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.
2025
Authors
Carey Donald Gunnhild Jaastad Marianne Flågeng Sylvain Alain Yves Merel Josef Rasinger Marc Berntssen Ikram BelghitAbstract
Insect farming is gaining increasing attention because of the ability of insects to upscale a variety of waste and by-product biomass efficiently into proteins and lipids. In the European Union and in Norway, the use of insects is permitted in formulated pig, poultry, and fish feeds and more recently for human consumption. However, the European Food Safety Authority has highlighted the lack of data regarding the safety of processing pesticide-contaminated biomass by insects into feed or food products. Secondly, the presence of insecticide residues in plant biomass might negatively affect the growth or survival of the insects themselves. This study aimed to evaluate the fate of the insecticide pirimiphos-methyl (PM) in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) and yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor, YMW) larvae composting. PM is a dominant pesticide found in relevant insect biomasses. Newly hatched larvae were fed on a standard poultry feed substrate spiked with pirimiphos-methyl at different concentrations: 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg (wet base), under optimal breeding conditions. Poultry feed substrate spiked with methanol served as control group. When the feeding media were spiked with 20 and 40 mg/kg of PM, the survival of both BSF and YMW larvae decreased. Mean larvae mass for both species was reduced with increasing concentrations of PM. PM and 7 compounds were identified in a metabolites/transformation product screen that was aided by in silico predictions. One compound, dihydroxy-PM was uniquely detected in larvae. Neither insect species appears to accumulate PM metabolites, and 90% of PM was metabolised. Results indicate that these insects can be reared on PM-contaminated biomass without risk of PM accumulation.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jorunn BørveAbstract
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Abstract
Northern Norway’s unique conditions support large-scale cultivation of root brassicas despite short seasons and low temperatures. However, climate change, pest problems, and logistical hurdles present challenges.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Volkmar Timmermann Nenad Potočić Anne-Katrin Prescher Alexa Michel Katrin Haggenmüller Till KirchnerAbstract
In 2024, our sample remained stable with 27 participating countries and the largest number of assessed plots since 2019. We witnessed a very slight increase of 0.2 percentage points (%p) in mean defoliation as compared to 2023, mainly due to an increase of 0.5%p for broadleaves, while defoliation of conifers remained almost unchanged (0.1%p decrease). The strongest increase in defoliation occurred in deciduous (sub-) Mediterranean oaks (+2.1%p), while the strongest decrease was recorded in Norway spruce (-0.8%p). Deciduous temperate oaks had the highest (29.7%) and Norway spruce the lowest (22.4%) mean defoliation. Trend analyses show a considerable increase in defoliation of evergreen oaks (7.1%p), common beech (6%p), Norway spruce (5.5%p), and deciduous temperate oaks (5%p) over the past 20 years. The increase in defoliation for Scots pine and Mediterranean lowland pines (3.7 and 3.3%p, respectively) was more moderate. The results of the trend analyses were not significant for deciduous (sub-) Mediterranean oaks and Austrian pine. The percentage of trees with damage symptoms (48.6%) was almost the same as in 2023 (-0.5%p). As in previous years, the number of damage symptoms per assessed tree was substantially higher for broadleaves than for conifers (0.86 vs. 0.55, respectively). Insects, abiotic causes, and fungi were the most common damage agent groups for all species, comprising altogether more than half of all damage records. Tree mortality in 2024 was 1.1% (1 145 trees), i.e. at the same level as in the year before. While mortality rates for the main species and species groups ranged from 0.6 to 1.6%, mortality of Betula spp. and European ash was higher with 2.4% and 7% respectively.
Authors
Volkmar TimmermannAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered