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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.

2021

2020

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Abstract

Organic production in Europe is currently dependent on the input of fertilisers derived from conventional agriculture, such as farmyard manure, slurry and fertilisers derived from slaugther residues. A significant part of the nutrient flows in our food systems goes in one direction, from land to sea, via sewage and leaching. Harvesting marine organisms for fertilisation, or utilising residual materials e.g. from fish industry as fertilisers, may close such nutrient gaps and promote active cycling of nutrients. At NORSØK, we are studying the use of algae fibre (rich in potassium (K), magnesium and sulphur) and fishbones (rich in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) as fertilisers. High yields were produced with fishbones, and the short-term N availablity was much higher than for mineral N fertiliser or dried poultry manure. Plants with a long period of nutrient uptake benefited from algae fertiliser. However, seaweeds contain significant amounts of arsenic (As), and easily available K may impact a balanced mineral content in the food or feed product. Excess P in the fishbones may cause eutrophication if this fertiliser is applied to cover the N demands of the crop. Research is needed to make a well balanced fertiliser.

Abstract

Abstract In 2016 Chronic Wasting Disease was discovered in Nordfjella, Norway for the first time in a female reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). Since then Norwegian nature management have implemented several measures in the affected area in Nordfjella and its surrounding municipalities to stop the spread of the prion disease. The prions’ long viability in soil outside of a host body increases the risk of spillover to other cervid species. The risk is especially high for the red deer (Cervus elaphus) population of Lærdal being the densest population in the Nordfjella region, and with its overlapping summer ranges with the affected reindeer herd. Norwegian red deer have been studied for a long time and a lot is known about their broad scale habitat selection and seasonal migration patterns. However, little is known about when and why the red deer repeatedly use the same locations on a fine scale, which has become a more relevant topic now as it may facilitate disease transmission. With location data from 14 red deer in Lærdal from 2017 to 2019, and through field work in Lærdal, I have quantified the proportion of spatial clusters containing natural forage, supplemental forage aimed for cervids and supplemental forage not aimed for cervids. I have also been able to quantify the seasonal pattern of number of spatial clusters. I found that non-intentional feeding caused as much as 31% of the clustering in infield habitats, and that most of this was in the form of leftover silage dumped in fields. I found that non-intentional feeding facilitates the contact between cervid species, and that it therefore can facilitate the spillover of Chronic Wasting Disease from reindeer, through red deer, and to roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) or other cervid species that do not have overlapping ranges with reindeer. Aggregation in infield habitat and around non-intentional feeding was more frequent during periods with more snow. Lastly, I discovered during the field work that even though there is a requirement of fencing in hay bales to help minimize aggregation of cervids in Lærdal, there were several cases of lack of compliance to this. To reduce the amount of contact within red deer and between cervid species additional measures to limit the amount of silage dumped in fields may need to be installed. In addition, it may be necessary to enforce the requirement of fencing around hay bales to ensure compliance.

Abstract

The LCA-model FARMnor (Flow Analysis and Resource Management for Norway) was updated to run using the new Umberto LCA+ version. This update allows also to get access to the new ecoinvent LCA-database version 3.x.