and augment carbon sequestration in tropical sugarcane systems.
Authors
Valentina Sierra-Jimenez Robert J. Macias Jonathan P. Mathews Vincent Carre Sébastien Leclerc Alice Budai Farid Chejne Jimena Castro-Gutierrez Alain Celzard Vanessa Fierro Manuel Garcia-PerezAbstract
This study investigates optimal carbonization conditions for biochar production, focusing on pressure and acid pretreatments to maximize carbon yield and enhance biochar functionality. Over thirty combinations of pressure and acid type were tested, including organic acids (CH3COOH and HCOOH) and inorganic acids (H3PO4 and H2SO4), using hybrid poplar wood as feedstock. The results show that carbon conversion efficiencies up to 72 wt % were achieved with organic acids under pressures ≥ 20 bar. Inorganic acids produced biochar doped with phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S), demonstrating the potential for customizing biochar properties to specific applications. To understand biochar transformations at the molecular level, we employed a range of advanced characterization techniques, such as solid-state 13C NMR, ICP-OES, XPS, BPCA, LDI FT-ICRMS, and ESR, as well as 3D atomistic modeling of up to 13,000 atoms. These methods revealed how pressure and acid pretreatments influence the chemical composition, porosity, and atomistic structure of the resulting biochar. The study provides valuable insights into the relationship between processing conditions and biochar properties, demonstrating that optimized carbonization processes can improve production efficiency and reduce biomass requirements. This scalable approach offers significant potential for reducing carbon emissions and makes biochar a promising material for carbon storage, soil amendment, and other environmental applications.
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