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
Shun Hasegawa Kjetil Schanke Aas Ulrika Jansson Asplund Lise Dalsgaard Heleen de Wit Andreas Hagenbo Carl-Fredrik Johannesson Jenni NordénAbstract
Norwegian forests cover 12 million hectares and are vital for carbon uptake and biodiversity, yet CO2 absorption has declined since 2010 due to increased harvesting, mortality and reduced growth as more forests surpass harvest maturity. With 45% now economically mature and 20% older than 120 years, the future carbon uptake of these stands is uncertain, particularly if they develop towards old-growth. Old-growth forests form without stand-replacing disturbances and have diverse structures and deadwood. Norwegian mature forests mostly originate from clear-cutting, so insights from primary old-growth must be applied with caution. After maturity, forests continue to sequester carbon but more slowly, with increasing storage in deadwood and soil. Soil carbon trajectories remain uncertain: disturbance often causes short-term losses followed by decades of accumulation. Microbial communities, especially fungi, influence long-term soil carbon, but data are limited. Norway uses the Yasso soil carbon model, which predicts continued soil carbon increases with age though at slowing rates; however, it simplifies key processes, and more advanced models are in development. Biodiversity supports carbon cycling, resilience and soil health, yet knowledge gaps persist. Climate change is expected to increase disturbances, raising long-term risks for older stands. The report highlights the need for improved monitoring, research and modelling to better understand carbon dynamics and resilience as forests age.
Authors
Sonja I. Kimmel Matthias Schumacher Michael Spaeth Markus Sökefeld Oyebanji O. Alagbo Alicia Allmendinger Dionisio Andujar Therese With Berge Reiner Braun Sergiu Cioca Parasca Jessica Emminghaus Ioannis Glykos Pavel Hamouz Adam Hruška Michael Merkle Georg Naruhn Gerassimos G. Peteinatos Bahadir Sin Roland GerhardsAbstract
Effective weed management is crucial in the critical period of sugar beet production, but often lacks sustainability and environmental protection. Recent advancements in sensor-based weed control systems have rendered the latter a realistic prospect, which demands detailed analyses, especially under suboptimal field conditions. The present study analysed six robotic-assisted weed control systems (RAWS) in three experiments on sugar beets in 2024, conducted under dry soil and high weed pressure. The experiments included sensor-based inter-row and intra-row hoeing, spot- and band-spraying and were compared to a broadcast herbicide treatment and an untreated control. Weed control efficacy (WCE) in the intra- and inter-row areas, as well as weed species composition and crop plant damage, were assessed after treatment. The data show that intra-row WCE of two hoeing robots (Farming GT® and Robovator®) equipped with selective intra-row blades achieved up to 80%, which was higher than the broadcast herbicide control with 67% WCE. In the inter-row area, Farming GT® robotic hoeing and ARA® spot-spraying resulted in more than 90% WCE, which was equal to the broadcast herbicide application. Weed species composition was not affected by the different RAWS. Crop plants were affected by all hoeing treatments with maximum non-lethal burial rates of 33%. The highest lethal uprooting of crop plants occurred after Farming GT® robotic hoeing, at 5.5% overall. The results demonstrate the great potential of robotic weeding to replace broadcast herbicide applications.
Authors
Frans-Jan W. Parmentier Alexandra Pongracz Marius Lambert Rosie Fisher Adrian Gustafson Paul A. Miller Sam S. Rabin Ane Vollsnes David WårlindAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
In modern agricultural landscapes, field margins are important for the survival of many species of plants and animals. We recorded vascular plant species in three kinds of field margins: road verges, margins adjacent to pasture, and strips of vegetation with arable fields on either side (“corridors”). Field margins are not included in the current national monitoring programme, due to limited funds and difficulties standardising recording methods. In this study, we repeated a survey done 15 years earlier. For both surveys, recording effort was standardised by using the shape and size of the mapped field margin to calculate the time allocated for recording a full species list. We found that there were fewer flowering plants in the margins than previously, including a decline in many pollinator plants. However, invasive species had increased in frequency. Road verges were the most species rich, presumably because the vegetation is regularly cut for traffic safety reasons. But the Norwegian Public Roads Administration are also managing species-rich roadsides through adapted mowing. Considering international ambitions to restore nature, regular management of field boundaries could be a suitable measure in agricultural landscapes, to increase their value for biodiversity.
