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
Wood modification using polyesterification of sorbitol and citric acid is a novel environmentally friendly strategy for wood protection improving its dimensional stability and acts against fungal deterioration. Inelastic Raman scattering is sensitive to the molecules of high polarizability and both lignocellulose and aliphatic esters formed during the treatment are polar. Therefore, in the present study, the quality control of the treatment using a handheld Raman spectrometer equipped with 830 nm laser is suggested as a rapid and reliable approach. Raman spectra from six wood modification levels (resulting in different weight percent gain, WPG) of three different wood species (Silver birch, Scots pine and Norway spruce) as well as three sample preparation strategies (intact, sanded and milled wood samples) were collected, and further analyzed using a chemometric method. Best performing models based on Powered Partial Least Squares Regression predicted the WPG level at R2 = 0.85, 0.95 and 0.98 for birch, pine and spruce, respectively. In addition, a clear separation between hard and soft wood species was also captured. Especially for softwood species, the sample preparation method affected the model accuracy, revealing the best performance in milled material. It is concluded that by using handheld Raman spectrometer it is possible to perform accurate quality control of wood modified by polyesterification of citric acid and sorbitol.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
The SiEUGreen project was implemented to enhance the EU-China cooperation in promoting urban agriculture (UA) for food security, resource efficiency and smart, resilient cities through the development of showcases in selected European and Chinese urban and peri-urban areas. In the last four years, SiEUGreen project assembled numerous existing and/or unexploited technologies for the first time to facilitate the development of the state-of-the-art UA model. In light of this, there is natural interest in whether SiEUGreen’s efforts resulted in meaningful impacts. Hence, the objective of this report is to determine the multi-dimensional impacts of the showcases developed and implemented by the SiEUGreen project. The analysis of the impact of the technologies or showcases implemented by the SIEUGreen mainly relies on the data obtained from other relevant tasks and deliverables within the project (e.g., showcase deployment, market analysis, and deliverables related to technology deployment). The willingness to pay studies use NIBIO’s existing data from a contingent valuation survey for willingness to pay of Oslo residents towards food produced using the target technologies. The report is presented as follows: • Section 2 gives an overview of the implementation status of the SiEUGreen technologies with the current technology readiness levels (TRLs); • Section 3 discusses the impacts in terms of land use, food security, environmental resilience and resource efficiency, and societal inclusion; • Section 4 focuses on willingness to pay studies for UA-related technologies; • Section 5 discusses the results and impact pathways; and • Section 6 provides the lessons learned and recommendations. Overall, our assessment indicates that SiEUGreen has provided a wide-ranging array of impacts in multiple dimensions: land-use, food security, environmental resilience and resource efficiency, and societal inclusion.
Abstract
The maturity stage of carrot and the temperature strategy during storage are essential factors in maintaining storage quality during long-term storage. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of maturity and storage strategy on storage quality in different cultivars of carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus). Two cultivars, ‘Nominator’ and ‘Romance’, harvested at three different maturity levels were stored with different temperature strategies in small-scale experimental stores. The different maturity levels were obtained by different sowing dates. The study was conducted over 2 years and storage seasons in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The carrots were stored with three different temperature strategies with stable temperature at 0, 2 or 0°C interrupted with intervals of 2 weeks with 4°C in February and in March. After six-months storage we found that weight loss was higher (7.8%) after storage when the temperature was not stable during storage (fluctuations up to 4°C in February and March) than at stable temperatures at 0 or 2°C. The number of healthy roots after storage was highest in the most mature carrots (91%) while there were less healthy roots in the least mature roots (85%) (P<0.05). Diseases detected after storage were gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), liquorice rot (Mycocentrospora acerina), tip rot, crater rot (Fibularhizoctonia carotae), Fusarium rot (Fusarium spp.) and cavity spot (Pythium spp.). There was significantly more liquorice rot in Nominator (1.9%) than in Romance (0.6%). There was more tip rot in the least mature carrots (3.3%) compared to the other two maturity levels (1.3 and 1.5%).
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Fuad Gasi Naris Pojskić Belma Kalamujić Stroil Oddmund Frøynes Milica Fotirić Akšić Mekjell MelandAbstract
In order to determine the pollinizer success rates between twelve apple cultivars in 2021 and 2022, 671 apple embryos were collected from 19 different orchards in Ullensvang (southwestern Norway) and Svelvik (southeastern Norway). Genomic DNA was extracted from the collected embryos and, afterward, a genetic characterization with 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers was conducted. An identical set of markers was also used on all twelve mother cultivars, as well as on six crabapple pollinizers, which were found in the investigated orchards. The obtained molecular data enabled paternity analyses to be performed with the objective of assigning a male parent to each embryo. The paternity analyses identified pollen donors for all, except for 3% of the embryos. In most cases, it was possible to identify the most successful pollinizers for each cultivar, with ‘Aroma’ and ‘Discovery’ being the most efficient pollen donors overall. Tree abundance seems to be a major factor in pollinizer success, while semi-cross-compatible characteristics represent a hindrance. Only 7% of the analyzed embryos were determined to have been fertilized by pollinizers outside the orchard, confirming the significance of pollinizer proximity for efficient pollination.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Intensification and specialization of farming systems in Europe and elsewhere has resulted in poor crop rotations, with low plant and animal diversity. This has resulted in more uniform landscapes, soil carbon loss and low efficiency in nutrient cycling, particularly in regions dominated by annual crops. Inclusion of ley in crop rotations is expected to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, nitrogen availability and improve soil physical properties. The effect of ley-arable rotations versus continuous annual cropping on soil quality, soil organic carbon and soil biology was assessed by summarizing and discussing results from publications from long-term experiments in Norway and Sweden. These studies support the hypotheses that the inclusion of leys in crop rotations promotes soil fertility and carbon sequestration in Northern Europe, supplies nutrients to subsequent crops and improves soil physical properties. However, one or two years of ley in rotations may not be enough for maintaining SOC and good soil structure over time. For keeping the relatively high SOC concentrations occurring at many sites in Northern Europe, the proportion of ley in rotation should be at least 50%.
Abstract
Productive and stable forage yields are essential for the sustainability of ruminal livestock production. Grassland seed mixtures composed of species of diverse functional groups have previously been demonstrated to increase yield performance and stability compared to monocultures. In this study we conducted field trials with five grass and two legume species either grown in monocultures or a range of mixtures from two-species to seven-species mixtures sown in a simplex design. The species represented different functional groups regarding ability to fixate atmospheric nitrogen (N), rate of establishment and temporal persistence.The experiments were established with the same cultivars of species at five locations in Norway with climatically contrasting environments – from mild humid, mountainous continental to sub-arctic. The experimental plots were harvested for three years at four of the sites and two years at one of the sites, and they were fertilised according to normal practise in intensive silage grass production in the respective regions (regular N). At three of the sites, a treatment with low mineral N supply rate was also included.We found that crops sown as mixtures returned higher yields and contained less weeds than the average of monoculture crops, and these effects were consistent over all sites and study years. The grass-legume mixtures managed at low N supply rate performed equally well or better than monocultures or grass-only mixtures managed at regular N supply. We found no effects of the functional groups categorised as temporal persistence or rate of establishment on the yield performance, and there were no apparent benefits of increasing the number of species beyond the species P. pratense, F. pratensis and T. pratense over the three production years the experiments lasted.The results suggest that by using grass-clover mixtures, farmers can reduce N fertiliser rates, without compromising productivity of temporary grassland under northern conditions over the first three years of production.