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Soil and vegetation property data from the Ultuna R3-RAM56 long-term soil amendment experiment, 1956-2023
Get PDFThe R3-RAM56 long-term experiment in Ultuna, Sweden has tracked the effect of organic and inorganic amendments on agricultural crop and soil properties for the past almost 70 years. Aboveground crop biomass has been collected annually since the beginning of the experiment, while topsoil samples were collected three times in the first twenty years and every other year since 1963. We report crop yields and nutrient content, as well as carbon, nitrogen, and micronutrient content for soils and amendments. The data presented here provides the backbone for numerous published studies in international peer-reviewed journals, and provides a useful time series for calibrating models of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks under varying agricultural management practices in relation to soil amendments. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Comparative analysis of manure treatment scenarios on climate change and eutrophication in the Baltic Sea
Get PDFThis study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of manure management, identifying transportation as a major contributor to global warming and freshwater eutrophication impacts. Transporting substrates to the biogas plant was the main hotspot, highlighting a critical area for improvement. The findings emphasize the importance of method selection in geographically dependent assessments, especially in the Baltic Sea region. Characterization factors specific to Sweden revealed higher environmental impact values than those produced by the ReCiPe method, underscoring the need for regional differentiation in LCA. By optimizing manure management practices and enhancing nutrient distribution, impacts on both climate change and eutrophication can be significantly reduced, thereby lowering nutrient flow to the Baltic Sea. Combining these optimizations with transportation impact reductions further amplifies these environmental benefits, demonstrating that geographically tailored approaches in LCA offer essential insights for managing regional-scale effects
Forest fertilization transiently increases soil CO2 efflux in young Norway spruce stands in Sweden
Get PDFLate-rotation fertilization of Norway spruce stands is a frequently used management tool in Fennoscandia to increase timber yields. Meanwhile, the growing demand for renewable resources has sparked great interest in earlier and repeated fertilizer application but it remains unclear how this affects carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes in the understory, especially forest floor respiration (Rff). This study investigated the effects of forest fertilization on Rff and net forest floor exchange (NFFE) in young, nitrogen (N) limited Norway spruce stands in southern Sweden. In a short-term dose experiment, Rff and NFFE were recorded during 2016 after varying doses of N (0, 150, 300, or 450 kg ha-1 of N, hereafter N0, N150, N300, N450) were added to circular, 3-m-diameter plots in April. In a second, long-term experiment, two stand-level fertilizer applications with 150 kg ha-1 of N on each occasion were performed in 2014 and 2016 and Rff was measured at semi-regular intervals from mid-2013 to the end of 2017. In the dose experiment, fertilization increased Rff by 23 %, 81 % and 55% in the N150, N300 and N450 treatments, respectively. Under well-lit conditions, the N300 and N450 treatments significantly enhanced photosynthetic CO2 uptake of the forest floor vegetation by 97 % and 66 %, respectively, while the N150 treatment had no significant effect. The results of the long-term experiment indicate an initial stimulation of Rff, but this effect was transient. Our findings imply that fertilization in young Norway spruce stands, using the N150 dose (the typical dose used in Swedish forestry), may cause a transient burst in Rff that is far outweighed by nutrient-driven increases in forest floor photosynthesis under favourable light conditions prior to canopy closure
Utvärdering av sträckfilm och mantelfilm till rundbalat ensilage och plastfilm till hackat ensilage
Get PDFMånga fodergrödor ensileras och i de flesta fall används plast. Det kan vara runt rundbalar eller som täckning i plansilo. Plasten i sig är en belastning på klimatet, men det är också de förluster som sker under fermenteringen. Syftet med denna studie var att studera effekten av olika typer av sträckfilm, antal lager sträckfilm och mantelfilm i stället för nät på rundbalens densitet och täthet samt ensilagets fermenteringskvalitet, lagringsstabilitet, klimatavtryck och kostnader samt att studera effekten av olika typer av plansilofilm med och utan underlagsfilm på samma parametrar.Studien utfördes på försöksgården Viken under år 2020 och år 2021. Tre olika plastfilmer, 4,6 eller 8 lager och mantelfilm kontra nät studerades på totalt 132 rundbalar med skuren grönmassa som ensilerades. Fem olika kombinationer av täckplast studerades utifrån förhållanden som skulle efterlikna förhållandena i en plansilo med hackad grönmassa som ensilerades.Emissionsförlusterna vid ensileringen hade betydligt större påverkan på klimatavtrycket än vilken plastsom användes eller hur många lager plast som lades runt balen. Sammanfattningsvis visar dessa och tidigare studier på att mantelfilm, tjock sträckfilm och fler lager är positivt för ensilagets fermenteringskvalitet och ger därmed lägre klimatpåverkan. Det verkar inte vara någon nackdel att använda sträckfilm eller täckplast som innehåller återvunnen råvara
