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.
2012
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Authors
Lampros LamprinakisAbstract
Firms in the agri-food industry are embedded in a system of institutions, regulations and policies that shape their economic environment and affect their conduct and performance. Changes in this system can propose new challenges for the firms that need to adequately and efficiently change and adapt to the emerging environment. The following article examines how deep structural changes in the institutional and regulatory setting can be effectively addressed by organizational innovation and what can be the catalysts behind a successful innovation effort. In doing so the analysis examines the case of Valio, the largest Finnish dairy company and its reconstruction effort due to Finland’s EU accession in 1995. After years of restructuring and changing its business model the company remains a major player in Finland and one of the most well-known brands in the region.
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The aim of this paper is to complete the studies of the genus Stenostola in Northern Europe. Together with previous published studies the characters presented form a better basis for separation of S. ferrea and S. dubia both as imagines and as larvae. The presented paper consists of three parts: Studies of the genitalia, morphological characters for identification of the larvae and DNA barcoding of both Stenostola dubia (Laicharting, 1784) and S. ferrea (Shrank, 1776). Although very similar, the male genitalia have good characters for species separation. The easiest characters to use are the parameres and tips of sclerite 2. The posterior ends of the elongated median sclerites of S. ferrea are irregularly curved or “zigzag” shaped, while the posterior ends of the median sclerites of S. dubia are straight. The genitalia characters presented are not previously published. No single morphological character alone is enough to identify the larvae to species. However, when the characters are used together the mature larvae are usually identifiable. The younger the larvae are, the more difficult they are to identify. Barcoding analysis of mitochondrial COI gene shows that S. ferrea and S. dubia are genetically different. The genetic distance between the species is 10.3 %. These results, in addition to previous findings, show that despite the morphological similarities, they are clearly two different species.
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Landscapes reflect both historic and current cultural and socio-economic activities of human societies. Accordingly, as human societies change, the landscape changes as well. Agriculture is the main driver of landscape changes in the Czech Republic. Therefore, it is necessary to devote special attention to agricultural practices and define simple but effective steps to improve landscape mosaics towards a sustainable development. In this study, regional information about historic changes in landscape structure was studied to (1) identify the trends in land use/cover development since 1940 to 2010 and (2) determine the impact of land use change on the resulting heterogeneity of the landscape. The overall purpose was to find areas of compromise which would allow strengthening of landscape structure and thus stabilize its functions. We specified trends of land use/cover development in 15 catchments with varying agriculture intensity. We digitalized aerial photographs from 1940, 1960, and 1990 and orthophotomaps from 2010. Then, we used a heterogeneity index to define landscape heterogeneity in all catchments and time horizons. The results of our research confirmed increasing tillage effort in intensively cultivated areas, support of secondary succession processes in marginalized areas, and overall increase in forest area. Our study found that simplification and homogenization of the landscape mosaic took place in all studied areas, with the steepest decline found in areas with high agriculture intensity. However, linear vegetation proved to be a suitable starting point for a targeted effort to increase heterogeneity and thus seemed to be crucial for sustainable development of landscape functions in agroecosystems.
Authors
Aruppillai Suthaparan Arne Stensvand Knut Asbjørn Solhaug Sissel Torre Leiv M. Mortensen David M. Gadoury R.C. Seem Hans Ragnar GislerødAbstract
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Authors
Karsten Dunger Sven Hans-Olof Petersson Susana Barreiro Emil Cienciala Antoine Colin Gro Hylen Gal Kusar Katja Oehmichen Erkki Tomppo Tarja Tuomainen Göran StahlAbstract
Most European countries have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change and its Kyoto Protocol. Because the European Union is a party to the convention just like the individual countries, there is a need for harmonizing emissions reporting. This specifically applies to the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry sector, for which harmonized reporting is complex and generally challenging. For example, parties use a variety of different methods for estimating emissions and removals, ranging from application of default factors to advanced methods adapted to national circumstances, such as ongoing field inventories. In this study, we demonstrate that without harmonization, national definitions and methods lead to inconsistent estimates. Based on case studies in Finland, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden, we conclude that common reference definitions and country-specific bridges are means to harmonize the estimates and make greenhouse gas reporting from forests comparable across countries.
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Ceratocystis polonica and Heterobasidion parviporum are important fungal pathogens in Norway spruce (Picea abies). Tree susceptibility to these pathogens with respect to phenology was studied using artificial fungal inoculations at six stages of bud development, and assessed by measuring phloem necroses in the stems of 2- and 8-year-old trees. Tree capacity for resistance was assessed by measuring phloem nonstructural carbohydrates at each stage. Phloem necroses were significantly larger in trees with fungal versus control inoculations and increased significantly over time. Changes in nonstructural carbohydrates occurred in the trees; a significant decline in starch and a slight but significant increase in total sugars occurred over time. These results suggest that susceptibility to fungal pathogens and carbohydrate levels in the stems of the trees were related to fine-scale changes in bud development. A trade-off may occur between allocation of starch (the major fraction of the stem carbohydrate pool) to bud development/shoot growth versus defence of the stem. Previous tests of plant defence hypotheses have focused on herbivory on plants growing under different environmental conditions, but the role of phenology and the effect of pathogens are also important to consider in understanding plant resource allocation patterns.