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Käyttäytymisen laadullinen arviointi loppukasvatettavien sonnien luonteen mittaamisessa
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Cost benefit analysis of diversified farming systems across Europe: Incorporating non-market benefits of ecosystem services
Get PDFCrop diversification can enhance farm economic sustainability while reducing the negative impact on the environment and ecosystem services related. Despite the market and non-market benefits of crop diversification, monocropping is a widely used dominant practice in Europe. In this context, this works aims to assess the overall economic impact of several crop diversification systems across Europe and compared it to the monocropping system. For this purpose, an economic valuation by integrating market and non-market values for eight case studies distributed across three different European pedoclimatic regions (Southern Mediterranean, Northern Mediterranean and Boreal) is proposed. The economic valuation was conducted both in the short and medium-long term. For the short-term we conducted a social gross margin analysis, while for the medium-long term a cost-benefit analysis is developed. The results show an improvement in social gross margins for most of the diversification scenarios assessed when environmental and socio-cultural benefits are considered in the short-term. In the medium and long-term the transformation of cropping towards a more diversified agriculture is encouraged by greater economic benefits. These results provide a first insight in global economic performance of diversified cropping systems, whose main contribution relies on the integration of market and non-market values of ecosystem services from crop diversification. They are expected to be useful for guiding policy makers to promote crop diversification practices as a key instrument for building resilience in farming systems for an adaptive management to climate change.202
Impact of Large-Scale Fire and Habitat Type on Ant Nest Density and Species Abundance in Biebrza National Park, Poland
Get PDFFire can have negative effects on the ant community by reducing species abundance through direct mortality, changes in resource availability, or foraging activity. Fire can also have positive effects, especially for opportunistic species preferring open or disturbed habitats. We assessed the direct effects of a large-scale fire on ant communities in open habitats (grassland and Carex) and moist forested peatland (birch and alder) sites in Biebrza National Park, testing three hypotheses: (i) the large-scale fire had more significant effects on ant nest density in forests than in open habitats, (ii) the post-fire ant diversity changes within sites are stronger in forests than open habitats, and (iii) ant species preferring disturbed habitats are favoured by the fire event. The fire had negative effects on ant nest density only in the Carex and grassland sites but not in the birch and alder sites, suggesting that fire had a stronger impact in open habitats than in forests. Temporal post-fire ant diversity changes within sites were stronger in forests than in open habitats. We observed higher beta diversity changes between the first and second year of the study in the burned forest sites due to colonisation, indicating a greater fire impact on species community composition followed by a higher recolonisation rate. Ant species preferring disturbed habitats were favoured by the fire. The seed-eating ant species Tetramorium caespitum, a thermophilous and opportunistic species, dominated the burned grassland site. This contrasts with other species, e.g., Lasius alienus, for which nest density decreased after fire, underlining the importance of food resource availability as a major driver of community changes after fire. Our study also underlines the importance of periodic biodiversity monitoring in conservation areas for assessing the recovery of the original status after disturbances and revealing possible habitat changes endangering the survival of local biotic communities.202
Combining disturbance and competition to control creeping perennial weeds in a field study on three northern European sites
