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.
2024
Authors
Angelina Lo Giudice Maria Papale Carmen Rizzo Stefania Giannarelli Gabriella Caruso Paul Eric Aspholm Giovanna Maimone Maurizio AzzaroAbstract
This explorative study was aimed at first characterizing the sponge Spongilla lacustris (Linnaeus, 1759) from the sub-Arctic Pasvik River (Northern Fennoscandia), in terms of associated microbial communities and pollutant accumulation. Persistent organic pollutants were determined in sponge mesohyl tissues, along with the estimation of the microbial enzymatic activity rates, prokaryotic abundance and morphometric traits, and the analysis of the taxonomic bacterial diversity by next-generation sequencing techniques. The main bacterial groups associated with S. lacustris were Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, followed by Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria. The structure of the S. lacustris-associated bacterial communities was in sharp contrast to those of the bacterioplankton, being statistically close to those found in sediments. Dieldrin was measured at higher concentrations in the sponge tissues (3.1 ± 0.4 ng/g) compared to sediment of the same site (0.04 ± 0.03 ng/g). Some taxonomic groups were possibly related to the occurrence of certain contaminants, as was the case of Patescibacteria and dieldrin. Obtained results substantially contribute to the still scarce knowledge of bacterial community diversity, activities, and ecology in freshwater sponges. Practitioner Points * Microbial community associated with Spongilla lacustris is probably shaped by the occurrence of certain contaminants, mainly dieldrin and heavy metals. * A higher accumulation of dieldrin in the sponge mesohyl tissues than in sediment was determined. * S. lacustris is suggested as sponge species to be used as a sentinel of pesticide pollution in the Pasvik River. * S. lacustris, living in tight contact with soft substrates, harbored communities more similar to sediment than water communities.
Abstract
Background: Soil water and organic carbon (C) are key factors affecting the growth and development of apple seedlings. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of different soil moisture and glucose supplies on apple seedling growth and soil enzyme activities. We hypothesized that the growth of apple seedlings was affected by soil water and C content through their effects on root structure, plant physiological properties and soil enzymatic activities. A pot experiment consisting of nine treatments was set up, including three water treatments with soil moisture contents at 75–85% (normal irrigation, CK), 65–75% (light water stress, LS), and 55–65% (mild water stress, MS) of the soil field capacity, in combination with three glucose treatments with carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 7.5 (C1, no adding glucose), 10 (C2) and 15 (C3), respectively. Results: Results showed that the LSC2 treatment significantly increased plant height by 7%, stem diameter by 5% and leaf area by 17%, as compared with LSC1. Also, LSC2 significantly increased root dry weight, root vitality and soil enzyme activities. Moreover, results of leaf photosynthetic, malondialdehyde (MDA), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and proline contents also proved that adding glucose improved the drought resistance of plants. Conclusion: LSC2 treatment is more conducive to the growth of apple seedlings, and application of carbon has a good alleviation effect on plant water stress. The study demonstrated that addition of exogenous glucose alleviated light water deficiency, significantly affected root vitality, and promoted apple seedling growth. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Authors
Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Thomas Cottis Erik J. Joner Vegard Martinsen Adam O'Toole Hugh Riley Synnøve Rivedal Ievina Sturite Gunnhild Søgaard Simon Weldon Samson ØpstadAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Conference lecture – Project AgriCascade and AgroComposit
Eva Farkas, Alice Budai, Simon Weldon, ...
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Authors
Ståle Haaland Josef Hejzlar Bjørnar Eikebrokk Geir Orderud Ma. Cristina Paule‐Mercado Petr Porcal Jiří Sláma Rolf David VogtAbstract
Over the past four decades, an increase in Dissolved Natural Organic Matter (DNOM) and colour, commonly referred to as browning, has been noted in numerous watercourses in the northern hemisphere. Understanding the fluctuations in DNOM quality is a prerequisite for gaining insights into the biogeochemical processes governing DNOM fluxes. Such knowledge is also pivotal for water treatment plants to effectively tailor their strategies for removing DNOM from raw water. The specific ultraviolet absorbance (sUVa) index has been a widely applied measurement for assessing DNOM quality. The sUVa index is the UV absorbance (OD254) of water normalized for DNOM concentration. We have used a long-term dataset spanning from 2007 to 2022, taken from the Malše River in South Bohemia, to model DNOM and the sUVa index. We have applied regression models with a process-oriented perspective and have also considered the influence of climate change. Both DNOM and the sUVa index is positively related to temperature, runoff and pH, and negatively related to ionic strength over the studied period. Two distinct model approaches were employed, both explaining about 40% of the variation in sUVa over the studied period. Based on a moderate IPCC monthly climate scenario, simulations indicate that both DNOM and the sUVa index averages remain fairly stable, with a slight increase in winter season minima projected towards the year 2099. A slight decline in summer season maxima is simulated for DNOM, while the sUVa summer maximum remain stable. These findings suggest a robust resilience in both DNOM and the sUVa index against anticipated changes in temperature and runoff for the Malše River in South Bohemia.
Abstract
To facilitate nutrient management and the use of manure as a feedstock for biogas production, manure is often separated into a solid and a liquid fraction. The former fraction is usually high in P and low in N, so when incorporated in the soil as fertilizer, it needs to be supplemented by N from, e.g., mineral fertilizers or nitrogen-fixing species. To explore strategies to manage N with solid-separated manure, we examined how the amount of digestate and the N:P ratio of pig digestate, i.e., manure that had partially undergone anaerobic digestion, affected the productivity of Westerwolds ryegrass and red clover in a pot experiment with one soil which was rich and another which was poor in plant nutrients. The soil and plant species treatments were combined with four doses of digestate, which gave plant available phosphorus (P) concentrations of 2, 4, 8, or 16 mg P100 g−1 soil. Ammonium nitrate was dosed to obtain factorial combinations of digestate amount and N:P ratios of 1.8, 4, 8, and 16. Clover was harvested once at the beginning of flowering (15 weeks after seeding), while Westerwolds ryegrass was allowed to regrow three times after being cut at the shooting stage (in total, 4 cuts, 6, 9, 12, and 15 weeks after seeding). Ryegrass yield increased by up to 2.9 times with digestate dosage. Interactions with the N:P ratio and soil type were weak. Hence, the effect of increasing the N:P ratio was additive across digestate dosages. Red clover biomass also increased by up to 39% with digestate dosage. Residual nutrients in the soil after red clover cultivation were affected by the initial differences in soil characteristics but not by digestate treatment or biomass of harvested red clover. A targeted N management is required to benefit from the P-rich digestate in grass cultivation, while the long-term effects of red clover culture on N input need further investigation.
Authors
Jonathan Rizzi Nicolai Munsterhjelm Robert Barneveld Arnt Kristian Gjertsen Shivesh Karan Thi Phuong Huyen Vu Bjørn Tobias BorchseniusAbstract
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Authors
Daniel RasseAbstract
No abstract has been registered