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
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Brita Bye Taran Fæhn Lars Harald Gulbrandsen Kevin R. Kaushal Christian Wilhelm Mohr Gunnhild Søgaard Asbjørn Torvanger Jørgen Wettestad Knut ØistadAbstract
Abstract Norway has positioned itself as a climate policy forerunner by aiming to reach net-zero emissions already by 2030. However, the net-zero ambition is not well-defined, not legally binding, nor substantiated by action plans. In a first, interdisciplinary, analysis we scrutinise the net-zero concept and discuss unilateral options. Second, we provide an economic analysis with a global computable model, SNOW, of the costs and macroeconomic impacts of various policy scenarios. It explores how the net-zero ambition interacts with other 2030 goals and quantifies the impacts of emphasising domestic abatement and carbon removal measures vs. paying for emission mitigation abroad. Finally, the 2030 results are revisited to assess how well they align with Norwegian and global climate targets for 2050. The main findings are that pursuing the net-zero ambition, on top of other binding 2030 goals Norway is already committed to, will increase costs by 25–100% depending on the use of domestic measures. On the margin, domestic measures are found to have only small, uncertain, and costly mitigation potential, thus, buying international carbon credits will be inevitable. Besides being significantly cheaper, carbon trading can have the potential benefits of developing the credit markets and the individual projects’ qualities. Even if domestic measures can play but a modest part in the net-zero strategy towards 2030, we identify several steps governments unilaterally can take today to expand abatement opportunities towards mid-century. We also find measures that seem cost-effective in pursuing 2030 goals but look less attractive against a global 2050 backdrop.
Authors
Komi Mensah Agboka Frank Thomas Ndjomatchoua Ritter Atoundem Guimapi Luca Rossini Abdelmutalab G. A. Azrag Quinto Juma Meltus Tobias Landmann Sunday Ekesi Elfatih M. Abdel‐RahmanAbstract
ABSTRACT The multitasking lesser mealworm ( Alphitobius diaperinus ) is a special beetle known as a pest in poultry, a resource for waste degradation and an alternative for protein production. This study compares the predictive accuracy of correlative species distribution models (SDMs) with a risk index derived from a mechanistic model. The study derives the mechanistic‐based risk index from the ordinary differential equation that describes the population dynamics of A. diaperinus using the temperature‐dependent bio‐demographic rates, while the ensemble SDM is derived using well‐known algorithms such as maximum entropy, random forest and so forth. We finally propose a hybrid model combining both approaches using a weighted average approach. When overlaid on occurrence data, the predictive accuracy of the mechanistic model globally varied across temporal scales, with the highest performance observed in the October–December quarter (27% of occurrences were predicted correctly). The comparison across geographic regions model had the best performance in Asia (94.4% accuracy), outperforming the two scenario SDMs (78.3%). In contrast, the correlative ensemble SDM performed better in Europe (93%), where we have most of the data, but was very sensitive to data gaps, especially in Africa. Finally, the proposed hybrid model outperforms both individual models in the global scenario (86.5% accuracy). These findings highlight the strengths and limitations of both modelling approaches and provide critical insights to optimise pest management strategies, sustainable utilisation and ecological forecasting by refining SDM through the integration of biological realism and empirical data.