Get PDFControlling creeping perennial weeds is challenging throughout all farming systems. The present study distinguished and explored three different methods to control them non-chemically: disturbance with inversion, disturbance without inversion, and competition. Focusing on Cirsium arvense, Elymus repens, and Sonchus arvensis, we conducted a field study (2019–2021) at three northern European sites in Germany, Finland, and Norway. We investigated the effects of the control methods ploughing (inversion disturbance), root cutting (non-inversion disturbance), and cover crops (competition) alone. Root cutting was conducted using a prototype machine developed by “Kverneland”. Eight treatments were tested in factorial designs adapted for each site. Control methods were applied solely and combined. Response variables after treatments were aboveground weed biomass and grain yield of spring cereals. The control method of ploughing was most effective in reducing weed biomass compared to root cutting or cover crops. However, compared to the untreated control, a pronounced additive effect of root cutting and cover crops occurred, reducing weed biomass (−57.5%) similar to ploughing (−66%). Pooled over sites, the response was species-specific, with each species showing a distinct reaction to both control methods. C. arvense was most susceptible to root cutting, followed by E. repens, while S. arvensis showed no susceptibility. Crop yield losses were prevented compared to untreated plots by ploughing (+60.57%) and root cutting (+30%), but not by cover crops. We conclude that the combination of non-inversion disturbance and competition is a promising strategy to reduce the reliance on herbicides or inversion tillage in the management of perennial weeds.202
The Trade-Off between Enteric and Manure Methane Emissions and Their Bacterial Ecology in Lactating Cows Fed Diets Varying in Forage-to-Concentrate Ratio and Rapeseed Oil
Get PDFAn experiment was conducted to examine how dietary interventions reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions influence manure CH4 emissions in biogas production (as biochemical methane potential (BMP)) or under static conditions mimicking natural manure storage conditions. Experimental treatments consisted of a factorial arrangement of high (HF: 0.65) or low (LF: 0.35) levels of forage and 0 or 50 g of rapeseed oil per kg of diet dry matter. Oil supplementation reduced daily enteric CH4 emissions, especially in the HF diet, by 20%. Greater dietary concentrate proportion reduced CH4 yield and intensity (6 and 12%, respectively) and decreased pH, increased total volatile fatty acids, and molar proportions of butyrate and valerate in feces incubated under static conditions. Oil supplementation increased daily BMP and BMP calculated per unit of organic matter (OM) (17 and 15%, respectively). Increased dietary concentrate had no impact on daily BMP and BMP per unit of OM, whereas it reduced daily CH4 production by 89% and CH4 per unit of OM by 91% under static conditions. Dietary oil supplementation tended to decrease fecal CH4 production per unit of digestible OM (23%) under static conditions. Diets had no impact on the alpha diversity of ruminal prokaryotes. After incubation, the fecal prokaryote community was significantly less diverse. Diets had no effect on alpha diversity in the BMP experiment, but static trial fecal samples originating from the HF diet showed significantly lower diversity compared with the LF diet. Overall, the tested dietary interventions reduced enteric CH4 emissions and reduced or tended to reduce manure CH4 emissions under static conditions, indicating a lack of trade-off between enteric and manure CH4 emissions. The potential for increasing CH4 yields in biogas industries due to dietary interventions could lead to a sustainable synergy between farms and industry.202
Kuminan, härkäpavun ja öljyhampun sadon ja hiilensidonnan estimointi droonikuvauksella
Get PDFDroonikuvausmenetelmien käytön yleistymien luo mahdollisuuksia maataloustuotannon kestävään kehittämiseen. Vaikka droonikuvauksen käyttöä perinteisten viljelykasvien sadonarvioinnissa on tutkittu useita vuosia, erikoiskasvien osalta näitä menetelmiä ei ole vielä juurikaan hyödynnetty.
