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.
2006
Abstract
Organic Cow Comfort is an advisory tool in animal welfare, developed to secure animal welfare on organic dairy farms in Norway. The farm advisory tool consists of * A farm visit by a veterinarian and a production advisor both specialized in animal welfare and organic farming * An evaluation of herd health and welfare through welfare assessment * Advice on disease prevention and improve-ment of animal welfare * Follow up visit by an advisor looking at im-plementation of new initiatives * Counselling meetings with groups of farmer The evaluation of herd health and welfare is done with the help of checklists where animal based pa-rameters, farm management and operating systems, and human-animal relationship are recorded. A report is prepared after every farm visit with a health and welfare plan where specific measures for improve-ment of animal welfare are outlined.
Abstract
This study evaluates the decay and termite resistance of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) treated with 4-methoxytrityl tetrafluoroborate (MTFB).Decay resistance tests of unleached samples showed that 2%, 1.5% and 1% concentrations of MTFB (15.4kg/m3, 11.1kg/m3, and 7.4kg/m3, retention levels, respectively) gave less than 2% decay of Postia placenta and concentrations of 2% and 1.5% less than 2% decay of Coniophora puteana.Wood specimens treated with 4-methoxytrityl tetrafluoroborate solutions were not protected against the brown rot fungi after a 14-day severe leaching process, suggesting excessive leaching of the chemical from wood. Treatment with 2% concentration protected against subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki based on mass losses in both leached and unleached wood specimens in comparison with lower concentration levels.These results suggest that 4-methoxytrityl tetrafluoroborate might be promising to protect wood being used outdoors against termite attack. However, 4-methoxytrityl tetrafluoroborate did not protect wood against fungal decay. Field tests are needed to observe the performance of 4-methoxytrityl tetrafluoroborate treated wood in ground contact.
Abstract
In Norway exterior wood structures have traditionally nearly exclusively been made of treated and untreated Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). In recent years there has been a tendency that other tree species, like various domestic hardwoods and imported species have been used in exterior above ground applications, often unfinished. For several wood species, especially hardwoods, information regarding the durability in use class 3 is lacking. The test procedures prescribed in the European standards, both laboratory and field tests, have some weaknesses regarding to natural durability testing. Hence, some new methods for accelerated above ground testing have been put forward. The main objectives of this project are to evaluate natural durability of Norwegian wood species for above ground applications, and to study various methods for assessing decay in wood. This paper presents the material and methods used in the project, and report the results from double layer tests after one year of exposure. No decay was detected, but almost all wood species were considerably discoloured. Thuja (Norw.), Thuja (Am.), Intsia and Tectona had the least amount of discolouration. The Norwegian softwood species had generally less discolouration than the Norwegian hardwood species. CCA and Cu preservative impregnated and FA modified Pinus sylvestris sapwood had more cracks than most of the untreated wood species. Moreover, some of the Picea abies qualities and Pinus sylvestris sapwood samples had substantial amounts of cracks.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Organic farmers are often advised to plough shallowly (<15 cm) in order to optimise nutrient turnover and to promote the activity of soil biota, but deeper for better control of perennial weeds. Different ploughing depths (13 vs 25 cm) had minor effects on decomposition rate of barley straw and earthworm activity in the decomposing straw when using a light tractor (2 and 4 Mg). However, different burying depths (13 vs 25 cm) of barley straw had some important effects on decomposition and earthworm activity.
Abstract
In a balanced experiment based on 20 field plots located in a 21 km(2) Scots pine forest in southeast Norway covering age classes from newly regenerated to old forest, leaf area index (LAI) was determined in field by a LAI-2000 instrument and hemispheric photography. Based on a fortualized framework, i.e., the so-called Beer-Lambert law, gap fraction derived from small-footprint airborne laser scanner data was regressed against field-measured LAI. LAI was strongly (R-2 =0.87-0.93), positively, and linearly related to the log-transformed inverse of the gap fraction derived from the laser scanner data. This was as expected according to the Beer-Lambert law, as was the absence of an intercept, producing a directly proportionality of the two variables. We estimated an extinction coefficient for the first return echoes to be 0.7, fortunately fairly stable across age classes, and this is likely to be a parameter specific for the applied laser scanner system under the given flight and system settings, such as flying altitude and laser pulse repetition frequency. It was demonstrated that airborne laser was able to detect defoliation in terms of estimated changes in LAI, by three repeated laser data acquisitions over the area where severe insect attacks were going on in between the acquisitions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Aksel GranhusAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Aksel GranhusAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Toxic effects of aluminium (Al) on Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) trees are well documented in laboratory-scale experiments, but field-based evidence is scarce. This paper presents results on fine root growth and chemistry from a field manipulation experiment in a P. abies stand that was 45 years old when the experiment started in 1996. Different amounts of dissolved aluminium were added as AlCl3 by means of periodic irrigation during the growing season in the period 19972002. Potentially toxic concentrations of Al in the soil solution were obtained. Fine roots were studied from direct cores (1996) and sequential root ingrowth cores (1999, 2001, 2002) in the mineral soil (040 cm). We tested two hypotheses: (1) elevated concentration of Al in the root zone leads to significant changes in root biomass, partitioning into fine, coarse, living or dead fractions, and distribution with depth; (2) elevated Al concentration leads to a noticeable uptake of Al and reduced uptake of Ca and Mg; this results in Ca and Mg depletion in roots. Hypothesis 1 was only marginally supported, as just a few significant treatment effects on biomass were found. Hypothesis 2 was supported in part; Al addition led to increased root concentrations of Al in 1999 and 2002 and reduced Mg/Al in 1999. Comparison of roots from subsequent root samplings showed a decrease in Al and S over time. The results illustrated that 7 years of elevated Altot concentrations in the soil solution up to 200 M are not likely to affect root growth. We also discuss possible improvements of the experimental approach.