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
Abstract
Housing and indoor feeding of sheep is required throughout the cold season, which can last more than half a year, in Nordic highlands and Alpine regions. This study aimed to examine and evaluate the housing costs, including labour requirements, according to type of sheep housing system and degree of mechanized feeding by investigating systems commonly used in Nordic and Alpine regions. Detailed cost data were obtained from 61 surveyed sheep farmers in Norway with sheep houses built between the years 2008 and 2015. Costs were calculated for a baseline scenario (2021-prices) as well as for five scenarios at low and high discount rates and opportunity cost of labour, and high energy prices. The median (interquartile range) flock size was 150 (100) winter-fed sheep. Houses with slatted floors were more expensive than deep-litter systems. Costs of bedding material and feed waste were however higher, and the net value of the manure were lower in houses with deeplitter systems. At the baseline assumptions, overall net housing costs per sheep was not statistically different among the main housing types studied. Multiple regression analyses showed that net housing costs per sheep were lower in larger flocks and for centrally located farms (control variables). Undertaking daily chores, such as feeding of roughages twice a day rather than once, resulted in significantly higher net housing costs. Mechanized feeding of roughages, and even more so for concentrates, were not economically justified since labour savings were not sufficient to pay for the additional capital costs. A round bale chopper lowered net housing costs, significantly at a high labour cost. None of the scenarios found slatted floors to be significantly more expensive than deep-litter systems. High costs of labour and capital favoured deep-litter systems, while slatted floor systems were more advantageous at rising prices of energy that resulted in increased values of organic manures and costs of feed wastes and bedding materials. The study was based on a decade old data from common Norwegian sheep house variants. Farmers that consider constructing a new sheep house today, still must compare these variants as their main alternatives. We encourage other researchers to include effects of housing systems and mechanized feeding on animal performance, health, and welfare. Moreover, future studies should preferably also be undertaken in other environmental or socio-economic settings to produce more general results.
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Authors
Akhil Reddy Pashapu Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Marit Jørgensen Marian Schubert Odd Arne Rognli Mallikarjuna Rao KoviAbstract
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Authors
Mekjell Meland Oddmund Frøynes Milica Fotirić Akšić Naris Pojskić Belma Kalamujić Stroil Merima Miralem Almira Konjić Fuad GasiAbstract
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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.
Abstract
The commercial farming of Kappaphycus alvarezii in Indian waters has provided diversifying livelihood to the low-income artisanal fishermen for last 15 years. The sector has got commercial setback due to mass mortality of germplasm during 2013 – 2014. But considering its potential to provide inclusive economic growth in coastal rural settings, the government has renewed its interest in this activity. At the cusp of the strategic expansion of the seaweed sector understanding biosecurity risks, strategies and enforcement of framework is pivotal in reducing the impact of disease outbreaks, epiphytic infestations and pest attacks. The key category aspects include identification of the risks, evaluate the national health management for seaweed aquaculture, and providing potential biosecurity strategy for expanding commercial farming operations. Additionally we also enlisted the biosecurity strategy from other eucheumatoid-producing countries and nations involved in seaweed aquaculture for comparison. In-spite of advancements in science and technology, particularly in seaweed application-based solutions, health management and seaweed aquaculture biosecurity, still remain in their infancy in India. The analysis revealed that there is a complete absence of a national database of diseases, epiphytes, and grazers outbreak. Further limited clarity on a legal administrative procedures for the import of seaweed germplasm for commercial exploitation and its subsequent quarantine is a critical biosecurity risk. There is an urgent need to invest considerably in research and development related to the biosecurity of seaweeds. The rapid internet based technological development could be effectively utilised in disease reporting as well as developing farmer centric syndromic surveillance. The strengthening of regulatory frameworks and policy should be given the highest priority, as application of biosecurity has indirect effects in domains such as products development, food security, agriculture productivity, economic growth and potential regulatory ecosystem services.
Authors
Thilaga Sethuraman Shanmugam Munisamy Ganesan Meenakshisundaram Anicia Q. Hurtado Ganesh DossAbstract
Regeneration of polyploidy from young thallus segments of Kappaphycus alvarezii was optimized for genetic improvement. Kappaphycus thallus segment cultured on sterile sea water supplemented with various combinations of Indole acetic acid, Kinetin and Acardian Marine Plant Extract Powder revealed differential response on callus proliferation and development of new thallus. Presence of Acardian Marine Plant Extract Powder (3 mg/l) in combination with Indole acetic acid and Kinetin (0.01 mg/l each) had induced the longest emerging thallus. Exposure of thallus to colchicine at 0.01% with above combination was optimal to induce high frequency regeneration of polyploidy mostly from the meristematic cells. Anatomical study of colchicine induced polyploidy revealed larger cortical cells with irregular thickening of epidermal layer. Phase contrast and Scanning Electron Microscopic study revealed increase in cell size in cortical region with significantly larger number of spherical shaped carrageenan globules in colchicine induced polyploidy than normal thallus. Single cells isolated using enzymatic treatments from colchicine induced polyploidy, shown chromosome number with a ploidy status of 4n ≈ 40. Whereas in normal thallus, only half the number of chromosomes (2n ≈ 20) were observed. Polyploidy were successfully acclimatized gradually using raft method for further evaluation. This is the first report reveals the induction and regeneration of polyploidy in Kappaphycus. The possible application of this finding in genetic improvement of Kappaphycus is discussed.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered