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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.

2023

Abstract

LoRa-WAN sensors were used to compare methods for determining walking distances by grazing cattle in near real-time. The accuracy of relying on a global positioning system (GPS) alone or in combination with motion data derived from triaxial accelerometers was compared using stationary control trackers (Control) placed in fixed field locations (n=6) or vs. trackers (Animal) mounted on cows (n=6) grazing on pasture at the New Mexico State University’s Clayton Livestock Research Center. Trackers communicated motion data at 1-minute intervals and GPS positions at 15-minute intervals for seven days. Daily distance walked was determined using: 1) raw GPS data (RawDist), 2) data with erroneous GPS locations removed (CorrectedDist), or 3) data with erroneous GPS locations removed and with GPS data associated with the static state excluded (CorrectedDist_Act). Distances were analyzed via one-way ANOVA to compare Control vs. Animal deployment effects. No difference (P=0.43) in walking distance was detected between Control vs. Animal for RawDist. However, distances calculated for CorrectedDist differed (P<0.01) between the two tracker deployments. Due to the random error of GPS measurements, CorrectedDist for stationary devices differed (P=0.01) from zero. The walking distance calculated by CorrectedDist_Act differed (P<0.01) between Control vs. Animal trackers, with distances for Control trackers not differing (P=0.44) from zero. The fusion of GPS and accelerometer data was a more suitable method for calculating walking distance by grazing cattle. This result may highlight the value of combining more than one source of independent sensor data in Precision Livestock Farming applications.

Abstract

The fungus Neonectria ditissima causes Fruit Tree Canker on apple and pear. In the past years the disease has become a threat for Swedish and Northern European apple production since devastating outbreaks destroy large numbers of trees. To date, no complete genetic resistance to N. ditissima is known in apple but genotypes (scion cultivars and rootstocks) differ greatly in their level of partial resistance. Furthermore, the degree of susceptibility of a scion cultivar may be influenced by the rootstock it is grafted to. Thus, we aimed to improve our understanding of genetically determined differences in resistance among rootstocks and clarify cultivar/rootstock interactions with regards to canker resistance. For that, we evaluated differences in resistance to fruit tree canker in 24 rootstocks (including two M9 clones). We also evaluated differences in resistance of four most widely grown in Sweden scion cultivars grafted to four common rootstocks differing in vigour. The new knowledge will be useful for growers and breeders to minimize canker damages, prevent loss of the fruit-bearing surface in the orchards, save time and money for the growers.

To document

Abstract

Monophenols form humic acids (HA) through polycondensation reaction in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process, which will inhibit AD process. Currently, metal ions are the option for in-situ relieving HA inhibition during AD, but excess metal ions are harmful to microorganisms. In this study, carbon quantum dots (CQDs, a non-metallic materials) were proposed to relieve HA inhibition in-situ. We investigated the effect of HA on AD acidification and methanation stage, and synthesized CQDs using sodium citrate (s-CQDs) and p-phenylenediamine (p-CQDs) as precursors to relieve the HA inhibition in-situ. Results showed that s-CQDs (3.0 g/L) significantly increased the cumulative CH4 yield from AD of ethanol with 1.0 g/L HA (1.9 times higher than that without s-CQDs). Microbiological analysis indicated the most dominant methanogen was Methanosarcinaceae, with richness of 89.7%. Compared to the HA inhibition system, the relative abundance of Methanosarcinaceae increased by 87.5%. The analysis of interaction mechanism between CQDs and HA indicated that s-CQDs has an in-situ binding effect to HA by reacting with -OH, Cdouble bondC, and -COOH. This study provided a novel means for in-situ relieving HA inhibition, and illustrated the interaction mechanism between CQDs and HA, which will guide the application in production of bioenergy.

To document

Abstract

Native livestock breeds are part of the history of the Nordic people and comprise a resource for future food production. In this study, net gain and carcass characteristics of two Danish, three Finnish, one Icelandic, six Norwegian and five Swedish native cattle breeds were retrieved and compared to commercial breeds: two beef breeds and two dairy breeds. Breed data were collected from national databases and sorted into six animal categories: young bull, bull, steer, heifer, young cow and cow, for which means and standard deviations were calculated within each country. The native breeds ranged from small-sized milking type breeds with low net gain, carcass weights and EUROP classification to larger multipurpose breeds with high net gains, carcass weights and EUROP classification. All Finnish and most of the Norwegian and Swedish native breeds had lower net gain and carcass weight than the dairy breeds in the same category and country, but with similar carcass conformation and fatness scores. The two Danish native breeds had higher net gain, carcass weight and conformation class than the reference dairy breed, but lower than the reference beef breeds. The net gain and carcass traits of the Icelandic native breed were similar to the smallest-sized native breeds from the other countries. The carcass traits of the native breeds indicate that they have comparative advantages in an extensive production system based on forage and marginal grasslands. They may also succeed better in the value-added markets than in mainstream beef production.