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
Abstract
Yield maps give farmers information about growth conditions and can be a tool for sitespecific crop management. Combine harvesters may provide farmers with detailed yield maps if there is a constant flow of a certain amount of biomass through the yield sensor. This is unachievable for grass seeds because the weight of the intake is generally too small to record the variation. Therefore, there is a need to find another way to make grass seed yield maps. We studied seed yield variation in two red fescue (Festuca rubra) fields with variation in management and soil fertility, respectively. We estimated five vegetation indices (VI) based on RGB images taken from a drone to describe yield variation, and trained prediction models based on relatively few harvested plots. Only results from the VI showing the strongest correlation between the index and the yield are presented (Normalized Excess Green Index (ExG) and Normalized Green/Red Difference Index (NGRDI)). The study indicates that it is possible to predict the yield variation in a grass field based on relatively few harvested plots, provided the plots represent contrasting yield levels. The prediction errors in yield (RMSE) ranged from 171 kg ha-1 to 231 kg ha-1, with no clear influence of the size of the training data set. Using random selection of plots instead of selecting plots representing contrasting yield levels resulted in slightly better predictions when evaluated on an average of ten random selections. However, using random selection of plots came with a risk of poor predictions due to the occasional lack of correlation between yield and VI. The exact timing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) image capture showed to be unimportant in the weeks before harvest.
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Authors
Zahra BitarafanAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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Zahra BitarafanAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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Material exiting the harvester is composed of chaff and straw. Chaff is a by-product of grain harvest comprises weed seeds and husk. Harvest Weed Seed Control (HWSC) systems aim at collecting and/or killing weed seeds in the chaff fraction during crop grain harvest. If chaff is removed or processed via impact mills or concentrated in a narrow zone in the field and collected, the overall weed infestation may be reduced in the following years. Chaff may be used as a new biomass feedstock, for example, as a renewable energy source, material for construction ( e.g. , insulating boards, cardboard, bedding), soil improvement ( e.g ., mulch, mushroom compost), and for agricultural purposes ( e.g. , weed growth inhibitor, animal diet). Using chaff directly is unfavorable because of its low bulk density. Therefore, compressing chaff into pellets can improve its handling. In this preliminary study, we assessed how pelletizing would affect the germinability of weed seeds in the chaff pellets. Whole wheat chaff and fine wheat chaff sieved were mixed with seeds of the two weed species scentless mayweed ( Tripleurospermum inodorum (L.) Sch.Bip.) and cornflower ( Centaurea cyanus L.), respectively. While 22% of T. inodorum seeds and 59% of C. cyanus seeds in wheat chaff samples were able to germinate, no weed seeds germinated from moist pelletized original and fine wheat chaff samples. The study indicates a low risk of spreading weed seeds with pelletized chaff probably because the heating during the pelletizing process kills the weed seeds.
Authors
Zahra BitarafanAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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Authors
N. Leclercq L. Marshall T. Weekers P. Basu D. Benda D. Bevk R. Bhattacharya P. Bogusch A. Bontšutšnaja L. Bortolotti N. Cabirol E. Calderón-Uraga R. Carvalho S. Castro S. Chatterjee La De La Cruz Alquicira Miranda de Miranda T. Dirilgen A. Dorchin K. Dorji B. Drepper S. Flaminio J. Gailis M. Galloni H. Gaspar M.W. Gikungu Bjørn Arild Hatteland I. Hinojosa-Diaz L. Hostinská B.G. Howlett K.-L.J. Hung L. Hutchinson R.O. Jesus N. Karklina M.S. Khan J. Loureiro X. Men J.-M. Molenberg S. Mudri-Stojnić P. Nikolic E. Normandin J. Osterman F. Ouyang Åsne Skjøtskift Øygarden L. Ozolina-Pole N. Ozols A. Parra Saldivar R.J. Paxton T. Pitts-Singer K. Poveda K. Prendergast M. Quaranta S.F.J. Read Stefanie Reinhardt M. Rojas-Oropeza C. Ruiz M. Rundlöf A. Sade C. Sandberg F. Sgolastra S.F. Shah M.A. Shebl V. Soon D.A. Stanley J. Straka P. Theodorou E. Tobajas J.L. Vaca-Uribe A. Vera C.A. Villagra M.-K. Williams M. Wolowski T.J. Wood Z. Yan Q. Zhang N.J. VereeckenAbstract
An essential prerequisite to safeguard pollinator species is characterisation of the multifaceted diversity of crop pollinators and identification of the drivers of pollinator community changes across biogeographical gradients. The extent to which intensive agriculture is associated with the homogenisation of biological communities at large spatial scales remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated diversity drivers for 644 bee species/morphospecies in 177 commercial apple orchards across 33 countries and four global biogeographical biomes. Our findings reveal significant taxonomic dissimilarity among biogeographical zones. Interestingly, despite this dissimilarity, species from different zones share similar higher-level phylogenetic groups and similar ecological and behavioural traits (i.e. functional traits), likely due to habitat filtering caused by perennial monoculture systems managed intensively for crop production. Honey bee species dominated orchard communities, while other managed/manageable and wild species were collected in lower numbers. Moreover, the presence of herbaceous, uncultivated open areas and organic management practices were associated with increased wild bee diversity. Overall, our study sheds light on the importance of large-scale analyses contributing to the emerging fields of functional and phylogenetic diversity, which can be related to ecosystem function to promote biodiversity as a key asset in agroecosystems in the face of global change pressures.
Authors
Haruna Sekabira Ghislain Tchoromi Tepa-Yotto Arnaud R. M. Ahouandjinou Karl Thunes Barry Pittendrigh Yusuf Kaweesa Manuele TamòAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, surprised many through its impact on the food systems, resulting in collapses in the food production value chains and in the integrated pest disease management sector with fatal outcomes in many places. However, the impact of COVID-19 and the digital experience perspective on Integrating Pest Management (IPM) is still yet to be understood. In Africa, the impact was devastating, mostly for the vulnerable smallholder farm households, who were rendered unable to access markets to purchase inputs and sell their produce during the lockdown period. By using a holistic approach the paper reviews different Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), digitalization, and how this enhanced the capacity of smallholder farmers resilient, and inform their smart-IPM practices in order to improve food systems' amidst climate change during and in the post-COVID-19 period. Different digital modalities were adopted to ensure continuous food production, access to inputs and finances, and selling surplus production among others. This was largely possible by using ICTs to deliver these needed services digitally. The study shares contributions and capacity perspectives of ICTs for empowering smallholder farmers to boost the resilience of their food systems based on COVID-19 successful experiences. Thus digital solutions must be embraced in the delivery of extension service on pest management and good agronomic practices, money transfers for purchasing inputs, receiving payment for sold farm produce, and markets information exchange. These are key avenues through which digital solutions strategically supported smallholder-based food systems through the pandemic.