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
Benjamin Guillaume Hanane Aroui Boukbida Gerben Bakker Andrzej Bieganowski Yves Brostaux Wim Cornelis Wolfgang Durner Christian Hartmann Bo V. Iversen Mathieu Javaux Joachim Ingwersen Krzysztof Lamorski Axel Lamparter András Makó Ana María Mingot Soriano Ingmar Messing Attila Nemes Alexandre Pomes-Bordedebat Martine van der Ploeg Tobias Karl David Weber Lutz Weihermüller Joost Wellens Aurore DegréAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Kanan K. Saikai Celestine Oduori Evans Situma Simon Njoroge Ruth Murunde John W. Kimenju Douglas W. Miano Solveig Haukeland Danny CoyneAbstract
Coffee is an important commodity for Kenya, where production is steadily declining, despite a global rise in demand. Of the various constraints affecting production, plant-parasitic nematodes are a significant, but often overlooked, threat. As a perennial crop, treating plantations once infected with nematodes becomes difficult. The current study evaluated the drenching application of two biocontrol agents, Trichoderma asperellum and Purpureocillium lilacinum, for their nematode control efficacy, as well as their impact on the soil nematode community structure on mature, established coffee trees in Kenya. Seven Arabica coffee field trials were conducted over two years on trees of various ages. All the fields were heavily infested with Meloidogyne hapla, the first report of the species on coffee in Kenya. Both fungal biocontrol agents were detected endophytically infecting roots and recovered from soil but not until six months after initial applications. The population densities of M. hapla had significantly declined in roots of treated trees 12 months after the initial application, although soil nematode density data were similar across treatments. Based upon the maturity index and the Shannon index, treatment with T. asperellum led to improved soil health conditions and enrichment of diversity in the microbial community. Application of P. lilacinum, in particular, led to an increased abundance of fungivorous nematodes, especially Aphelenchus spp., for which P. lilacinum would appear to be a preferred food source. The soils in the trials were all stressed and denuded, however, which likely delayed the impact of such treatments or detection of any differences between treatments using indices, such as the functional metabolic footprint, over the period of study. A longer period of study would therefore likely provide a better indication of treatment benefits. The current study positively demonstrates, however, the potential for using biologically based options for the environmentally and climate-smart management of nematode threats in a sustainable manner on established, mature coffee plantations.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
N. Leclercq L. Marshall T. Weekers P. Basu D. Benda D. Bevk R. Bhattacharya P. Bogusch A. Bontšutšnaja L. Bortolotti N. Cabirol E. Calderón-Uraga R. Carvalho S. Castro S. Chatterjee La De La Cruz Alquicira Miranda de Miranda T. Dirilgen A. Dorchin K. Dorji B. Drepper S. Flaminio J. Gailis M. Galloni H. Gaspar M.W. Gikungu Bjørn Arild Hatteland I. Hinojosa-Diaz L. Hostinská B.G. Howlett K.-L.J. Hung L. Hutchinson R.O. Jesus N. Karklina M.S. Khan J. Loureiro X. Men J.-M. Molenberg S. Mudri-Stojnić P. Nikolic E. Normandin J. Osterman F. Ouyang Åsne Skjøtskift Øygarden L. Ozolina-Pole N. Ozols A. Parra Saldivar R.J. Paxton T. Pitts-Singer K. Poveda K. Prendergast M. Quaranta S.F.J. Read Stefanie Reinhardt M. Rojas-Oropeza C. Ruiz M. Rundlöf A. Sade C. Sandberg F. Sgolastra S.F. Shah M.A. Shebl V. Soon D.A. Stanley J. Straka P. Theodorou E. Tobajas J.L. Vaca-Uribe A. Vera C.A. Villagra M.-K. Williams M. Wolowski T.J. Wood Z. Yan Q. Zhang N.J. VereeckenAbstract
An essential prerequisite to safeguard pollinator species is characterisation of the multifaceted diversity of crop pollinators and identification of the drivers of pollinator community changes across biogeographical gradients. The extent to which intensive agriculture is associated with the homogenisation of biological communities at large spatial scales remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated diversity drivers for 644 bee species/morphospecies in 177 commercial apple orchards across 33 countries and four global biogeographical biomes. Our findings reveal significant taxonomic dissimilarity among biogeographical zones. Interestingly, despite this dissimilarity, species from different zones share similar higher-level phylogenetic groups and similar ecological and behavioural traits (i.e. functional traits), likely due to habitat filtering caused by perennial monoculture systems managed intensively for crop production. Honey bee species dominated orchard communities, while other managed/manageable and wild species were collected in lower numbers. Moreover, the presence of herbaceous, uncultivated open areas and organic management practices were associated with increased wild bee diversity. Overall, our study sheds light on the importance of large-scale analyses contributing to the emerging fields of functional and phylogenetic diversity, which can be related to ecosystem function to promote biodiversity as a key asset in agroecosystems in the face of global change pressures.
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Abstract
Taper models, which describe the shape of tree stems, are central to estimating stem volume. Literature provides both taper- and volume models for the three main species in Norway, Norway spruce, Scots pine, and birch. These models, however, were mainly developed using approaches established over 50 years ago, and without consistency between taper and volume. We tested eleven equations for taper and six equations for bark thickness. The models were fitted and evaluated using a large dataset covering all forested regions in Norway. The selected models were converted into volume functions using numerical integration, providing both with- and without-bark volumes and compared to the volume functions in operational use. Taper models resulted in root mean squared error (RMSE) of 7.2, 7.9, and 9.0 mm for spruce, pine, and birch respectively. Bark thickness models resulted in RMSE of 2.5, 6.1, and 4.1 mm, for spruce, pine, and birch respectively. Validation of volume models with bark resulted in RMSE of 12.7%, 13.0%, and 19.7% for spruce, pine, and birch respectively. Additional variables, tree age, site index, elevation, and live crown proportion, were tested without resulting in any strong increase in predictive power.
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Authors
Mirjam Vujadinović Mandić Ana Vuković Vimić Milica Fotirić Akšić Mekjell MelandAbstract
No abstract has been registered