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.
2016
Authors
Antonio Carlos Ferraz Filho Blas Mola-Yudego José Ramón González-Olabarria José Roberto Soares ScolforoAbstract
The objective of this paper is to determine the pruning level that does not affect tree growth, increasing the amount of clear wood production in a single lift at age 1.3 years. The experiment was developed in the municipality of Aracruz, Espírito Santo state, Brazil. The pruning intensities considered were: 40%, 55%, 70% and 85% of the total tree height, as well as no pruning for control. The results obtained three years after pruning showed that it is possible to reach up to a 70% of total tree height pruned (mean pruned height of 7.3 m) in a single pruning lift without affecting the size of the 700 largest trees per hectare in diameter. High intensity pruning (85%) translated into negative effects on tree growth. Low intensity pruning (40%) also had moderate effects on growth, possibly due to exposure of negative effects of leaf area removal without benefiting from the positive effects on canopy characteristics. Finally, the paper discusses different thinning regimes and its implications on the pruning regime. The results of this research can contribute to improve the management of fast growing plantations for timber production.
Authors
Lars T. HavstadAbstract
The market for herbage seed straw has diminished in many seed-production areas due to less livestock. Seed growers are therefore looking for alternatives to straw removal, which up to now has been the most common practice. During 2000–2006, different alternative straw chopping methods, both at the back of the combiner and with a tractor-mounted flail-chopper, and field burning strategies were evaluated in seed crops of timothy (Phleum pratense) and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) in southeast Norway. The requirement for an extra N input in autumn (30–40 kg ha-1) when practising straw chopping was also examined. Compared to straw removal, straw chopping at the back of the combiner during seed harvest did not reduce seed yield in the following year as long as stubble height was low (<10 cm in timothy) and the straw spread uniformly in the field. On average, seed yield was 1–4% and 1–9% higher compared to straw removal in timothy and meadow fescue, respectively. If the chopped straw was spread unevenly, or long stubble was left at combining, it is recommended to use a tractor-mounted flail-chopper after harvest. The experiments did not provide any support for an extra input of nitrogen in autumn, either in timothy or meadow fescue, when the straw was chopped rather than removed. Burning of stubble and straw soon after seed harvest was another efficient clean-up method after harvest, which increased seed yield 9–15% and 17–20% compared to straw removal in the two species, respectively. However, as the burning method is risky and causes smoke emissions, it is normally not recommended. It is concluded that for most seed growers, the most effective, least laborious and most environment-friendly alternative to straw removal will be to chop the straw at the back of the combiner during seed harvest.
Authors
Annette Dathe Johannes Auke Postma Maria Postma-Blaauw Jonathan Paul LynchAbstract
Backgrounds and Aims Crops with reduced requirement for nitrogen (N) fertilizer would have substantial benefits in developed nations, while improving food security in developing nations. This study employs the functional structural plant model SimRoot to test the hypothesis that variation in the growth angles of axial roots of maize ( Zea mays L.) is an important determinant of N capture. Methods Six phenotypes contrasting in axial root growth angles were modelled for 42 d at seven soil nitrate levels from 10 to 250 kg ha −1 in a sand and a silt loam, and five precipitation regimes ranging from 0·5× to 1·5× of an ambient rainfall pattern. Model results were compared with soil N measurements of field sites with silt loam and loamy sand textures. Key Results For optimal nitrate uptake, root foraging must coincide with nitrate availability in the soil profile, which depends on soil type and precipitation regime. The benefit of specific root architectures for efficient N uptake increases with decreasing soil N content, while the effect of soil type increases with increasing soil N level. Extreme root architectures are beneficial under extreme environmental conditions. Extremely shallow root systems perform well under reduced precipitation, but perform poorly with ambient and greater precipitation. Dimorphic phenotypes with normal or shallow seminal and very steep nodal roots performed well in all scenarios, and consistently outperformed the steep phenotypes. Nitrate uptake increased under reduced leaching conditions in the silt loam and with low precipitation. Conclusions Results support the hypothesis that root growth angles are primary determinants of N acquisition in maize. With decreasing soil N status, optimal angles resulted in 15–50 % greater N acquisition over 42 d. Optimal root phenotypes for N capture varied with soil and precipitation regimes, suggesting that genetic selection for root phenotypes could be tailored to specific environments.
