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
Authors
Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado Jackson Ernani Fiorin William Ramos da Silva Thiago Inagaki Ulfried Arns Tiago Wyzykowski Felipe José Cury Fracetto Ademir de Oliveira FerreiraAbstract
Diversified no-tillage crop successions are key strategies for improving soil health, productivity, and sustainability in tropical environments. However, adoption of diversified cropping systems remains limited due to economic, cultural, and technical constraints. This study aimed to evaluate how long-term diversified crop rotations, differing in legume inclusion and mineral phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilization, influence system nitrogen (N), P, and K budgets, biomass production, and crop productivity in mature tropical no-tillage systems (NTS). Using a 10-year field experiment established on a tropical Ferralsol in southern Brazil, we evaluated six long-term crop rotations that differed in crop diversification, inclusion of Fabaceae cover crops, and phosphorus and potassium mineral fertilization. Total system N, P, and K budgets were quantified by integrating nutrient inputs, crop uptake, grain nutrient export, biomass nutrient cycling, and net soil nutrient balances. Intensive legume-based rotations increased crop productivity compared with low-diversity, non-legume rotations (specifically, the two-crop black oat/common bean succession). Vetch-based rotations under optimal or suboptimal mineral fertilization, as well as unfertilized vetch rotations, produced the highest cumulative grain yields (∼52,000 kg ha -1 ), representing a 38% increase (a 1.38-fold increase) over the black oat/common bean rotation (∼38,000 kg ha -1 ). This response was associated with a 40% increase in aboveground biomass and grain yield when maize followed hairy vetch rather than black oat. Legume-intensive rotations under optimal mineral fertilization or without fertilization maintained a strongly positive N budget (+559 kg ha -1 ), whereas the low-diversity black oat/common bean rotation showed a net N deficit. Conversely, all unfertilized systems, including the highly productive unfertilized hairy vetch-based rotations, exhibited strongly negative P and K budgets, indicating a progressive risk of soil fertility depletion. Only suboptimal mineral-fertilized vetch rotations partially offset these nutrient deficits in highly crop-productive systems. The study highlights the role of legume-based crop rotations as a key strategy to sustain a positive N budget, thereby supporting nutrient cycling and crop productivity under tropical NTS. Maintaining nutrient balance remained dependent on coupling biological N fixation with balanced mineral P and K fertilization to offset nutrient export deficits in high-yield systems and to reduce the risk of long-term soil fertility depletion.
Authors
Babak Minofar Simon Weldon Alice Budai Beata Gavurova Lukáš Trakal Daniel Rasse Anna Maroušková Josef MarousekAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tove Ortman Jan Bengtsson Christine A. Watson Karin Gerhardt Tor Arvid Breland Emil Sandström Göran BergkvistAbstract
Landrace cereals have become more popular among organic farmers in Europe. However, little is known about the response of landraces to environmental conditions and farmers’ management compared to modern cultivars. A co-designed field experiment, informed by Swedish farmers’ experiences of landrace cereals, was used to investigate how traits valued by organic farmers differ between four landrace and three modern varieties of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under different environmental conditions and depending on nutrient applications. The experiment was organically managed and consisted of four randomized complete blocks in four environments, comprising two sites during two consecutive years. The varieties responded similarly to fertilization. The most recent modern variety had the highest grain yield of all varieties but the lowest protein content. At low or medium initial availability of nitrogen, landraces were shown to yield similarly to modern organic varieties, give high and stable protein content, and in addition suppress weeds better and produce higher straw yields. In one experimental environment, the initial amount of soil mineral nitrogen was high, and all four landraces yielded considerably less than all modern varieties. These results show the potential for landraces to provide both food and ecosystem services under low-input organic conditions.
Authors
Minyan Wang Haohao Bian Junhao Huang Jiamin Qi Hao Zhou Xiaopiao Hu Nicholas Clarke Ming Hung Wong Jin ZhangAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Elena Gottardini Fabiana Cristofolini Antonella Cristofori Elena Vanguelova Anne Thimonier Nicholas Clarke Laura Wachtveitl Liisa Ukonmaanaho Antti-Jussi Lindroos Manuel Nicolas Ivan Limić Pascal Boeckx Samuel Bodé Marijn Bauters Arne VerstraetenAbstract
Abstract Atmospheric deposition is a critical driver of biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems. Among the pathways of deposition, throughfall (TF) — precipitation that has interacted with the forest canopy — plays a significant role in the input of atmospheric substances and canopy leachates to the forest floor. We investigated the influence of airborne pollen deposited in TF on its chemical composition across 60 Level II plots of the ICP Forests network in eight European countries. Based on 196 TF samples collected during the 2018 early vegetative season, we identified 53 pollen taxa, with Pinus , Picea , Fagus , and Quercus accounting for 91.4% of the total grains. Linear mixed-effects models revealed significant positive links between pollen deposition rates and TF fluxes of several ions, especially potassium (K⁺), which was explained by pollen abundance of all four main tree genera. Additionally, pollen of broadleaved taxa ( Fagus , Quercus ) influenced fluxes of the non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), ammonium (NH 4 + ), and phosphate (PO 4 3− ). Conversely, broadleaved pollen showed a weak negative link with nitrate (NO₃⁻) fluxes, even if its interpretation requires a cautious approach, as several non-mutually exclusive pathways could explain it. Fractionation of the DOC pools highlighted a higher potential for microbial origin in broadleaves than in conifers. These findings provide the first continental-scale evidence of a link between pollen and TF water chemistry, concurrently analyzed on each water sample. This study underscores the ecological significance of pollen beyond plant reproduction and the need to consider flowering phenology and pollen release in forest deposition and nutrient assessments.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Junbin Zhao Mounir Takriti Per-Erik Jansson Ed Jones Mikhail Mastepanov Erling Fjelldal Cornelya Klutsch David Kniha Runar Kjær Simon Weldon Kjetil Fadnes Knut Bjørkelo Jonathan Rizzi Christian Wilhelm Mohr Gunnhild Søgaard Jagadeesh YeluripatiAbstract
Abstract Peatlands drained for agriculture and other uses release substantial carbon dioxide. Many countries estimate these emissions using the 2014 IPCC Tier 1 emission factors. Here we calibrated an ecosystem model with data from two cultivated peatland sites in Norway and simulate carbon dioxide emissions at 50 sites nationwide for 2001–2022. Model results showed that carbon dioxide emissions were strongly controlled by water table depth and aligned well with observations from other European peatlands of similar climate zones. Crucially, the Tier 1 emission factor matched our simulations only under very deep water tables (< –0.7 m), but overestimated emissions by 31–88% when water levels ranged from –0.7 m to –0.3 m. This indicates that Tier 1 methods may overstate emissions from cultivated peatlands in cool temperate and boreal regions, inflating estimates of mitigation potential. Tier 2 or 3 approaches can reduce uncertainty but require more field data.