Authors
Komi Mensah Agboka Frank Thomas Ndjomatchoua Luca Rossini Ritter Atoundem Guimapi Elfatih M. Abdel-RahmanAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Beatrice T. Nganso Komi Mensah Agboka Salvador D. Atagong Sidonie Fameni Topé Tchouzeube Massing Tobias Landmann Subramanian Sevgan Willy Mwiza Fredrick Odera Emmanuel D. Piiru Z. Ngalo Otieno-Ayayo Victoria Soroker Ritter Atoundem GuimapiAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
C. Chiodi G. Zardinoni P. Stevanato L. Giagnoni P. Carletti N. Oustrière Arne Sæbø Tomas Persson W. Szulc B. Rutkowska M. Mench G. RenellaAbstract
Abstract Background Soil contamination with metal(loid)s and organic pollutants creates environmental and health concerns, driving the need for sustainable remediation strategies. Organic amendments can mitigate contamination effects, enhancing soil quality, and potentially increasing biomass production; however, their long-term influence remains an open question. In a five-year field experiment at a former wood-preservation site, this study evaluates the effects of five organic amendments—fresh pig manure (PM), biodigested pig manure (PD), compost (C), compost pellets (Pt), and green waste compost (G)—on Cu-contaminated soils. Here, we evaluated their impacts on physico-chemical soil properties, metal bioavailability, microbial community structure, plant growth and soil fertility. Results All amendments led to an overall soil improvement, including enhanced physico-chemical properties, increased enzyme activities. The amendments promoted the concentration of soil 16S bacterial genes and improved the yield of winter barley cultivated in the plots. The most abundant phyla detected across soil samples were Actinobacteriota , Proteobacteria , and Firmicutes , with Bacillus , Streptomyces , and Bradyrhizobium among the dominant genera. Compost-based amendments at 5% w/w addition rate (C5 and Pt5) showed the most promising results, significantly increasing soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents, while reducing bioavailability of Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn compared with untreated control plots ( p < 0.01). A decrease in Cu availability was observed but it was not significant. The Pt5 soils exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene copy number ( p < 0.01). Both compost and compost pellets amendments enriched microbial communities associated with soil quality and plant yield, leading to significant improvements in soil fertility and barley yield (+ 200% on average). Conclusion This integrative approach identified organic amendments, notably compost and pelleted compost, that effectively contribute to soil remediation from multiple perspectives: chemical properties (pH, organic content, nutrients), reduction of bioavailable soil Cd and Zn, enzyme activities, microbial abundance and diversity (16S rRNA), and winter barley yield. The study evidenced signature biomarkers characteristic of healthy soils ( Paenibacillus , Lysinibacillus , and Agromyces ) and polluted soils ( Candidatus Solibacter and Mycobacterium ). Our findings support the use of compost (raw and pelleted) as a balanced approach for phyto-managing metal-contaminated soils, reducing 1 M NH 4 NO 3 -extractable soil Cd and Zn while enhancing microbial activity and soil fertility. Graphical Abstract
Authors
Shimelis Gizachew Raji Bimrew Asmare Yohannes Ewunetu Tesema Dangura Marit Jørgensen Yonas BerhanuAbstract
Context Tropical forages can improve livestock productivity while reducing methane emissions in smallholder crop–livestock systems. Aims This study evaluated forage mass, forage quality, methane mitigation potential of 12 tropical species at two contrasting sites in the Ethiopian highlands: Hawassa in the south and Bahir Dar in the north. Methods Field experiments were conducted from 2021 to 2023, with two to four cuts per year by using a randomized complete block design. Plant samples were also evaluated for chemical composition and in vitro methane production. Key results Results showed significant site-specific variations, with desho grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum) demonstrating consistently high forage mass production (27.3 Mg ha−1 at Hawassa; 17.58 Mg ha−1 at Bahir Dar) across these environments. Legumes, particularly sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) and lablab (Lablab purpureus L.), exhibited the highest crude protein yield (590–1300 kg ha−1 year−1) but lower forage production, highlighting their role as supplemental feed sources. Methane mitigation potential also exhibited variations, with lablab, Mombasa (Megathyrsus maximus) and desho producing the lowest emissions (<16%), whereas high-emission species such as Greenleaf desmodium (Desmodium intortum) (>27%) warrant further evaluation. Conclusions The study identified desho and Mombasa as promising options for site-specific forage development because of their dual benefits of productivity and in vitro methane mitigation. Legumes such as sunnhemp and lablab are recommended as high-quality supplements to existing feeding strategies. Implications These findings have provided actionable insights for extension officers, policy makers and researchers seeking to balance livestock productivity with environmental sustainability in Ethiopian highlands. Future research should focus on validating methane mitigation potential under in vivo conditions and addressing challenges in legume establishment.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
João Carlos de Moraes Sá Rattan Lal Klaus Lorenz Yadunath Bajgai Carla Gavilan Ademir De Oliveira Ferreira Clever Briedis Thiago Inagaki Daniel Ruiz Potma Gonçalves JeanKleber BortoluzziAbstract
No-till systems (NTS) predicated on the tenets of conservation agriculture principles are a viable agricultural paradigm to achieve net zero or net negative emissions. We assessed the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions based on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes in 1-m depth by plow-based tillage (PBT) and the mitigation potential through a no-till system (NTS) across 26 sites in the Cerrado biome and 37 sites in the Atlantic Forest biome. These sites comprise 86,411 ha (ha), encompassing four climate zones in Brazil. The investigation revealed a range of CO2e emissions, with the lowest recorded value of 74.2 Mg CO2e ha−1 observed in the tropical equatorial climate zone and the highest recorded value of 470.1 Mg CO2e ha−1 detected in the subtropical humid climate zone. The total CO2e emissions in the tropical equatorial, tropical central, subtropical humid and subtropical temperate climate zones were calculated to be 5.51, 3.88, 3.21, and 4.20 Tg CO2e, respectively, with a cumulative value of 16.80 Tg CO2e with 6.7 % of uncertainty (i.e., 1.12 Tg CO2e). Adoption of NTS demonstrated a high capacity for offsetting CO2 emissions, achieving 5.40 Tg CO2e in the tropical equatorial zone (recovering 98 % of the total emissions), 2.57 Tg CO2e in the tropical central zone (68.7 %), 2.67 Tg CO2e in the subtropical humid zone (83.2 %), and 2.88 Tg CO2e in the subtropical temperate zone (68.6 %). The percentage of net zero and net negative emissions contributed by the SOC stock for 1-m depth was 73.63 % and 26.37 %, respectively, and it played a pivotal role in integrating agriculture as a part of the climate solution.
Authors
Tomáš Hlásny Roman Modlinger Jostein Gohli Rupert Seidl Paal Krokene Iris Bernardinelli Simon Blaser Gediminas Brazaitis Gailenė Brazaitytė Eckehard G. Brockerhoff György Csóka Laura Dobor Maarten de Groot Mihai‐Leonard Duduman Massimo Faccoli Margarita Georgieva Georgi Georgiev Wojciech Grodzki Henrik Hartmann Anikó Hirka Gernot Hoch Tomasz Jabłoński Hervé Jactel Mats Jonsell Marija Kolšek Markus Melin Slobodan Milanović Constantin Nețoiu Mats Nieberg Bjørn Økland Milan Pernek Michaela Perunová Nick Schafstall Martin Schroeder Gottfried Steyrer Jozef Vakula Thomas Wohlgemuth Tiina Ylioja Andrew M. LiebholdAbstract
ABSTRACT Ongoing shifts in climate and land use have altered interactions between trees and insect herbivores, changing biotic disturbance regimes. However, as these changes are complex and vary across host species, insect taxa, and feeding guilds, they remain poorly understood. We compiled annual records of forest insect disturbance from 15 countries in temperate and boreal Europe, spanning the period from 2000 to 2022. The dataset comprises 1361 time series characterizing the dynamics of 50 herbivorous insects. We used this dataset to test whether insect disturbance has systematically changed during the 23‐year period across host trees and feeding guilds, whether it varies along latitudinal and climatic gradients, and whether synchrony exists among species in the same guild or among species sharing the same host. Since 2000, borer disturbance was predominantly concentrated on gymnosperms, while defoliators impacted gymnosperms and angiosperms more evenly. While 85.8% of gymnosperm disturbance was inflicted by a single species, Ips typographus , the majority of disturbances to angiosperms were caused by six different species. Borer impact on gymnosperms has increased in the 21st century, while defoliator impact has decreased across both clades. In contrast to diverging temporal trends, disturbance was consistently greater in warmer and drier conditions across feeding guilds and host types. We identified significant synchrony in insect disturbance within host types and feeding guilds but not between these groups, suggesting shared drivers within guilds and host types. Increasing insect disturbance to gymnosperms may catalyze adaptive transformations in Europe's forests, promoting a shift from historical conifer‐dominated management to broadleaved trees, which are less affected by insect herbivores. Our findings reveal a diversity of trends in insect herbivory, underscoring the need to strengthen monitoring and research in order to better understand underlying mechanisms and identify emerging threats that may not be apparent in currently available data.