Authors
Mathias Neumann Adam Moreno Volker Mues Sanna Härkönen Matteo Mura Olivier Bouriaud Mait Lang Wouter M.J. Achten Alain Thivolle-Cazat Karol Bronisz Jan Merganič Mathieu Decuyper Iciar Alberdi Rasmus Astrup Frits Mohren Hubert HasenauerAbstract
National and international carbon reporting systems require information on carbon stocks of forests. For this purpose, terrestrial assessment systems such as forest inventory data in combination with carbon estimation methods are often used. In this study we analyze and compare terrestrial carbon estimation methods from 12 European countries. The country-specific methods are applied to five European tree species (Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus robur L., Betula pendula Roth, Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus sylvestris L.), using a standardized theoretically-generated tree dataset. We avoid any bias due to data collection and/or sample design by using this approach. We are then able to demonstrate the conceptual differences in the resulting carbon estimates with regard to the applied country-specific method. In our study we analyze (i) allometric biomass functions, (ii) biomass expansion factors in combination with volume functions and (iii) a combination of both. The results of the analysis show discrepancies in the resulting estimates for total tree carbon and for single tree compartments across the countries analyzed of up to 140 t carbon/ha. After grouping the country-specific approaches by European Forest regions, the deviation within the results in each region is smaller but still remains. This indicates that part of the observed differences can be attributed to varying growing conditions and tree properties throughout Europe. However, the large remaining error is caused by differences in the conceptual approach, different tree allometry, the sample material used for developing the biomass estimation models and the definition of the tree compartments. These issues are currently not addressed and require consideration for reliable and consistent carbon estimates throughout Europe.
Authors
Biancha CavicchiAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
In this paper, we estimate the cost-effectiveness of tillage methods as a measure to reduce phosphorus loss. The study was based on real-world information on costs. Data on phosphorus loss for different soil tillage methods were modelled. The cost-effectiveness of various soil tillage methods were related to autumn ploughing. The results showed large variation in cost-effectiveness related to erosion risk. Furthermore, spring harrowing was the most cost-effective method to reduce phosphorus loss, followed by autumn harrowing and spring ploughing in spring cereals. Implementation of changed tillage methods showed lower costs for spring cereals compared to winter wheat. The differences in costs between areas were most evident for spring tillage due to differences in yields and agronomic management. Cost-effectiveness is an important criterion in selecting mitigation methods, but due to large variations in the effect of changed tillage, these should be locally adapted to the high risk areas of erosion.
Abstract
Accurate estimation of winter wheat frost kill in cold-temperate agricultural regions is limited by lack of data on soil temperature at wheat crown depth, which determines winter survival. We compared the ability of four models of differing complexity to predict observed soil temperature at 2 cm depth during two winter seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15) at Ultuna, Sweden, and at 1 cm depth at Ilseng and Ås, Norway. Predicted and observed soil temperature at 2 cm depth was then used in FROSTOL model simulations of the frost tolerance of winter wheat at Ultuna. Compared with the observed soil temperature at 2 cm depth, soil temperature was better predicted by detailed models than simpler models for both seasons at Ultuna. The LT50 (temperature at which 50 % of plants die) predictions from FROSTOL model simulations using input from the most detailed soil temperature model agreed better with LT50 FROSTOL outputs from observed soil temperature than what LT50 FROSTOL predictions using temperature from simpler models did. These results highlight the need for simpler temperature prediction tools to be further improved when used to evaluate winter wheat frost kill.