Authors
Junbin ZhaoAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Sustainable agricultural practices are needed to ensure food production and minimize environmental impacts. In high-latitude regions, where the potential for agricultural production is increasing due to rising temperatures and prolonged growing seasons, undersowing cover crops and the application of biochar are promising methods. However, current understanding of the simultaneous uptake of multiple essential nutrients into the cover crop biomass, and the effects of cover crops and biochar on the main crop’s physiology, remains limited. This study was conducted in a field experiment in Mid-Norway, five years after its establishment. We compared six treatments: unfertilized oats (Control); NPK-fertilized oats with and without biochar (Biochar and Monocrop); and three NPK-fertilized cover crop systems where oats were undersown with ryegrass (hereafter referred to as “Ryegrass”); ryegrass, red clover, and white clover (hereafter referred to as “Clover”); and ryegrass, red clover, bird’s-foot trefoil, and chicory (hereafter referred to as “Chicory”). At different stages during the growing season, shoot and root samples of oats and cover crops were analyzed for biomass and essential nutrients, oat gas exchange was measured, and soil plant-available nitrogen and the soil’s C/N ratio were determined. Cover crop mixtures showed 2.4 to 13.7-fold higher uptake of N, Ca, Mg, B, and Cu in their shoots and 2.9 to 4.6-fold higher uptake of N and B in their roots compared to the Ryegrass system. The cover crop roots accounted for approximately 20-45% of the total nutrient uptake for most nutrients. During tillering, the cover crops increased the concentration of plant-available nitrogen in the soil, thereby compensating for the competition from cover crops in the system. Undersowing cover crops had no significant effect on oat plant biomass, gas exchange, yield, or nutrient concentrations in oat tissue. Only oats in the Ryegrass system showed a lower root biomass and dark respiration during tillering and decreased nutrient uptake in the oat biomass during tillering and grain filling, without affecting yield. Biochar application significantly reduced the concentrations of N, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, and Cu in oat shoots (13-61%) and N in oat roots (15%) during tillering. Although these deficiencies were compensated for by grain filling and no effect of biochar on the grain yield was observed, the grain protein content remained reduced. The results highlight the importance of cover crop mixtures and nutrient storage in cover crop roots for nutrient legacy effects in high-latitude agriculture and demonstrate the need for optimized biochar management to avoid temporary nutrient shortages and maintain yield quality.
Authors
Raphael Silva Thiago Inagaki Thomas Trentin Laura Péres Cléber Jesus Luis Alleoni Matheus SoaresAbstract
Highly reactive, fine-particle biochars are particularly effective in recarbonizing degraded soils, but they can be more vulnerable to fire degradation due to higher surface area. How biochar particle size influences its persistence in the environment remains poorly understood, particularly in regions affected by fire events such as the Cerrado. In this study, we investigated the stability of micrometric (200 µm) and nanometric (<50 nm) açaí seed biochar incubated in an Oxisol for 180 days, followed by simulated burning using a propane–butane torch. Biochar amended soil had higher total C and nitrogen (N) contents, with a 43% increase for microbiochar and 88% for nanobiochar in the mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) fraction, indicating incorporation into stable pools. Burning reduced C associated with the particulate organic matter (POM) more when amended with microbiochar than with nanobiochar, demonstrating their vulnerability fire. An increase, up to fivefold, in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DN) contents occurred after burning. XRD data showed no mineralogical differences among samples, while FTIR indicated loss of polysaccharides after burning. TGA revealed that microbiochar was more thermally stable under unburned conditions but lost stability after burning. In contrast, nanobiochar was less stable in unburned soil but became more stable following burning, resulting in lower mass loss. The reduced mass loss in the burned control is attributed to its ~40% lower soil C content. Biochar’s particle size governs carbon stability, fire vulnerability, and post-burn soil resilience, thereby using nanobiochar for fire-prone areas act as strategy improving the management of agricultural soils.