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.
2023
Authors
Trond Mæhlum Bente Føreid Maria Dietrich Melesse Eshetu_Moges Trine Hvoslef-Eide Ola Lødøen Vethe Petter D. JenssenAbstract
This report (D2.5) presents a qualitative and quantitative assessment for nutrients and energy regarding circular fertilizers and biogas production from waste resources. A transformation towards sustainable food production for the growing urban population requires improved circular urban nutrient management. Urban agriculture (UA), like any agricultural system, needs input of resources in terms of growth media, nutrients, and water. Resources that are often imported into cities, especially in the form of food, generate urban waste. Current environmental, social, and economic challenges of cities are seen as opportunities that can be derived locally, as this project demonstrates. The domestic organic waste and wastewater contains energy (thermal and chemical) and nutrients that could play a role in the urban circular economy if proper technology and management are applied. Urban organic waste contains relevant nutrients including nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), as well as organic matter, yet less than 5% of the global urban resources are presently recycled. One recycling approach is the composting of urban organic wastes, recovery of nutrients from source-separated urine and anaerobic digestate of blackwater, and biogas and biochar produced as sources of energy. At the NMBU showcase different technologies were assessed to demonstrate how to achieve sustainable and circular urban farming systems. Qualitative and quantitative information about organic fertilizers, making budgets for the nutrient contents of waste resources and organic fertilizer and comparing this with the nutrient needs of the plants in the relevant cultivation area, as shown in this report, can provide better fertilization and less loss to the environment. We need more information on the fertilizer value of waste resources and how these nutrients can be best utilised. Due to the increased interest, more information about health and environmental challenges by implementing circular UA should be obtained
Authors
Ruchiru D. Herath Uttam Pawar Dushyantha M. Aththanayake Kushan D. Siriwardhana Dimantha I. Jayaneththi Chatura Palliyaguru Miyuru Gunathilake Upaka RathnayakeAbstract
Climate change, urbanization, and many anthropogenic activities have intensified the floods in today’s world. However, poor attention was given to mitigation strategies for floods in the developing world due to funding and technical limitations. Developing flood inundation maps from historical flood records would be an important task in mitigating any future flood damages. Therefore, this study presents the predictive capability of the Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (RRI) model, a 2D coupled hydrology-inundation model, and to build flood inundation maps utilizing available ground observation and satellite remote sensing data for Kalu River, Sri Lanka. Despite the lack of studies in predicting flood levels, Kalu River is an annually flooded river basin in Sri Lanka. The comparative results between ground-based rainfall (GBR) measurement and satellite rainfall products (SRPs) from the IMERG satellite have shown that SRPs underestimate peak discharges compared to GBR data. The accuracy and the reliability of the model were assessed using ground-measured discharges with a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.89) and Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE = 0.86). Therefore, the developed RRI model can successfully be used to simulate the inundation of flood events in the KRB. The findings can directly be applied to the stakeholders.
Authors
Menno de Jong Aidin Niamir Magnus Wolf Andrew C. Kitchener Nicolas Lecomte Ivan V. Seryodkin Steven R. Fain Snorre Hagen Urmas Saarma Axel JankeAbstract
Population-genomic studies can shed new light on the effect of past demographic processes on contemporary population structure. We reassessed phylogeographical patterns of a classic model species of postglacial recolonisation, the brown bear (Ursus arctos), using a range-wide resequencing dataset of 128 nuclear genomes. In sharp contrast to the erratic geographical distribution of mtDNA and Y-chromosomal haplotypes, autosomal and X-chromosomal multi-locus datasets indicate that brown bear population structure is largely explained by recent population connectivity. Multispecies coalescent based analyses reveal cases where mtDNA haplotype sharing between distant populations, such as between Iberian and southern Scandinavian bears, likely results from incomplete lineage sorting, not from ancestral population structure (i.e., postglacial recolonisation). However, we also argue, using forward-in-time simulations, that gene flow and recombination can rapidly erase genomic evidence of former population structure (such as an ancestral population in Beringia), while this signal is retained by Y-chromosomal and mtDNA, albeit likely distorted. We further suggest that if gene flow is male-mediated, the information loss proceeds faster in autosomes than in X chromosomes. Our findings emphasise that contemporary autosomal genetic structure may reflect recent population dynamics rather than postglacial recolonisation routes, which could contribute to mtDNA and Y-chromosomal discordances.
Authors
Xiaoyan Ma Junhua Bao Jinwei Li Xi Cheng Muhammad Mobeen Tahir Meizi Liu Xian Lu Min-Rui Wang Zhibo Hamborg Dong ZhangAbstract
Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) is one of the most widespread and asymptomatic main viruses, that restricts the production of apples worldwide. Establishment of rapid, simple, and effective early detection methods of apple virus is important. In this study, we established and optimized a one-step reverse transcription - recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) method, using the target-specific primers of ASGV coat protein gene sequence, and M-MLV reverse transcriptase. This method could be completed within 30 min at 40 °C, followed by a visual detection of the results within 5 min by using lateral flow dipstick (LFD). The specificity results showed that only samples infected with ASGV showed a test line, while no test line appeared in the ASGV-negative samples. In addition, when crude extract of leaves was used, the whole detection could be completed within 1 h, which was shortened by 4 to 6 times compared with the RT-PCR method. The detection made on more field samples showed that the RT-RPA-LFD method is of high stability and reliability for ASGV diagnosis, with a great potential in the rapid on-site detection of plant viruses.
