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.
2026
Abstract
Fruit quality is a major determinant of commercial success in raspberry cultivars. Yet the established ways of measuring quality: chromatography and trained sensory panels, are slow, costly and, for sensory work, variable. Raman spectroscopy is a rapid, reagent-free alternative based directly on molecular vibrations, and is now available in handheld form. Nine raspberry cultivars and two breeding selections were grown in an open polytunnel at NIBIO Apelsvoll, Norway, in 2023, and berries were sampled early and a late in the harvest season. Spectra were recorded with an 830 nm handheld instrument from intact berries and from pressed, centrifuged juice and related to HPLC analyses and sensory panel taste scores. Empirical multivariate models based on partial least squares regression, applied to pre-processed spectra of raspberry juice samples, showed promising potential for estimating total sugars (R2cv = 0.96, RMSECV = 3.4 g L-1), the sugar/acid ratio (R2cv = 0.96) and citric acid (R2cv = 0.94), and moderate potential for the sensory taste score (R2cv = 0.55 on a 1-9 scale). Regression coefficients and VIP scores placed the models on sugar bands near 1065, 1085 and 1128 cm-1 and on citrate bands near 940 and 1720 cm-1, matching published assignments. A calibration-free two-band ratio, I(1115-1145)/I(925-960), tracked the sugar/acid ratio almost as well as the full model (r = 0.945). Measurements of intact berries could not be used for estimating any property (R2cv <= 0.36); the relative standard error of the sugar band was 7.0-9.3% per scan against 1.9% for juice, identifying drupelet heterogeneity rather than absent signal as the obstacle. Handheld Raman spectroscopy shows promising potential as a rapid screening tool for extracted raspberry juice, however for measurement of the intact fruit further method development is needed.
Abstract
Slugs represent one of the main pests for vegetable farmers. In Norway, the invasive Spanish slug, Arion vulgaris, is especially damaging and is listed as a severe threat on the Norwegian list of alien species. In small-scale, diversified horticultural systems, like market gardens and allotment gardens, pest problems may be exacerbated because of organic cultivation methods with limited use of conventional pest management. On the other hand, small-scale horticultural systems may foster greater local biodiversity through their diversified growing practices and limited pest management, and are often situated in areas more favourable to biodiversity compared to intensive, monocultural farmlands. Greater local biodiversity, in turn, might provide improved pest control by natural enemies. Carabid beetles are natural enemies of slugs, and earlier studies have shown that some species feed on eggs and juveniles of the Spanish slug. However, for many carabid beetles, it is unclear if, and to what extent, the Spanish slug, and other common slug pests, are preyed upon. In this project, we aim to: 1) quantify the abundance and species richness of carabid beetles in Norwegian market gardens and allotment gardens, 2) correlate carabid abundance and richness with slug abundance in market gardens, and 3) use molecular methods to establish whether common carabid species found in Norwegian smallscale horticultural systems contain slug DNA in their gut.
Authors
Erlend Hustad Honningdalsnes Erik Stensrud Marstein Helge Bonesmo Dag Lindholm Jonathan Rizzi Heine Nygard RiiseAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Nora Røhnebæk Aasen Sybil A. Herrera-Foessel Silius Mortensønn Vandeskog Therése Bengtsson Mulatu G. Dida Isak Drozdik Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Egill Gautason Jaroslaw S. Grodek Hrannar S. Hilmarsson Ortrud Jäck Janne Kaseva Antti Laine Alex Lenkoski Morten Lillemo Min Lin Anne Marthe Lundby Shirin Mohammadi Per Jarle Møllerhagen Markku Niskanen Rodomiro Ortiz Maxie Skalshøi Anna G. Þórðardóttir Maria ThorkildsenAbstract
We present a harmonized database of national variety trials and official Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) trials from the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland, focusing on three key crops for that region: spring barley (Hordeum vulgare), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and potato (Solanum tuberosum). Yield is the primary phenotypic trait reported. The location of each trial is also reported, which enables analysis of how weather variability impacts crop performance. Climate change will have a substantial impact on agriculture, requiring the development of new crop cultivars adapted for resilience to future stresses. Developing a new crop cultivar is a decades-long process, therefore climate change considerations must already be incorporated into breeding programs. National breeding programs have typically involved field trials in a single country, which has functioned satisfactorily during periods of stable climate variability. However, it is widely acknowledged that when field trial information across borders is made available, it can significantly aid plant breeding programs. Here, we present a pan-Nordic multi-environment database that consolidates national trial data and data from VCU trials for spring barley, red clover, and potato. The database harmonizes information on yield across diverse environments, enabling comparative analyses and cross-regional assessments. By providing a unified resource for the Nordic region, this dataset supports the development of more resilient crop varieties and facilitates data-driven breeding strategies under changing climatic conditions.
