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
Lampros LamprinakisAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Linghan Huang Tingxuan Zhuang Meiqi Zhang Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim Kang Yu Krzysztof Kusnierek Wei Li Xiaojun Liu Yongchao Tian Yan Zhu Weixing Cao Qiang CaoAbstract
Early-season prediction of winter wheat yield and grain protein content is essential for guiding fertilizer and irrigation decisions and reducing uncertainty in variable agroecosystems, as yield affects profitability and quality affects market value and nutrition. Although multi-source data and both single-task learning (STL) and multi-task learning (MTL) are widely used for predicting grain yield and quality, the conditions under which each approach performs best remain poorly understood, especially when data availability, noise, and measurement or computational constraints vary. To address this gap, we conducted a three-year field experiment in Henan Province, China, compiling environmental, agronomic, and proximal-sensing variables across five growth stages. Seven subsets were constructed, including environmental, agronomic, sensor, and combined subsets, and STL/MTL variants of Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Transformer, and Random Forest (RF) were benchmarked. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis quantified feature- and stage-level contributions and guided construction of compact Top-K subsets for accuracy–efficiency trade-offs. Multi-source fusion substantially improved accuracy over single-source inputs, with the combined agronomic-sensor subset providing the best performance (yield R2 = 0.823; GPC R2 = 0.743). Under the current stage-aggregated multi-source representation, MLPs outperformed Transformers and RFs across configurations, indicating that compact nonlinear models were better suited to the present medium-dimensional tabular setting. MTL provided the greatest benefit with sparse feature sets or imbalanced predictive difficulty, whereas STL performed better when information was abundant and signals were strong. SHAP analysis showed that agronomic and sensor features associated with biomass accumulation, nitrogen status, water availability, and canopy light interception were key drivers of model predictions, particularly during erecting and early grain filling. These findings further show that the value of STL versus MTL depends on data-source composition and information richness, and that SHAP can be used not only for interpretation but also for reduced-feature subset design. Within the present plot-scale setting, this study therefore provides a decision-oriented framework for identifying both accuracy-oriented and efficiency-oriented configurations, with efficiency referring to feature parsimony, reduced input and preprocessing burden, and computational time for winter wheat yield and GPC.
Authors
Clifton Makate Gerard Cornelissen Jan Mulder Vegard Martinsen Brian Ogenrwoth Jackline Bonabana-Wabbi Alfred Obia George Kaweesi Øyvind Nystad HandbergAbstract
Abstract Conservation agriculture (CA) and the use of biochar as a soil amendment can promote productive, resilient, and sustainable smallholder farming. However, adopting these practices requires a shift from conventional methods, potentially changing labour use and returns, the extent of which remains poorly understood. Using data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 400 farmers designed to be representative of smallholder farmers in two districts of Uganda, this study assesses how an informational intervention (delivered through instruction and participatory field demonstrations) on CA methods with and without biochar affect labour use and productivity. Control group farmers were compared to those receiving (i) CA and (ii) CA+BIOCHAR interventions. First difference and inverse probability–weighted regression-adjustment model results indicate that the CA+BIOCHAR intervention increased labour use, with no significant labour productivity gains, compared to the control group. Labour input rose by about 36%, driven by a 54% increase in family labour, while hired labour input declined. Extra work was hence met by family labour rather than paid work. Labour savings occurred only in land preparation, and overall returns to labour were roughly 45% lower than conventional practice. The shifts in labour use and productivity are largely attributable to the information intervention, which increased cultivated area, area under minimum tillage, crop diversity, and biochar application. Taken together, these findings show that, over the study period following the intervention, the promoted CA and biochar package was associated with higher labour demand and no clear labour productivity gains. Bundling training with complementary interventions that tackle the labour burden inherent in smallholder agriculture may be necessary to achieve both labour-saving and labour productivity gains from CA and biochar adoption.
