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.
2006
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jens Kværner Grete Swensen Lars ErikstadAbstract
In the traditional EIA procedure environmental vulnerability is only considered to a minor extent in the early stages when project alternatives are worked out. In Norway, an alternative approach to EIA, an integrated vulnerability model (IVM), emphasising environmental vulnerability and alternatives development in the early stages of EIA, has been tried out in a few pilot cases. This paper examines the content and use of the vulnerability concept in the IVM approach, and discusses the concept in an EIA context. The vulnerability concept is best suited to overview analyses and large scale spatial considerations. The concept is particularly useful in the early stages of EIA when alternatives are designed and screened. By introducing analyses of environmental vulnerability at the start of the EIA process, the environment can be a more decisive issue for the creation of project alternatives as well as improving the basis for scoping. Vulnerability and value aspects should be considered as separate dimensions. There is a need to operate with a specification between general and specific vulnerability. The concept of environmental vulnerability has proven useful in a wide range of disciplines. Different disciplines have different lengths of experience regarding vulnerability. In disciplines such as landscape planning and hydrogeology we find elements suitable as cornerstones in the further development of an interdisciplinary methodology. Further development of vulnerability criteria in different disciplines and increased public involvement in the early stages of EIA are recommended.
Authors
Liv Sognnes Gustav Fystro Samson Øpstad Arve Arstein Trond BørresenAbstract
In terms of agricultural use, peat soils have weak structure, high water content, insufficient soil aeration and poor thermal properties resulting in suboptimal physical properties and yields of grass. During the period 1978 - 1995, a long-term field trial was conducted on highly decomposed peat soil in order to investigate the impact of adding mineral materials to improve soil characteristics and increase grass yield. Shell sand or moraine soil (200, 400 or 800 m(3) ha(-1)) was incorporated into peat soil. Generally, addition of both shell sand and moraine soil improved the physical properties of the soil and grass production. During the first nine years, shell sand ( 400 m 3 ha(-1)) was the most efficient. Thereafter, moraine soil ( 400 and 800 m(3) ha(-1)) seemed most beneficial. This study indicates that additions of shell sand or moraine soil to peat are appropriate methods to improve and conserve the physical properties and cropping potential of these vulnerable soils.
Authors
Alhaji S. Jeng Trond Knapp Haraldsen Per Anker PedersenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Kinga Adam Anne Kristine Søvik Tore KrogstadAbstract
Sorption of P to the filter material Filtralite-p (TM) was examined at a small, medium and large scale. in the small- and meso-scale laboratory models, the sorbed amount of total phosphorus (P) was heterogeneously distributed with more P sorbed in the inlet zone and the bottom layers. The full-scale system had, on the other hand, the highest sorbed concentration in the outlet region. The overall P sorption capacity of the material was 8030, 4990 and 521 mg P kg(-1) Filtralite-P (TM) for Box 1, Box 2 and meso scale, respectively This equals 4.4, 2.8 and 0.29 kg p m(-3) material, respectively However, the maximum sorption capacities found were 2500, 3887 and 4500 mg P kg(-1) Filtralite-P (TM) for the two small-scale box systems and the meso-scale container, respectively. in the full-scale system the overall P sorption capacity of the material was 52 mg P kg(-1) Filtralite-P (TM) (0.029 kg P m(-3) Filtralite-P (TM)) with a maximum sorbed amount of P of 249 mg P kg(-1). Results from both the small- and meso-scale system show that when a constructed wetland (CW) is saturated, i.e. when the outlet concentration has reached its maximum allowed concentration of 1.0 mg P l(-1), only parts of the filter material will have reached the sorption capacity. Sequential extractions of Filtralite-P (TM) showed that the loosely bound P, Ca-P and AI-P were the primary P sorption pools both in the small-scale models and in the full-scale CW However, the proportion of these three fractions varied with time and change in pH. A white product precipitated in the outlet zone of both the small-scale box models as well as the onsite CW The surface of these precipitation particles was identified by X-ray diffraction and SEM method as CaCO3 and precipitated Ca- and Mg-phosphates. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ingjerd Solfjeld Øystein JohnsenAbstract
We have examined shoot and root growth and the concentration of carbohydrates in seedlings of a northern (67 degrees N) and a southern (61 degrees N) ecotype of Betula pendula Roth. cultivated at root-zone temperatures of 2, 6, 12 and 17 degrees C. Three hydroponic experiments were conducted in controlled environments. We used three different pretreatments before seedlings were subjected to the experimental temperature treatments. Actively growing seedlings that were acclimated to the hydroponic solution for 3 weeks at a root temperature of 17 degrees C, continued to grow at all the experimental temperatures, with an expected increase in growth from 2 to 17 degrees C. However, if we started with ecodormant cold stored plants or used seedlings grown actively in perlite, no growth was observed at 2 degrees C and only minor growth was found at 6 degrees C. The highest root temperature always produced the best growth. The concentration of nonstructural carbohydrates was higher in seedlings grown at 2 degrees C than at 17 degrees C, and this is probably due to extensive incorporation of carbohydrates into cell walls and other structural elements at 17 degrees C. We found no evidence for differences between the two ecotypes in root growth, in timing of bud burst, but shoot growth terminated in the northern ecotype in the first experiment because the natural photoperiod was below the critical value. Our study highlights the importance of post-transplantation stress (planting check) related to root growth, and that root threshold temperatures may change according to the way plants are pretreated. Abstract: We have examined shoot and root growth and the concentration of carbohydrates in seedlings of a northern (67 degrees N) and a southern (61 degrees N) ecotype of Betula pendula Roth. cultivated at root-zone temperatures of 2, 6, 12 and 17 degrees C. Three hydroponic experiments were conducted in controlled environments. We used three different pretreatments before seedlings were subjected to the experimental temperature treatments. Actively growing seedlings that were acclimated to the hydroponic solution for 3 weeks at a root temperature of 17 degrees C, continued to grow at all the experimental temperatures, with an expected increase in growth from 2 to 17 degrees C. However, if we started with ecodormant cold stored plants or used seedlings grown actively in perlite, no growth was observed at 2 degrees C and only minor growth was found at 6 degrees C. The highest root temperature always produced the best growth. The concentration of nonstructural carbohydrates was higher in seedlings grown at 2 degrees C than at 17 degrees C, and this is probably due to extensive incorporation of carbohydrates into cell walls and other structural elements at 17 degrees C. We found no evidence for differences between the two ecotypes in root growth, in timing of bud burst, but shoot growth terminated in the northern ecotype in the first experiment because the natural photoperiod was below the critical value. Our study highlights the importance of post-transplantation stress (planting check) related to root growth, and that root threshold temperatures may change according to the way plants are pretreated.
Authors
Anne Straumfors Karl-Christian Nordby Wijnand Eduard Sonja KlemsdalAbstract
Inhalation of immunomodulating mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. that are commonly found in grain dust may imply health risks for grain farmers. Airborne Fusarium and mycotoxin exposure levels are mainly unknown due to difficulties in identifying Fusarium and mycotoxins in personal aerosol samples. We used a novel real-time PCR method to quantify the fungal trichodiene synthase gene (tri5) and DNA specific to F. langsethiae and F. avenaceum in airborne and settled grain dust, determined the personal inhalant exposure level to toxigenic Fusarium during various activities, and evaluated whether quantitative measurements of Fusarium-DNA could predict trichothecene levels in grain dust. Airborne Fusarium-DNA was detected in personal samples even from short tasks (10-60 min). The median Fusarium-DNA level was significantly higher in settled than in airborne grain dust (p < 0.001), and only the F. langsethiae-DNA levels correlated significantly in settled and airborne dust (r(s) = 0.20, p = 0.003). Both F. langsethiae-DNA and tri5-DNA were associated with HT-2 and T-2 toxins (r(s) = 0.24-0.71, p < 0.05 to p < 00.01) in settled dust, and could thus be suitable as indicators for HT-2 and T-2. The median personal inhalant exposure to specific toxigenic Fusarium spp. was less than 1 genome m(-3), but the exposure ranged from 0-10(5) genomes m(-3). This study is the first to apply real-time PCR on personal samples of inhalable grain dust for the quanti. cation of tri5 and species- specific Fusarium-DNA, which may have potential for risk assessments of inhaled trichothecenes.
Abstract
We describe the cloning and characterization of a single copy gene from Trichoderma atroviride P1 encoding a novel 30 kDa chitinase, Ech30. Ech30 is a family 18 chitinase showing low sequence similarity to other Trichoderma chitinases. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR studies revealed that expression of the ech30 gene was induced by the presence of Botrytis cinerea in plate confrontation assays, but hardly by chitin in liquid cultures. Studies of Ech30 purified from an Escherichia coli strain overexpressing the ech30 gene devoid of the leader sequence and a predicted intron, showed that the gene encodes an active chitinase, which, as expected for family 18 chitinases, is inhibited by allosamidin.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare two methods for non-destructive strength testing of wood by the use of dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyn). The two methods are based on resonant vibration excitation and ultrasonic pulse excitation. Sound Pinus sylvestris L. sapwood samples treated with two copper-containing wood preservatives and two chitosan solutions were evaluated at two moisture levels. There was a significant correlation between the measurements given by the two MOEdyn test devices. An analysis of variance showed significant differences between the different treatments and between different moisture levels. Potential use of the non-destructive MOEdyn methods in durability testing is discussed.