Abstract
The effects of soil variability on regional crop yield under projected climate change are largely unknown. In Southeastern Norway, increased temperature and precipitation are projected for the mid-21st century. Crop simulation models in combination with scaling techniques can be used to determine the regional pattern of crop yield. In the present paper, the CSM-CROPSIM-CERES-Wheat model was applied to simulate regional spring wheat yield for Akershus and Østfold counties in Southeastern Norway. Prior to the simulations, parameters in the CSM-CROPSIM-CERES-Wheat model were calibrated for the spring wheat cvars Zebra, Demonstrant and Bjarne, using cultivar trial data from Southeastern Norway and site-specific weather and soil information.Weather input data for regional yield simulations represented the climate in 1961–1990 and projections of the climate in 2046–2065. The latter were based on four Global Climate Models and greenhouse gas emission scenario A1B in the IPCC 4th Assessment Report. Data on regional soil particle size distribution, water-holding characteristics and organic matter data were obtained from a database. To determine the simulated grain yield sensitivity to soil input, the number of soil profiles used to describe the soilscape in the region varied from 76 to 16, 5 and 1. The soils in the different descriptions were selected by arranging them into groups according to similarities in physical characteristics and taking the soil in each group occupying the largest area in the region to represent other soils in that group. The simulated grain yields were higher under all four projected future climate scenarios than the corresponding average yields in the baseline conditions. On average across the region, there were mostly non-significant differences in grain yield between the soil extrapolations for all cultivars and climate projections. However, for sub-regions grain yield varied by up to 20% between soil extrapolations. These results indicate how projected climate change could affect spring wheat yield given the assumed simulated conditions for a region with similar climate and soil conditions to many other cereal production regions in Northern Europe. The results also provide useful information about how soil input data could be handled in regional crop yield determinations under these conditions.
Authors
L.J. Keeling Knut Egil Bøe J.W. Christensen S. Hyyppä H. Jansson Grete H. M. Jørgensen J. Ladewig Cecilie Marie Mejdell S. Särkijärvi E. Søndergaard E. HartmannAbstract
There is increasing interest in keeping horses in groups, but progress is hampered by a lack of knowledge about which horses can and should be kept together. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the effect of group composition on the occurrence of injuries among horses, the ease of removing horses from groups and horses’ reactivity to a fearful stimulus. Using a matched case control design, 61 groups of horses were studied in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. They were allocated into groups of similar or different age and sex or where membership changed regularly or remained stable. Injuries were recorded before mixing the horses into treatment groups, the day after mixing and four weeks later. Reactivity of horses to a moving novel object and the behaviour of a horse being removed from its group and the reactions of other group members towards this horse and the handler were evaluated. It was hypothesized that a more socially variable group composition has beneficial effects on behaviour, ease of handling and reducing reactivity whereas frequent changes in group composition has negative consequences, resulting in more injuries. We found that differences in treatment effects were mainly related to breed, rather than group composition. Icelandic horses reacted less to the movement of the novel object (P = 0.007) and approached it more afterwards (P = 0.04). They also had fewer new injuries than warmbloods following mixing (P < 0.001) and fewer than all other groups four weeks later (P < 0.01). Most new injuries after mixing were minor and recorded on the horse’s head, chest, hind legs and rump. In conclusion, variations in sex and age composition of the group had little effect on injury level, reactivity and ease of handling compared to the general effect of breed. Concerns about the risk of severe injuries associated with keeping horses in groups are probably overestimated. Thus, we propose that horses can be successfully kept in groups of different sex and age composition.
Authors
Kenan Kanlic Belma Kalamujic Jasmin Grahic Åsmund Asdal Mekjell Meland Mirsad Kurtovic Fuad GasiAbstract
Triploid apple cultivars are often favored by human selection due to their increased fruit size, even though they possess higher requirements in terms of pollination compared to their diploid counterparts. However, similar to the sensory characteristics, preferences for the size and shape of apple fruit are not universal, but culturally dependent. In order to investigate the influence of selection pressure on the frequency of triploid genotypes among different traditional apple germplasms, 141 apple accessions maintained in ex situ collections in Norway and 115 traditional and international apple accessions from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) were analyzed using 8 microsatellite markers. Genotypes possessing more than two alleles per locus were deemed to be triploid. The results of SSR analyses from this and comparable studies indicate that the triploid apple cultivars are much more frequent among the traditional apple germplasm from Southern Europe than they are among the traditional apple germplasm from Northern Europe. The possible causes for these results are also discussed.