Authors
Seth J. Dorman Hannah M. Rivedal Casey Cruse Todd N. Temple Dustin W. Herb Robert J. Starchvick Nicole P. AndersonAbstract
Grass seed crops are susceptible to yellow dwarf viruses transmitted by aphids. The Willamette Valley in Oregon, United States, is the leading producer of cool-season grass seed crops globally, and industry reports have attributed seed yield loss and shortened stand longevity to aphid-transmitted yellow dwarf viruses. Genetic resources are needed for effective and sustainable management of this pest, specifically the Rhopalosiphum padi–PAV pathosystem, in grass seed production to reduce foliar insecticide applications and maintain optimum seed yield potential. High-throughput phenotyping methods are needed to screen grass seed cultivars to identify resistant traits for traditional breeding programs. An automated video tracking procedure was optimized to evaluate host plant resistance in cool-season grass seed crops to R. padi–PAV with live plants and viruliferous and nonviruliferous aphid populations. Feeding behavior recorded with automated video tracking was strongly correlated with “ground-truthed” observations by human observers. Partial resistance (antixenosis and antibiosis) and tolerance traits were detected in select perennial ryegrass and tall fescue cultivars evaluated with traditional phenotyping methods in a greenhouse setting and with high-throughput phenotyping using automated video tracking in the laboratory. Across grass cultivars, nonviruliferous aphids had greater fitness and preference for noninfected grass plants compared with viruliferous aphids. Automated video tracking can be used as a high-throughput phenotyping method for continued evaluation of host plant resistance in grasses grown for seed production, as well as to identify resistant genotypes in other grass crops susceptible to aphid–yellow dwarf virus virus–vector systems.
Abstract
Blue rings (BRs) are wood anatomy anomalies that present great potential in identifying cold spells during the growing season. In this study, we investigated the effect of temperature anomalies on the occurrence of two types of BR in Pinus sylvestris at its northern distribution limit in Norway. Of the 3508 individual tree rings from 1727 to 2022 analysed, we identified 206 BRs from a span of 85 years, the oldest formed in 1730. We distinguished two types of BR: Type A with normal earlywood and latewood ending with a thin blue layer; and Type B with the entire latewood zone replaced by earlywood-like tracheids. Our results demonstrate that the two types have a common climatic trigger – a cool spring and autumn. However, Type A is more linked to tree-ring width, whereas Type B is associated more closely with tree ontogeny and local environmental constraints. Although we observed the formation of BRs even in old trees, we found that they formed more frequently in young specimens. We showed that while the short-term cyclical drivers of Type A remained persistent, the climatic or environmental drivers associated with Type B gradually diminished under climate change. Our study demonstrates that the differentiation of BRs into types can contribute to a better understanding of their driving factors; however, detailed intra-annual phenological and xylogenetic monitoring will be crucial to achieve further insights.
Authors
Han Wang Keqiang Zhang Muheng Liu Shenwei Cheng Cheryl Marie Cordeiro Erik Sindhøj Junfeng Liang Yuanfang Zeng Shizhou Shen Suli ZhiAbstract
Background: Manure-amended agricultural soil is a critical reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing escalating threats to environmental health and food safety. However, the temporal trajectories of ARG prevalence throughout the complete reproductive cycle of cash crops, and their mechanistic linkages with fertilization regimes and microbial community succession, remain inadequately understood. Methods: To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted an in situ field experiment over the entire growth period of Chinese cabbage at a long-term manure-amended farm in Tianjin, China. Six contrasting fertilization strategies were evaluated: unfertilized control (CK1), unfertilized baseline control (CK2), traditional full-rate combined manure–chemical fertilization (TF), traditional half-rate combined manure–chemical fertilization (T1), half-dose sole manure fertilizer (T2), and half-dose sole chemical fertilizer only (T3). Results: Our results demonstrated that ARG abundance and associated mobile genetic elements (MGEs) exhibited a pronounced transient surge immediately post-fertilization, yet reverted to baseline levels by harvest, revealing a tangible resilience of the soil resistome. Notably, the optimized half-organic fertilization (T2) effectively curtailed the proliferation of manure-derived pathogenic taxa while preserving beneficial keystone phyla (e.g., Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria), indicating a trade-off between nutrient provisioning and ecological filtering. Co-occurrence network analysis further identified MB-A2-108, Saccharimonadales, and Rokubacteriales as pivotal hosts for multidrug-resistant ARGs, underscoring that microbial interspecific interactions—rather than taxonomic richness alone—are the primary drivers of resistome succession. Quantitative risk assessment confirmed that the T2 regimen reduced the composite ARG contamination index (CFzone) by 25% relative to conventional full fertilization (TF), while maintaining comparable cabbage yields. Conclusions: Collectively, our findings advocate for precision organic fertilization as a nature-based solution that synchronizes nutrient supply with crop demand, curtails ARG propagation, and mitigates long-term agroecological risks.