Authors
Shelemia Nyamuryekung'e Glenn Duff Santiago Utsumi Richard Estell Matthew M. McIntosh Micah Funk Andrew Cox Huiping Cao Sheri Spiegal Andres Perea Andres F. CibilsAbstract
Animal welfare monitoring relies on sensor accuracy for detecting changes in animal well-being. We compared the distance calculations based on global positioning system (GPS) data alone or combined with motion data from triaxial accelerometers. The assessment involved static trackers placed outdoors or indoors vs. trackers mounted on cows grazing on pasture. Trackers communicated motion data at 1 min intervals and GPS positions at 15 min intervals for seven days. Daily distance walked was determined using the following: (1) raw GPS data (RawDist), (2) data with erroneous GPS locations removed (CorrectedDist), or (3) data with erroneous GPS locations removed, combined with the exclusion of GPS data associated with no motion reading (CorrectedDist_Act). Distances were analyzed via one-way ANOVA to compare the effects of tracker placement (Indoor, Outdoor, or Animal). No difference was detected between the tracker placement for RawDist. The computation of CorrectedDist differed between the tracker placements. However, due to the random error of GPS measurements, CorrectedDist for Indoor static trackers differed from zero. The walking distance calculated by CorrectedDist_Act differed between the tracker placements, with distances for static trackers not differing from zero. The fusion of GPS and accelerometer data better detected animal welfare implications related to immobility in grazing cattle.
Abstract
Seed is a critically important basic input of agriculture, because sowing healthy seeds is essential to food production. Using high quality seed enables less use of synthetic pesticides in the field. Seedborne pathogens can reduce yield quantity and quality of the crops produced. Seed treatments protect plant seedlings from pathogen attacks at emergence and at the early growth stages, contributing to healthy crop plants and good yield. However, there is increased concern about the application of synthetic pesticides to seeds, while alternatives are becoming increasingly addressed in seedborne pathogen research. A series of strategies based on synthetic fungicides, natural compounds, biocontrol agents (BCAs), and physical means has been developed to reduce seed contamination by pathogens. The volume of research on seed treatment has increased considerably in the past decade, along with the search for green technologies to control seedborne diseases. This review focuses on recent research results dealing with protocols that are effective in the management of seedborne pathogens. Moreover, the review illustrated an innovative system for routine seed health testing and need-based cereal seed treatment implemented in Norway.
Authors
Kannan Mohan Durairaj Karthick Rajan Jayakumar Rajarajeswaran Dharmaraj Divya Abirami Ramu GanesanAbstract
Emerging pollutants, corrosive chemicals and dyes released from the industries, harshly contaminates the landfills, environment and water reservoirs. Mass mortalities of aquatic animals in water bodies and species depletion is linked with improper release of wastewater. Pollutants released in water bodies are a threatening alarm to the human society and environment. To remove the pollutants from municipal wastewater, several techniques including adsorption, chelation, precipitation and ion exchange were employed. However, chitosan based hybrid materials (nanocomposite, hydrogel, membrane, film, sponge, nanoparticle, microsphere and flake) could serve as novel alternate materials to replace the chemical based adsorbents. The advantages of using chitosan based hybrid materials in wastewater treatment was summarized herein. Furthermore, this review aims to highlight the role of chitosan based hybrid materials for removing various pollutants and dyes from municipal wastewater.
Authors
Marie-Therese Krieger Leonardo H. Teixeira Kerstin Grant Johannes Kollmann Harald AlbrechtAbstract
Grasslands are managed to provide multiple goods and services. During recent decades, abandonment of marginal grasslands and intensification of the most productive sites resulted in biodiversity losses and reduced ecosystem services (ESs). Moreover, invasion by unwanted plants impaired ESs, as seen in Jacobaea aquatica, a poisonous native invader in pre-alpine grasslands of Central Europe. Invasion by this plant compromises fodder quality and endangers animal health, resulting in abandonment of grassland use. We tested different management regimes to reduce J. aquatica in wet grasslands of Southern Germany and assessed how its regulation affects grassland multifunctionality. We monitored indicators associated with productivity and conservation, such as the abundance of J. aquatica, forage quality, yield, abundance of specialists, and pollinator-relevant plants. Intensive management favoured multifunctionality by promoting productivity and biodiversity, yet also increasing the abundance of J. aquatica. Reduced management regulates J. aquatica cover close to an acceptable threshold while also reducing ESs. Thus, we conclude that moderate management strikes a balance between the control of the poisonous plant and the supply of grassland multifunctionality.
Authors
Trygve S. AamlidAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Trygve S. AamlidAbstract
No abstract has been registered