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.
2009
Authors
Reidun Pommeresche Anne-Kristin LøesAbstract
This paper presents Norwegian studies of earthworms (density, biomass, burrows density, species, juvenile to adult ratios) in arable soil in Norway conducted during the last 20 years. The effects of crop rotations, fertilization, soil tillage and compaction on earthworms are presented, based on various field experiments. Geophagous (soil eating) species such as Aporrectodea caliginosa and A. rosea dominate the earthworm fauna in Norwegian arable soil. Lumbricus terrestris is also present; in our studies even frequently found in an all-arable crop rotation with annual ploughing. In southern Norway, L. rubellus, and A. longa are commonly found. Earthworm density, recorded in autumn varied between 30 and 350 individuals m-2 in different studies, with the lowest values found in conventional all arable farming systems. One year of ley in the crop rotation increased earthworm burrow density, earthworm density and biomass. Even short-term leys for green manure had a positive effect, likely due to high clover content. Application of animal manure increased earthworm density and biomass. Because geophagous species prefer the upper soil layer, shallow ploughing (15 cm depth) was expected to be detrimental. However, the earthworm density and biomass was not lower with shallow as compared to deep ploughing (25 cm depth). With earthworm densities such as those found in farming systems with ley and animal manure, an estimated amount of 221 tonne of topsoil per hectare passes through the earthworm digestion system within one year. Field-collected geophagous earthworm casts had considerably higher concentrations of plant nutrients than bulk soil (28% higher concentration of Tot-N, 36-53% for PAL, 40%-59% for KAL). Earthworm casts are significant natural sources of plant nutrients, also in soils with high dominance of geophagous earthworm species.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Bruce Talbot Pierre AckermanAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Mensur Vegara Thor S. Larsen Hans Magnus Gjøen Anders Kiessling Roger K. Abrahamsen Ole Hofstad Lars Helge Frivold Bal Ram Singh Gunnar Klemetsdal Geir-Harald Strand Dag Ragnar Blystad Åsmund AsdalAbstract
The main objectives under this programme were: - To improve organising, content and quality of academic education and research in agriculture, veterinary medicine and forestry to meet with needs for qualified people in ongoing rebuilding after wars and to reach the general European level and standards. - Create functional and sustainable networks of regional institutions and professionals to support each other and cooperate for optimal use of limited available resources in the SEE region in a difficult rebuilding situation. The main activities were: - Research and development projects in the areas of animal sciences, crop and fodder production and use of GIS-methods in forestry and agriculture. - Support to development of staff and institutions in form of study stays, study material, covering of costs for laboratory analysis etc. related to M.Sc. and Ph.D. thesis work, guest lecturing and some equipment. - Support to reorientation of academic education in agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine. - Support to regional networks, professional meetings, further development and use of the Programme web site and web-based teaching. The most important strategy in this Programme was to facilitate for institutional cooperation and network building between partners in the SEE area. Therefore a broad approach was chosen with a large number of partners (16) from all actual geographical areas in SEE - West Balkan - (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia & Montenegro) and representing most of the different ethnical groups in the region. The main intensions under the new programme is to improve the organisation, content and quality of academic education, research and support services in the faculties of agriculture, veterinary medicine and forestry in order to meet national needs in the ongoing reconstruction after the regional wars. Programme activities include activities that: ? Support and strengthen selected institutions in SEE/WB towards obtaining European professional levels and standards. ? Promote networking and scientific cooperation between the SEE/WB institutions. ? Promote networking and scientific cooperation between institutions in SEE/WB and in Norway.
Authors
Galina Koptsik Toril Drabløs Eldhuset Sergey Koptsik Dan AamlidAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
The chapter reviews the available literature about the adverse effects of excess nickel on plants and their adaptation mechanisms. The study is focused on forest ecosystems exposed to extreme air pollution from the nickel-processing industry in Northern Fennoscandia. Long-term deposition of heavy metals and sulphur has caused strong soil contamination and severe damage to trees and ground vegetation, their structure, composition and chemistry. Tree leaves, branches and bark as well as dwarf shrubs, mosses and lichens show clearly elevated concentrations of nickel and copper in the surroundings of the smelters. Multivariate analyses show that changes in the element composition of plants depend both on air pollution and on natural factors. Besides direct input of pollutants from atmosphere, soil contamination and nutritional disturbance contribute significantly to the observed changes. Despite decline in emissions, extreme pool of heavy metals accumulated in surface soils is expected to influence plant metabolism and chemistry over a long period of time.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Peder GjerdrumAbstract
Wood products are typically produced in ‘break-down and sorting’ processes: stems are cross-cut and sorted into saw-, pulp- and energy-logs; sawlogs are sawn to boards and sorted according to quality, then split again and applied in various ways. Through the sorting processes, the ‘group traits’ become increasingly more homogeneous, but any individual identity or origin is lost after each process. ‘Group identity’ is even the method for the popular and much applied timber certification systems. ‘Individual identity’ should be an option, however, if the industry wants e.g. to send some specific information together with the wood pieces to subsequent processes, or the answer to questions like ‘what was the outcome of products and profitability of a given lot of raw material?’
Abstract
The vine weevil, Othiorynchus sulcatus, is a serious pest in strawberries in Norway and biological control methods are needed to combat this pest. In this study, the rhizosphere competence of two cold active Norwegian fungal isolates (Metarhizium anisopliae isolate NCRI 250/02 and Beauveria bassiana NCRI 12/96) and the well known Ma43 originating from Austria were tested. This was done by estimating fungal concentrations in the bulk and rhizosphere soil surrounding the strawberry plant roots by counting colony forming unists (CFUs). The highest numbers of B. bassiana NCRI 12/96 CFUs were seen in the rhizosphere at 1.87x109 per liter soil 3 months after application. The highest numbers of M. anisopliae NCRI 250/02 CFUs were seen in the rhizosphere at 2.41x109 per liter soil 1 year after application. Numbers of CFUs for the M. ansiopliae Ma43 CFUs were generally lower than for the Norwegian isolates, but also for this isolate a higher fungal concentration was found in the rihzosphere soil than in the bulk soil.