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
Authors
Lucius Tamm Barbara Thuerig Stoilko Apostolov Hugh Blogg Esmeralda Borgo Paola Elisa Corneo Susanne Fittje Michelangelo de Palma Adam Donko Catherine Experton Évelyne Alcázar Marin Ángela Morell Pérez Ilaria Pertot Anton Rasmussen Håvard Steinshamn Airi Vetemaa Helga Willer Joëlle Herforth-RahméAbstract
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.
Authors
Muhammad Naseer Tomas Persson Isabela Righini Cecilia Stanghellini Henk Maessen Peter Ruoff Michel VerheulAbstract
CONTEXT For high latitude countries like Norway, one of the biggest challenges associated with greenhouse production is the limited availability of natural light and heat, particularly in winters. This can be addressed by changes in greenhouse design elements including energy saving equipment and supplemental lighting, which, however, also can have a huge impact on investments, economic performance, resources used and environmental consequences of the production. OBJECTIVE The study aimed at identifying a greenhouse design from a number of feasible designs that generated highest Net Financial Return (NFR) and lowest fossil fuel use for extended seasonal (20th January to 20th November) and year-round tomato production in Norway using different capacities of supplemental light sources as High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED), heating from fossil fuel and electricity sources and thermal screens by implementing a recently developed model for greenhouse climate, tomato growth and economic performance. METHODS The model was first validated against indoor climate and tomato yield data from two commercial greenhouses and then applied to predict the NFR and fossil fuel use for four locations: Kise in eastern Norway, Mære in mid Norway, Orre in southwestern Norway and Tromsø in northern Norway. The CO2 emissions for natural gas used for heating the greenhouse and electricity used for lighting were calculated per year, unit fruit yield and per unit of cultivated area. A local sensitivity analysis (LSA) and a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) were performed by simultaneously varying the energy and tomato prices. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Across designs and locations, the highest NFR for both production cycles was observed in Orre (116.9 NOK m−2 for extended season and 268.5 NOK m−2 for year-round production). Fossil fuel was reduced significantly when greenhouse design included a heat pump and when extended season production was replaced by a year-round production. SIGNIFICANCE The results show that the model is useful in designing greenhouses for improved economic performance and reduced CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use under different climate conditions in high latitude countries. The study aims at contributing to research on greenhouse vegetable production by studying the effects of various designs elements and artificial lighting and is useful for local tomato growers who either plan to build new greenhouses or adapt existing ones and in policy formulation regarding incentivizing certain greenhouse technologies with an environmental consideration or with a focus on increasing local tomato production.
Abstract
The availability of fresh vegetables grown in greenhouses under controlled conditions throughout the year has given rise to concerns about their impact on the environment. In high latitude countries such as Norway, greenhouse vegetable production requires large amounts of energy for heat and light, especially during the winter. The use of renewable energy such as hydroelectricity and its effect on the environment has not been well documented. Neither has the effect of different production strategies on the environment been studied to a large extent. We conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of greenhouse tomato production for mid-March to mid-October (seasonal production), 20th January to 20th November (extended seasonal) production, and year-round production including the processes from raw material extraction to farm gate. Three production seasons and six greenhouse designs were included, at one location in southwestern and one in northern Norway. The SimaPro software was used to calculate the environmental impact. Across the three production seasons, the lowest global warming (GW) potential (600 g CO2-eq per 1 kg tomatoes) was observed during year-round production in southwestern Norway for the design NDSFMLLED + LED, while the highest GW potential (3100 g CO2-eq per 1 kg tomatoes) was observed during seasonal production in northern Norway for the design NS. The choice of artificial lighting (HPS (High Pressure Sodium) or LED (Light Emitting Diodes)), heating system and the production season was found to have had a considerable effect on the environmental impact. Moreover, there was a significant reduction in most of the impact categories including GW potential, terrestrial acidification, and fossil resource scarcity from seasonal to year-round production. Overall, year-round production in southwestern Norway had the lowest environmental impact of the evaluated production types. Heating of the greenhouse using natural gas and electricity was the biggest contributor to most of the impact categories. The use of an electric heat pump and LED lights during extended seasonal and year-round production both decreased the environmental impact. However, while replacing natural gas with electricity resulted in decreased GW potential, it increased the ecotoxicity potential.
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Authors
Truls Nesbakken Håvard Steinshamn Iben Margrete Thomsen Dean Basic Thea B. Blystad Klem Tron Øystein Gifstad Kyrre Linné Kausrud Kjetil Klaveness Melby Lawrence Richard Kirkendall Christer Magnusson Inger Elisabeth Måren Mogens Nicolaisen Åshild Taksdal Randby Maria Stokstad Siamak Pour Yazdankhah Per Hans Micael Wendell Angelika Agdestein Hugo de Boer Jacques Xavier Leon Godfroid Solveig Jore Paal Krokene Live Lingaas Nesse Knut Madslien Trond Møretrø Gaute VelleAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ingerd Skow Hofgaard Guro Brodal Marit Almvik Morten Lillemo Aina Lundon Russenes Simon Graham Edwards Heidi Udnes AamotAbstract
Over recent decades, the Norwegian cereal industry has had major practical and financial challenges associated with the occurrence of Fusarium head blight (FHB) pathogens and their associated mycotoxins in cereal grains. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common Fusarium-mycotoxins in Norwegian oats, however T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 toxin (HT2) are also commonly detected. The aim of our study was to rank Nordic spring oat varieties and breeding lines by content of the most commonly occurring Fusarium mycotoxins (DON and HT2 + T2) as well as by the DNA content of their respective producers. We analyzed the content of mycotoxins and DNA of seven fungal species belonging to the FHB disease complex in grains of Nordic oat varieties and breeding lines harvested from oat field trials located in the main cereal cultivating district in South-East Norway in the years 2011–2020. Oat grains harvested from varieties with a high FHB resistance contained on average half the levels of mycotoxins compared with the most susceptible varieties, which implies that choice of variety may indeed impact on mycotoxin risk. The ranking of oat varieties according to HT2 + T2 levels corresponded with the ranking according to the DNA levels of Fusarium langsethiae, but differed from the ranking according to DON and Fusarium graminearum DNA. Separate tests are therefore necessary to determine the resistance towards HT2 + T2 and DON producers in oats. This creates practical challenges for the screening of FHB resistance in oats as today’s screening focuses on resistance to F. graminearum and DON. We identified oat varieties with generally low levels of both mycotoxins and FHB pathogens which should be preferred to mitigate mycotoxin risk in Norwegian oats.
Authors
Anne-Grete Roer Hjelkrem Heidi Udnes Aamot Morten Lillemo Espen Sannes Sørensen Guro Brodal Aina Lundon Russenes Simon G. Edwards Ingerd Skow HofgaardAbstract
Fusarium graminearum is regarded as the main deoxynivalenol (DON) producer in Norwegian oats, and high levels of DON are occasionally recorded in oat grains. Weather conditions in the period around flowering are reported to have a high impact on the development of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and DON in cereal grains. Thus, it would be advantageous if the risk of DON contamination of oat grains could be predicted based on weather data. We conducted a functional data analysis of weather-based time series data linked to DON content in order to identify weather patterns associated with increased DON levels. Since flowering date was not recorded in our dataset, a mathematical model was developed to predict phenological growth stages in Norwegian spring oats. Through functional data analysis, weather patterns associated with DON content in the harvested grain were revealed mainly from about three weeks pre-flowering onwards. Oat fields with elevated DON levels generally had warmer weather around sowing, and lower temperatures and higher relative humidity or rain prior to flowering onwards, compared to fields with low DON levels. Our results are in line with results from similar studies presented for FHB epidemics in wheat. Functional data analysis was found to be a useful tool to reveal weather patterns of importance for DON development in oats.
Authors
Trine Eggen Heidi Amlund Robert Barneveld Aksel Bernhoft Gunnar Sundstøl Eriksen Belinda Eline Flem Torsten Källqvist Line Emilie Tvedt Sverdrup Stefan Trapp Anne Falk Øgaard Christiane Kruse Fæste Erik Jan Robert Lock Einar Ringø Håvard Steinshamn Robin Ørnsrud Åshild KrogdahlAbstract
Key words: VKM, risk assessment, Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Environment Agency, potential toxic elements (PTEs), fertiliser, soil improver, fertiliser products, growing media, circular economy, circulation of organic fertilisers, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium Cr(tot) (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn). Background and purpose of the report The potentially toxic elements (PTE) arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium Cr(tot) (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) occur as ingredients or contaminants in many fertilisers, soil improvers, engineered soil and growing media. Application of these fertiliser products might represent a risk towards the environment, farm animals and humans, particularly when applied annually over several years. The present risk assessment evaluates the application of selected fertilisers according to certain scenarios for representative Norwegian agricultural areas, from Troms in the North to Ås in Southeastern and Time in Southwestern Norway, with different soil properties, precipitation and PTE concentration in present agricultural soil. There is an increasing trend to produce locally (e.g. in urban farming) and home-grown vegetables that are cultivated in engineered soil and growth media. The maximum levels (MLs) set for PTEs in different organic fertilisers, engineered soil and growing media for use in urban farming, home growing and the cultivation of vegetables and garden fruits, and a set of MLs also for application in agricultural cultivation of crops, have been evaluated. Environmental fate processes and the transfer of PTEs have been modelled and the environmental risks for terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including from secondary poisoning have been estimated. Potential risks to humans and farmed animals by increased exposure to PTEs from, respectively, agriculturally produced crops, vegetables cultivated at home and urban farming or forage and grazing have been evaluated. The recycling of nutrients is urgently needed to achieve circular economy, but the derived sustainable products have to be safe, which requires the introduction of and adherence to science-based maximum levels of unwanted substances (e.g. pollutants). This assessment evaluates consequences of the application of different fertiliser products: mineral P fertilisers, manure from cattle, pig, poultry and horse, fish sludge, digestates and sewage sludge - in order to identify PTE sources with potential environmental, animal and human health risks, and to evaluate the appropriateness of the current MLs regarding different applications of organic-based fertilisers, engineered soil and growing media at present, and in a 100-year perspective. Approach and methods applied The approach for environmental and health risk assessments builds on previous work performed for hazardous substances in soil (e.g. VKM 2019, VKM 2014, VKM, 2009, Six and Smolders, 2014). Concentrations of PTEs in soil over time were calculated using a mass balance model, which considers the input by atmospheric deposition, use of fertilisers and soil improvers, as well as loss by leaching, run-off and plant uptake. The resulting first-order differential equation was solved analytically and implemented into Excel®. Run-off and loss by leaching were estimated from data on precipitation, infiltrating fraction and run-off fraction of the water under consideration of the distribution coefficient Kd for the concentration ratio of bulk soil-to-water. This Kd value takes aging sufficiently into account and is thus more realistic than those derived from batch tests. The Kd was estimated separately for each region using established regression equations, with soil pH, organic matter content and clay content as predictors. ...........