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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

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Abstract

Ice encasement is a major concern for turfgrass managers in cold climates; however, there is a lack of data about both which turfgrasses are best suited for survival under these conditions and the reasons behind the superior recovery of some grasses from long-term ice encasement. In this study, we encased golf course putting greens-height field plots of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), velvet bentgrass (Agrostis canina L.), annual bluegrass (Poa annua L. var. reptans Hausskn.), Chewings fescue (Festuca. rubra L. ssp. commutata Gaudin), and slender creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. littoralis (G. Mey.) Auquier) with ice for 90–120 days with the inclusion of CO2, O2, and temperature sensors at 2.5 and 12.5 cm depth to better understand environmental conditions under ice and factors related to winterkill. Velvet bentgrass had the best overall performance and recovery, while annual bluegrass did not survive. Differences in recovery among turfgrass taxa may have been affected by the length of the ice encasement period, higher CO2 levels (>40,000 ppm), and lower O2 values, particularly in the second experimental run. During the recovery period in both years, photochemical efficiency values began increasing 5–10 days before percent green cover, suggesting that visual performance of the turf surface is a lagging indicator of recovery. Overall, recovery from ice encasement was annual bluegrass < Chewings fescue < creeping bentgrass = slender creeping red fescue = velvet bentgrass. These results can guide turfgrass managers in making species selection decisions in areas where long-duration ice encasement is a risk. Plain Language Summary Turfgrasses on golf course greens in cold climates can be severely damaged or even die from ice encasement. Little is known about this stress, including why certain grasses can survive longer. As a first step to learn more about this problem, we tested five different turfgrasses for their ability to survive under ice. The study was done during two separate winters in Minnesota under field conditions, resulting in 98 days of ice in 2021–2022 and 112 days of ice cover in 2022–2023. Annual bluegrass died completely during both experimental runs, while Chewings fescue suffered some injury in the first year and did poorly in the second year. Velvet bentgrass was the best grass in both years. Under the longer duration of ice cover in the second year, carbon dioxide levels were very high, while oxygen gas levels slowly declined over the course of the ice encasement period.

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Abstract

In 2009, the European Parliament and Council adopted the Directive 2009/128/EC (European Communities) for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides. According to this situation, the integrated pest management (IPM)-Project Golf 2020–2023 was implemented by Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation and the R&A Trust Company (No. 1) Limited (the R&A) to evaluate and assess new techniques and alternative products to control diseases such as microdochium patch (Microdochium nivale) and dollar spot (Clarireedia spp.) with the goal to reduce the use of fungicides. As a sub-project, the use of UV-C radiation was carried out to investigate the effectivity of UV-C radiation to prevent both diseases on golf course putting greens. This study was conducted from spring 2020 until spring 2022 on a putting green (50% Poa spp. and 50% Agrostis spp.) at the golf course of Osnabrück Golf Club (Germany). The dosages of UV-C radiation were 0 mJ/cm2, 7–8 mJ/cm2, 35–40 mJ/cm2, and 70–80 mJ/cm2 which were applied using the SGL UV-C 180 just prior to and during periods of active dollar spot and microdochium patch development. The results of the UV-C application determined that highest UV-C dosage was able to reduce the severity of dollar spot and microdochium patch by 46%–81%. Thus, UV-C radiation with enhanced dosages can be a helpful tool in IPM strategies for turfgrass management to reduce chemical fungicides with view on tolerance levels of disease infestation.

Abstract

High-quality input data is the foundation for good model performance, including catchment level hydrological models. The resolution and quality of meteorological data has a direct impact on modelling results and as such strongly influences the outcomes of scenario analyses of different types. Nowadays one can choose between different meteorological products when setting up a mathematical model, including direct measurements and reanalyses. The goal of this study was to test the ability of MET Nordic data, a reanalysis product from Met Norway, on improving the simulations of hydrological models.  The MET Nordic Reanalysis Dataset consists of post-processed products that (a) describe the current and past weather (reanalysis), and (b) gives a best estimate of the weather in the short-term future (forecasts). The products integrate output from MetCoOp Ensemble Prediction System (MEPS) as well as measurements from various observational sources, including crowdsourced weather stations. Two different catchment models were set up and calibrated against measured discharge data. The SWAT+ model was applied in two Norwegian and one Danish catchment, while the CWatM model was tested in one Norwegian catchment. The model’s performance was compared when using input datasets from measuring stations and MET Nordic reanalysis data. We concluded that applying reanalysis data can significantly improve the performance of the tested models, therefore the use of these data in hydrological modelling is highly recommended. 

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Abstract

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.

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Abstract

To better understand the increasing human impact on the water cycle and the feedbacks between hydrology and society, the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) organized the scientific decade “Panta Rhei – Everything Flows: Change in hydrology and society” (2013–2022). A key finding is the need to use integrated approaches to assess the co-evolution of human–water systems in order to avoid unintended consequences of human interventions over long periods of time. Additionally, substantial progress has been made in leveraging new data sources on human behaviour, e.g. through text mining of social media posts. Much has been learned about detecting hydrological changes and attributing them to their drivers, e.g. quantifying climate effects on floods. To achieve further progress, we recommend broadening the understanding, the discipline and training activities, while at the same time pursuing synthesis by focusing on key themes, developing innovative approaches and finding sustainable solutions to the world’s water problems.

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Abstract

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.