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
Appropriate weed control measures during the renewal phase of temporary grasslands are critical to ensure high yields during the whole grassland lifecycle. The aim of this study was to determine which integrated grassland renewal strategy can most effectively control annual weeds in the sowing year and delay perennial weed re-establishment. Four split-plot trials were established at three sites dominated by Rumex spp. along a south-north gradient in Norway. The annual and perennial weed abundance was recorded during the sowing year and two or three production years. Main plots tested seven renewal strategies: 1. Spring plowing, 2. Spring plowing+companion crop (CC), 3. Summer cut+plowing, 4. Summer glyphosate+plowing, 5. Summer glyphosate+harrowing, 6. Late spring glyphosate+plowing, 7. Fall glyphosate+spring plowing+CC. Strategies 1–4 were tested in all four trials, strategy 5 in three trials, strategy 6 in two trials and strategy 7 in one trial. Plowing was performed at 20–25 cm depth, rotary harrowing at 15 cm depth, and glyphosate was applied at 2160 g a.i. ha-1. CC was spring barley (Hordeum vulgare). Subplots tested selective herbicide spraying (yes/no) in the sowing year. Results showed that effects of renewal strategies were often site-specific and differed between the sowing year and production years. Spring renewal resulted in higher perennial weed abundance than summer renewal in two out of four trials (by 3 and 12 percentage points, over all production years), and glyphosate followed by harrowing drastically increased Rumex spp. in one out of three trials (by 18 percentage points over all production years). CCs only significantly reduced perennial weed abundance in one trial (by 8 percentage points over all production years). In comparison, the selective herbicides had a strong effect on annual and perennial weeds in the sowing year in all trials. Selective herbicides reduced the weed cover from 32% to 7% cover, and averaged over the production years and sites, the perennial weed biomass fraction was 6 percentage points lower where herbicides had been applied. We conclude that while the tested renewal strategies provided variable and site-specific perennial weed control, selective herbicides were effective at controlling Rumex spp. and other perennial dicot weeds in the first two production years.
Authors
Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Hugh Riley Vegard Martinsen Ievina Sturite Adam Thomas O'Toole Samson Øpstad Thomas CottisAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ingerd Skow Hofgaard Guro Brodal Heidi Udnes Aamot Marit Almvik Aina Lundon Russenes Morten Lillemo Simon Graham EdwardsAbstract
Oat harvested from plants infested with plant pathogenic fungi within the Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex may sometimes contain high levels of mycotoxins, which makes the grain unsuitable for food and feed. Fusarium graminearum, a deoxynivalenol (DON) producer, and Fusarium langsethiae, a T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 toxin (HT2) producer, are commonly occurring in Norwegian oats. We have analysed grains of Nordic oat varieties and breeding lines for the content of mycotoxins and DNA of Fusarium species belonging to the FHB disease complex (Hofgaard et al. 2022). The grains were harvested from field trials located in South-East Norway in the years 2011-2020. The ranking of oat varieties according to HT2+T2 levels corresponded with the ranking according to the DNA levels of F. langsethiae. However, this ranking did not resemble the ranking for DON and F. graminearum DNA. Our results implies that a moderate resistance to DON producers does not guarantee a moderate resistance to HT2+T2 producers. Separate tests are therefore necessary to determine the resistance towards DON and HT2+T2 producers in oats. This creates practical challenges for the screening of FHB resistance in oats as todays’ screening focuses on resistance to F. graminearum and DON. We identified oat varieties with generally low levels of both mycotoxins and FHB pathogens which should be promoted to mitigate mycotoxin risk in Norwegian oats.
2022
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
In Norway, the effect of drainage on grassland yields has received little attention for decades. Low level of drainage may be a reason for low grassland production. Therefore, a drainage experiment was established in a western Norwegian ley, on a sandy silt soil with a high capacity for water storage. The plots had six and twelve meters drain spacing, as well as undrained. There were two or three cuts, and fertilization of 190 or 290 kg N yr-1 ha-1. Drainage intensity gave a small significant increase in yield. N loss in drainage water increased with drainage intensity. The yield increase is likely too small to justify drainage, but the intervention might still be worthwhile due to increased N efficiency and a more manageable risk of compaction. A precise quantification of the hydrological effects is hard due to inherent soil variability.
Abstract
In Norway, the effect of drainage on grassland yields has received little attention for decades. Low levels of drainage may be a reason for low grassland production. Therefore, a drainage experiment was established in a western Norwegian ley, on a sandy silt soil with a high capacity for water storage. The plots had six- and twelve-metres drain spacing, as well as an undrained treatment. For each drainage treatment there were two or three cuts per year, and fertilization of 190 or 290 kg N yr-1 ha-1. Drainage intensity gave a small significant increase in yield. N loss in drainage water increased with drainage intensity. The small herbage yield increase is unlikely by itself to justify drainage, but the drainage installation might still be worthwhile due to increased N efficiency and a more manageable risk of compaction. Precise quantification of the hydrological effects is hard to make due to the inherent soil variability.
Abstract
Climate change results in longer growing season, benefitting forage crop production in northern Norway. Wild goose populations take advantage of the increased access to this high-quality feed. European goose populations are increasing, triggering conflicts and economical losses for farmers. A warmer climate may open for higher yielding seed mixtures, with better tolerance against goose grazing. We tested eight different seed mixtures by adding five forage species in various combinations to a traditional, commercial seed mixture in a randomized block design, three replicates. Goose grazing was simulated by weekly cutting small plots (0.25 m2) fixed within 10.5 m2 larger plots. Cumulated biomass in the weekly cut small plots was compared to total yields from the large plots, harvested twice according to normal practice. No significant differences in biomass accumulation between seed mixtures of the weekly cut plots were identified, possibly due to large variation between replicates, harvest years and cutting regime. However, results indicate that several of the new mixtures containing Dactylis glomerata are higher yielding and tolerate intensified cutting better than the traditional mixtures. This suggests that traditional, commercial seed mixtures are not the best for grasslands subjected to intensive geese grazing. goose grazing, Northern Norway, Dactylis glomerata, field study, simulated grazing
Abstract
No abstract has been registered