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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

Sammendrag

The year-to-year variation in the availability of lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) is a challenge for commercial exploitation. There is also a need to identify the best locations for lingonberry harvesting. Here, we present research that utilized field observations from the Norwegian National Forest Inventory to model and map the association between lingonberry cover and stand characteristics. Additionally, a set of permanent sampling plots were established for annual recording of berry yields in different Norwegian regions, representing variations in slope and forest characteristics. Ultimately, the recorded information on yield from the temporary sample plots were combined with predictions from the cover model, as well as data from remote sensing and climatic data from nearby weather stations (for locations see Figure 1a) to derive: 1) a model for lingonberry yield, and 2) and a yield map covering all forest land in Norway. Variables included in the final berry yield model are main tree species, soil parent material, mean temperature June-August, stand basal area, latitude, slope and distance to coastline (Miina et al., 2024).

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Sammendrag

Background Soil contamination with metal(loid)s and organic pollutants creates environmental and health concerns, driving the need for sustainable remediation strategies. Organic amendments can mitigate contamination effects, enhancing soil quality, and potentially increasing biomass production; however, their long-term influence remains an open question. In a five-year field experiment at a former wood-preservation site, this study evaluates the effects of five organic amendments—fresh pig manure (PM), biodigested pig manure (PD), compost (C), compost pellets (Pt), and green waste compost (G)—on Cu-contaminated soils. Here, we evaluated their impacts on physico-chemical soil properties, metal bioavailability, microbial community structure, plant growth and soil fertility. Results All amendments led to an overall soil improvement, including enhanced physico-chemical properties, increased enzyme activities. The amendments promoted the concentration of soil 16S bacterial genes and improved the yield of winter barley cultivated in the plots. The most abundant phyla detected across soil samples were Actinobacteriota , Proteobacteria , and Firmicutes , with Bacillus , Streptomyces , and Bradyrhizobium among the dominant genera. Compost-based amendments at 5% w/w addition rate (C5 and Pt5) showed the most promising results, significantly increasing soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents, while reducing bioavailability of Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn compared with untreated control plots ( p  < 0.01). A decrease in Cu availability was observed but it was not significant. The Pt5 soils exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene copy number ( p  < 0.01). Both compost and compost pellets amendments enriched microbial communities associated with soil quality and plant yield, leading to significant improvements in soil fertility and barley yield (+ 200% on average). Conclusion This integrative approach identified organic amendments, notably compost and pelleted compost, that effectively contribute to soil remediation from multiple perspectives: chemical properties (pH, organic content, nutrients), reduction of bioavailable soil Cd and Zn, enzyme activities, microbial abundance and diversity (16S rRNA), and winter barley yield. The study evidenced signature biomarkers characteristic of healthy soils ( Paenibacillus , Lysinibacillus , and Agromyces ) and polluted soils ( Candidatus Solibacter and Mycobacterium ). Our findings support the use of compost (raw and pelleted) as a balanced approach for phyto-managing metal-contaminated soils, reducing 1 M NH 4 NO 3 -extractable soil Cd and Zn while enhancing microbial activity and soil fertility. Graphical Abstract