Luonnonvarakeskusken (LUKE), Maanmittauslaitoksen paikkatietokeskuksen (MML FGI), ProAgrian ja Turun Yliopiston FutureCrops 2.0 –yhteishankkeessa tutkittiin droonikuvausmentelmien käyttöä syötävien ruokaproteiinikasvien sadonarvioinnissa sekä hiilensidonnassa. Estimointimalleja muodostettiin koneoppimisella käyttäen multispektrikuvia ja pelloilta kerättyjä vertailunäytteitä.202
Production, consumption and trade-based forest land and resource footprints in the Nordic and Baltic countries
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EuroBarley: control of leaf diseases in barley across Europe
Get PDFBarley crops are at risk of being attacked by several leaf diseases. Net blotch, brown rust, Rhynchosporium and Ramularia leaf spot are among the most widespread and can cause severe attack and yield losses. Two trial protocols targeting Ramularia and net blotch, respectively, have been tested in several countries in 2021 and 2022. Ramularia trials were situated in Germany, Ireland, Scotland, and Denmark. The net blotch trials were placed in Denmark, Belgium, the UK, Germany, Finland, and France. In the two protocols, 12–13 different fungicide solutions including co-formulations of DMIs, SDHIs, QoIs, and multi-site inhibitors have been tested to compare efficacy and yield responses. Against Ramularia leaf spot, the fungicides were applied at GS 47–51 and against net blotch at GS 37–45. In six trials, the efficacy against Ramularia leaf spot was scored. The results showed a superior control from the co-formulation fluxapyroxad + metyltetraprole (78–100% control), but also solo mefentrifluconazole and the mixtures fluxapyroxad + mefentrifluconazole performed well (average 74–76% control). The mixture fluxapyroxad + metyltetraprole provided the best yield increase followed by Ascra Xpro. Folpet as a solo solution was inferior. Following the net blotch protocol, only three trials developed enough disease to rank the different fungicides; however, in five trials ranking against brown rust was also possible. Most treatments gave very good control of net blotch, and brown rust (> 80% control). The mixture fluxapyroxad + metyltetraprole delivered the best control against all diseases overall. Average yield responses from eight trials showed very similar increases from the tested fungicides.202
2035 Vision: Doubling the Value Added of Finland´s Forest sector
Get PDFThe forest sector plays a significant role in Finland’s national economy. Finland and other Nordic countries have very high-quality forest sector research and innovation activities. Finland’s bioeconomy strategy has set the goal of doubling the value added of the bioeconomy. In this discussion paper, we examine the opportunity to achieve of the objectives of Finland’s bioeconomy strategy in terms of increasing the value added of the forest sector.
The forest sector’s research has created and is creating highly potential wood biomass innovations on an industrial scale. At the moment, the value added of Finland’s forest bioeconomy is created at the beginning of the value chain. To advance our position in this chain, also national investments are needed.
In this study, we focus on the value added of pulp fiber, the mechanical wood product industry, and the further processing of their by-products. We present two scenarios in which the forest sector achieves the €50 billion value added target set in the Finnish bioeconomy strategy by 2035 for its part.
This study concentrates on economic variables, factors such as biodiversity or carbon sink impacts, which play a crucial role in the real-world future prospects and targeting of measures in the forest sector, are not assessed.
For the pulp industry, we examine the conversion of pulp fiber into textile fiber and the further processing of lignin, extracted as a by-product of cooking, into a concrete plasticizer. We also examine the growing production of new types of packaging materials that replace plastics. These products were selected as examples for our review because sufficient information was available for value added calculations. Our review shows that significant value appreciation can already be achieved by refining pulp into textile fiber, but there would be much greater potential in moving further up the value chain to textile materials and consumer products. There is great potential in further processing the by-product lignin, and in this work we assume it is utilized as a concrete plasticizer with relatively high value added, although volumes are small. It should be noted that lignin already has very high end-use potential in for example battery materials, but there was insufficient information available for value added calculations.
For the mechanical wood product industry, we anticipate that the proportion of further pro-cessed sawn timber products would increase relative to traditional sawn timber. This implies that emergence of a technologically advanced CLT and other wood product value-added ecosystem would emerge in Finland. For sawdust, a by-product from sawmilling, we assume it is used to produce carbohydrate-based emulsifiers, which have relatively high value, although volumes are small.
Significant domestic value addition of bioproducts would require potentially tens of billions of euros of investment from industry. Despite national product development, industrial-scale production investments will not automatically be allocated to Finland. It is a “billion euro question” how Finland can become a more competitive and attractive destination for corporate investments. Companies base their investment decisions on their own criteria, but the public sector and the country’s industrial policy can influence these decisions. Is Finland an appealing enough for companies producing, for example textile fibers or other high value-added products? Do we have competitive industrial ecosystems that would encourage investments here?
Advancing up the value chain would require investment in expertise enhancement, experimental environments, and scaling up. Success would also require increased R&D efforts, investments and renewed training. Automation and digitalization can be keys to improving productivity.
Finland has the potential to significantly increase forest-based value added. There is hope, but the question remains: can we create a positive enough operating environment that both domestic and international companies are willing to invest in Finland?202