Authors
Nima Shokri David A. Robinson Mehdi Afshar Christine Alewell Milad Aminzadeh Emmanuel Arthur Nils Broothaerts Grant A. Campbell Lina Eklund Surya Gupta Richard Harper Amirhossein Hassani Cathy Hohenegger Thomas Keller Maximilian Kiener Inma Lebron Kaveh Madani Tshilidzi Marwala Francis Matthews Per Moldrup Attila Nemes Panos Panagos Remus Prăvălie Matthias C. Rillig Philipp Saggau Salome M. S. Shokri‐Kuehni Pete Smith Amy Thomas Lis Wollesen de Jonge Dani OrAbstract
Abstract The increasing threat of soil degradation presents significant challenges to soil health, especially within agroecosystems that are vital for food security, climate regulation, and economic stability. This growing concern arises from intricate interactions between land use practices and climatic conditions, which, if not addressed, could jeopardize sustainable development and environmental resilience. This review offers a comprehensive examination of soil degradation, including its definitions, global prevalence, underlying mechanisms, and methods of measurement. It underscores the connections between soil degradation and land use, with a focus on socio‐economic consequences. Current assessment methods frequently depend on insufficient data, concentrate on singular factors, and utilize arbitrary thresholds, potentially resulting in misclassification and misguided decisions. We analyze these shortcomings and investigate emerging methodologies that provide scalable and objective evaluations, offering a more accurate representation of soil vulnerability. Additionally, the review assesses both physical and biological indicators, as well as the potential of technologies such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics for enhanced monitoring and forecasting. Key factors driving soil degradation, including unsustainable agricultural practices, deforestation, industrial activities, and extreme climate events, are thoroughly examined. The review emphasizes the importance of healthy soils in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly concerning food and water security, ecosystem health, poverty alleviation, and climate action. It suggests future research directions that prioritize standardized metrics, interdisciplinary collaboration, and predictive modeling to facilitate more integrated and effective management of soil degradation in the context of global environmental changes.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Monica Sanden Eirill Ager-Wick Johanna Eva Bodin Nur Duale Kristian Prydz Volha Shapaval Tage Thorstensen Anne-Marthe Ganes Jevnaker Ville Erling SipinenAbstract
Genetically modified soybean MON 94637 was developed through Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of soybean tissue to express Cry1A.2 and Cry1B.2 proteins conferring resistance to lepidopteran (order of butterflies and moths) pests. The scientific documentation provided in the application for soybean MON 94637 is adequate for risk assessment, and in accordance with EFSA guidance on risk assessment of genetically modified plants for use in food or feed. The VKM GMO panel does not consider the introduced modifications in soybean MON 94637 to imply potential specific health or environmental risks in Norway, compared to EU-countries
Authors
Christian PedersenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Christian Pedersen Svein Olav Krøgli Shivesh Karan Svein Dale Grete Stokstad Diress Tsegaye AlemuAbstract
Over recent decades, farmland and meadow-breeding bird populations in Europe have markedly declined, attributed to factors like agricultural intensification and land abandonment. Parts of the Norwegian Monitoring Programme for Agricultural Landscapes explore the correlation between land use and bird species, aiming to understand how spatial heterogeneity and land use diversity affect the richness, abundance, and distribution of farmland birds. Between 2000 and 2023, we saw declining populations and reduced distributions of several farmland bird species within the monitoring squares. Additionally, we found that both spatial heterogeneity of land use and high land type diversity positively influenced farmland birds. This gives important insight on how to design biodiverse agricultural landscapes. We also examined the impact of agricultural intensity on 25 farmland bird species, using livestock density and pasture size as indicators. Larger pastures generally benefited a wide range of farmland bird species. Different bird species responded variably to livestock numbers, but high livestock density led to a decrease in overall farmland bird abundance. Many countries subsidize sustainable farming to protect biodiversity. We studied Norwegian agri-environmental schemes' impact on farmland and meadow-breeding birds. We found that bird observations rose when these measures were in place but often declined once the support ended. Furthermore, the schemes were geographically limited and relatively few farmers participated. While short-term benefits were evident, long-term effects remain uncertain, highlighting the need for improved conservation strategies. Emphasizing the importance of spatially heterogeneous agricultural landscapes with high land type diversity and natural areas, the study indicates the type of agricultural landscapes we should be aiming for to maintain and restore biodiversity.
Abstract
Presenting the status and preliminary results of the nitrate transport modelling for the Zelivka and Himmerland catchments using the SWAT+ model