Authors
Jørgen A.B. MølmannAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Susanne Zazzera Bjørn Arild Hatteland Silje Maria Midthjell Høydal Ieva Rozite-Arina Inger Elisabeth MårenAbstract
Land-use changes and agricultural intensification have been attributed as the main anthropogenic drivers of declines in insect pollinators. Anthropogenic coastal heathlands are one of the ecosystems that have suffered the most from these intensifications, as traditional management practices have discontinued and only 10% of last century´s coastal heathlands remain. We collected data during the field season of 2022 on pollinator communities with emphasis on bumblebees, in two different habitat types: open and degenerate heathlands in an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Western Norway. Here, we aim to get an insight into how pollinator communities may change as more heathlands are left without active management practices like prescribed burning and livestock grazing. Species composition varied between the two habitat types. Degenerate heathlands typically had a higher abundance of some relatively common species in Norway, like B. pratorum, while the red-listed species B. muscorum was recorded exclusively in open heathlands. B. jonellus was more abundant in degenerate sites despite being known to forage on Ericaceae. This may be due to an additional floral diversity and nesting/over-wintering sites here compared to the open sites. Further research should explore potential impacts of landscape characteristics like fragmentation and land-use change on the abundance and diversity of pollinators in heathlands.
Authors
Marit Jørgensen Ragnhild Borchsenius Ellen Elverland Frøydis Gillund Khaled Murad Agha Kauê de Sousa Ievina SturiteAbstract
A stable supply of high-quality forage is essential for the economic sustainability of milk and meat production, the most important agricultural sectors in Norway. Successful forage production relies on selecting species, cultivars, and seed mixtures suited to the diverse agroecological conditions, which vary widely in latitude and altitude. Climate change modifies production boundaries unpredictably. Without on-farm performance data, there is a risk of recommending new varieties or seed mixtures that underperform in farmers' fields. To address this, we propose the tricot method: a participatory, large-scale, and cost-effective testing approach where farmers test new seed mixtures directly in their fields. This approach involves many farmers in conducting small, simple experiments. Each trial consists of an incomplete block with three options out of the total ten options in the trial. Farmers evaluate these options based on predetermined criteria using digital tools. These mini trials, combined with data on management, climate, and soil, are collected into the ClimMob software, which performs statistical analyses and provides feedback. When all data are aggregated, this approach can provide robust statistical results on optimal seed mixtures for various local conditions. This method also strengthens collaboration between researchers, advisors, and farmers, contributing to more sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
Authors
Marit Jørgensen Ragnhild Borchsenius Ellen Elverland Frøydis Gillund Khaled Murad Agha Kauê de Sousa Ievina SturiteAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Energy-efficient greenhouse climate control is important in high-latitude regions, where heating demand is high and minimizing environmental impacts is increasingly necessary. In this study, a novel centralized environmental control system (ECS) was implemented in a semi-closed tomato greenhouse under Norwegian conditions. The ECS integrates heating, cooling, dehumidification, and heat recovery through air-to water heat exchangers, a heat pump, and thermal energy storage system to support climate control and energy management. The ECS was monitored across three tomato production experiments conducted during summer and winter seasons, and its operational performance was evaluated based on greenhouse climate, tomato yield, and energy use. The experiments included variations in temperature setpoints and cooling capacity. The ECS maintained greenhouse climate that was suitable for tomato production across all experiments. Changes in temperature setpoints and cooling capacity affected ECS electricity consumption and influenced the balance between recovered heat and boiler heating, while having limited effects on tomato yield. The results indicate the potential of centralized ECS technology to sustain tomato production while reducing reliance on fossil-energy, supporting the transition towards energy-efficient and emission-free smart greenhouse production.
Abstract
Greenhouse tomato production at high latitudes requires substantial inputs of supplemental lighting, heating and climate control. (Semi-) closed greenhouses can improve heat, water and CO₂ retention, but require additional electricity, climate control system capacities and investment. Crop productivity and resource use must therefore be evaluated jointly. This paper presents the EFREE-Green systems framework for integrating local production conditions, greenhouse environmental control, crop physiological responses, resource flows, and economic and environmental performance. The framework is implemented in two experimental greenhouse compartments operating at a semi-commercial scale at NIBIO Særheim, Norway, connected to a centralized environmental control system (ECS). Measurements at leaf, canopy and greenhouse scale link environmental control with crop carbon gain, biomass partitioning, marketable yield and resource use. Illustrative observations demonstrate that crop responses to supplemental lighting depend on interactions among light availability, CO₂ supply and climate management. Experimental measurements, modelling, techno-economic assessment and life-cycle assessment are combined to evaluate crop productivity, energy efficiency, resource recovery, production costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The framework is transferable to other climatic and production settings, but optimal technologies, capacities and control strategies remain location-specific.