Lignin degradation dynamics in boreal forest soils
Get PDFSoil organic matter (SOM) is a critical component of the global carbon cycle, storing more organic carbon than the atmosphere and global vegetation combined. Plant-derived organic inputs are the primary carbon source for SOM formation, which arises through the microbial decomposition processes. Among these inputs, lignin, a complex biopolymer abundant in plant biomass, is often considered a key contributor to SOM due to its resistance to degradation. However, the influence of lignin’s moieties on SOM stability remains poorly understood. In this thesis, I have investigated the lignin decomposition and its contribution to SOM formation using Aspen wood (Populus tremula) genotypes with varying lignin content and composition as model substrates. Laboratory incubations (Paper I-II) and field experiments (Paper III), coupled with advanced two-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (2D NMR) spectroscopy, were systematically employed to characterize the degradation of lignin moieties. In Paper I, lignin content did not affect overall decomposition, with approximately 60% mass loss across substrates. While the lignin decomposed at a similar rate to carbohydrates, oxidized syringyl units exhibited resistance to degradation compared to other lignin monomers. Paper II demonstrated that nitrogen addition altered fungal community structure, suppressing the ligninolytic fungus Renatobasidium notabile and increasing fungal diversity. This shift enhanced the degradation of more resistant lignin moieties, such as guaiacyl units and their linkages. Paper III demonstrated that lignin composition, rather than content, is crucial in early-stage decomposition across pine and spruce forest stands. Long-term nitrogen fertilization enhanced mass loss but selectively degraded syringyl units and their linkages. These findings highlight that lignin composition and microbial community dynamics regulate decomposition rather than lignin content alone. This emphasizes the need to focus on microbial and compositional factors to better understand SOM dynamics and carbon cycling
Hypoechoic ultrasonographic findings in the patellar ligaments are common in riding and trotting horses in training (116 cases)
Get PDFPatellar ligament (PL) injuries are increasingly being reported in horses, but few studies have described the normal PL ultrasonographic appearance in horses. The aims of this prospective observational study were to describe the ultrasonographic appearance of the PLs and infrapatellar fat pad in a population of horses in training and to relate the ultrasonographic findings to objectively measured movement asymmetry. B-mode and color Doppler ultrasonographic examination of the PLs and infrapatellar fat pad in both hind limbs and objective gait analyses were performed on the 116 riding and trotting horses included in the study. The association between ultrasonographic findings, horse age, and movement asymmetry during the trot was then investigated. Distinct or diffuse hypoechoic regions were commonly found in the intermediate PL (24/116; 20.7%), especially in the caudal aspect of the mid-third of the ligament. The infrapatellar fat pad had a hypoechoic striated appearance in all horses except one, in which it was hyperechoic. No association was found between ultrasonographic findings in the PLs and infrapatellar fat pad and lameness. It is important to recognize that there is biological variation in PL appearance, which may or may not be associated with pain in this area, therefore emphasizing the use of local analgesia to determine the location of the lameness
Fenugreek Sprouts Around the World: Exploring Therapeutic and Nutritional Benefits
Get PDFThis study investigates the therapeutic and nutritional potential of fenugreek sprouts from 30 diverse genotypes sourced from various regions. The aim was to characterize and compare their therapeutic attributes, including antioxidant capacity, antidiabetic, and anti-cholinesterase activities, along with their nutritional compositions, particularly minerals, and protein content. Results revealed significant variations among the genotypes in terms of their therapeutic properties. China genotypes exhibited notable alpha-amylase inhibition 64.57%, suggesting potential antidiabetic properties, while South Sudan genotypes demonstrated significant acetylcholinesterase (14.44%) and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitions, indicating possible cognitive health benefits. The Morocco and Konya/T & uuml;rkiye genotypes exhibited noteworthy antioxidant effects, with showing DPPH center dot scavenging activities of 7.79% and 7.23%, and ABTS center dot+ activities of 27.87% and 27.31%, respectively. Mineral analysis revealed considerable differences across genotypes. Israel genotypes had the highest iron content (43.18 mg/100 g), Sivas/T & uuml;rkiye genotype had the highest potassium levels (2259.87 mg/100 g), and Kayseri/T & uuml;rkiye genotype had the highest sodium content (616.91 mg/100 g). Ukraine genotypes contained the most magnesium (266.61 mg/100 g), while Israel genotypes also had the highest zinc content (54.44 mg/100 g). The protein content of the fenugreek sprouts varied significantly, with Corum/T & uuml;rkiye showing the highest protein content at 5.75/100 g. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted the relationships among the mineral nutrients and protein content, revealing distinct groupings of genotypes based on their mineral compositions. Correlation analysis further elucidated the associations between various minerals and protein content. In conclusion, this study underscores the potential therapeutic and nutritional significance of fenugreek sprouts
Mellangrödor efter stärkelsevete som förfrukt till sockerbetor – försök på Kronoslätt
Get PDFSyftet med fältförsöken på Kronoslätt, 2018-2021, var att undersöka om eftersådda sommarmellangrödor, sådda i mitten av augusti, och etablerade efter skörd av stärkelsevete, kan vara lämpliga förfrukter till sockerbetor. Särskilt fokus låg på att identifiera alternativa mellangrödor till oljerättika i växtföljder med raps eller andra kålväxter. Vi utvärderade om honungsört, blodklöver, bovete och purrhavre kunde bidra till en förbättrad ekonomi i sockerbetsodlingen, god ogräskontroll, ökad markkolsinbindning och nematodkontroll, när mellangrödorna odlades som förfrukt.Resultaten visar att ogödslade mellangrödor, särskilt renbestånd av honungsört samt en blandning av honungsört och blodklöver, kan vara intressanta alternativ. Dessa två framstår även som ekonomiskt fördelaktiga, jämfört med att odla sockerbetor med oljerättika som förfrukt på en lättlera och i en växtföljd med sockerbetor, korn, höstraps och höstvete. I jämförelse med oljerättika så tyder försöken på att de ogödslade mellangrödorna honungsört samt blandningen av honungsört och blodklöver, i snitt över tre år, kan ge ett ökat ekonomiskt netto för sockerbetorna, på ca 750 resp. ca 1400 kr/ha och år, när stöd erhålls för odling av mellangrödorna (11 SEK/€)
Regional brain glucose uptake following gastric bypass surgery during normo- and hypoglycemic clamp: a pilot FDG-PET study
No full textPurposeWe aimed to characterize the RYGB-induced changes in the dynamics of brain glucose uptake. We addressed heterogeneity between brain regions during experimental normo- and hypoglycemia and explored associations with anthropometric and metabolic outcomes of RYGB.MethodsAnalyses of regional brain glucose uptake were performed on 9 individuals with obesity and no diabetes, investigated with combined brain 18F-FDG-PET and fMRI during hyperinsulinemic normo- and hypoglycemic clamp, one month before and four months after RYGB. FDG clearance, reflecting glucose uptake rate, was assessed in 38 brain regions, covering all cortical areas and subcortical nuclei, during hyperinsulinemic normo- and hypoglycemia. Correlation analyses were performed to identify associations with other outcomes of RYGB.ResultsFDG uptake rate during hypoglycemia was higher than during normoglycemia in all brain regions, both before and after RYGB. Moreover, in most regions and especially in cortical areas involved in inhibitory behavioral control, FDG uptake rate tended to be reduced after surgery during normoglycemia but elevated during hypoglycemia. However, these post-surgical changes in FDG uptake rate were opposite in the hypothalamus. Thus, the hypo-to-normoglycemia FDG clearance ratio tended to increase in all brain regions following RYGB, but not in the amygdala and the hypothalamus. Changes in regional FDG uptake rate after RYGB during normoglycemia were associated with weight loss and improved systemic insulin sensitivity.ConclusionUsing dynamic FDG-PET, we show region-specific patterns of changes in glucose utilization following RYGB. In the hypothalamus, glucose uptake during normoglycemia tended to rise after RYGB while it was reduced in cortical regions involved in behavioral control. Following RYGB, the hypothalamus and amygdala, in contrast to other regions, displayed trends of reduced glucose uptake during hypoglycemia. These pilot results highlight the brain effects of RYGB and suggest behavioral and neuroendocrine adaptations which contribute to its antidiabetic effects