Authors
Linn Vassvik Anders Nielsen Michael P. D. Garratt Bjørn Arild Hatteland Joseph Chipperfield Erik Trond AschehougAbstract
Apples are dependent upon pollinators for the transfer of pollen between cultivars to ensure high quality fruit production. Agricultural intensification has reduced the availability of stable floral resources for wild bees, leading to widespread declines of important pollinators of apples. Managed honeybees are commonly used to supplement pollination services in apple orchards, but honeybees are less efficient pollinators compared to wild bees. We investigated whether increased flower abundance in the understory vegetation of apple orchards can increase pollinator activity to apple flowers. We compared bee visitation in five orchards in Eastern Norway: three unmowed orchards, and two mowed orchards. In unmowed orchards, dandelions ( Taraxacum spp.) dominated the understory vegetation. Bee observations were conducted on the understory vegetation and apple trees, via manual observations and time-lapse cameras. Wild bees preferentially visited apple flowers over dandelions, while honeybees did not differ in their visits to apple flowers and dandelion flowers. We also found that the abundance of dandelion flowers in the understory increased visits by wild bees to apple flowers. Taken together, this suggests that within orchard floral resources do not compete for pollinators but instead increase apple visitation and improve pollination success. Our results highlight the importance of managing apple orchards for wild bee populations and the potential short-term benefits of understory floral resources on apple production. Implications for insect conservation Our results show that understory vegetation should be left unmowed to increase pollination of apple flowers and provide pollinators with alternate floral resources before, during, and after apple flowering.
Abstract
Biochar, a carbon‐rich product of pyrolysis, is increasingly considered for soil amendment and climate change mitigation due to its potential to enhance soil properties and sequester carbon. However, its effects on tree growth in forest ecosystems remain uncertain. This study investigated the impact of biochar and nitrogen‐enriched biochar on the growth of two middle‐aged (approximately 60‐year‐old) Scots pine stands in southeastern Norway. Both stands were characterized by medium site indices and podzolic soils. In replicated field experiments, we applied four treatments consisting of an unfertilized control, and addition of biochar (2.5 t ha −1 ), nitrogen fertilizer (150 kg N ha −1 ), or biochar loaded with nitrogen (2.5 t biochar +150 kg N ha −1 ). The biochar was produced by pyrolysis of Norway spruce wood chips at 600°C. After 5 years, only treatments containing added nitrogen (either as mineral fertilizer or as nutrient‐enriched biochar) significantly increased basal area and volume growth compared to control. No significant difference in timing or magnitude of effects was observed between the nitrogen and biochar + nitrogen treatments, except better annual growth in the combined treatment the third year after fertilization, indicating rapid nitrogen release and uptake regardless of carrier. Pure biochar did not stimulate tree growth. While biochar did not negatively affect growth, its direct role as a growth stimulant was not supported under these conditions, at least in the short‐term with the dose of 2.5 t ha −1 . Further research is needed across different forest ages, site types, and application rates to fully understand biochar's potential in forestry.
Authors
Anne Linn Hykkerud Meeri Santikko Michel Verheul Baoru Yang Niina Kelanne Dmitry Kechasov Anita SønstebyAbstract
No abstract has been registered