Strategic tillage of no-till decreased surface and subsurface losses of dissolved phosphorus.

Enrichment of soluble P on the surface layer of long-term no-till (NT) soils, and consequent increase in dissolved P losses, is a concern for which occasional plowing has been suggested as a remedy. We measured the effect of such strategic tillage (ST) on surface and subsurface P losses from 0.5-ha field plots on clay soil for 4 years.

Industrial pilot scale slow pyrolysis reduces the content of organic contaminants in sewage sludge.

Pyrolysis has been gaining global interest as a viable option for reducing organic contaminant levels in waste materials such as sewage sludge (SS) for their subsequent use as a soil amendment. However, publicly available knowledge on the capacity of pyrolysis to reduce the levels in SSs is mostly based on laboratory or bench scale studies. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of industrial pilot scale slow pyrolysis at two temperatures and retention times (450 °C, 1 h and 500 °C, 1.

Inspired by nature: Fiber networks functionalized with tannic acid and condensed tannin-rich extracts of Norway spruce bark show antimicrobial efficacy.

This study demonstrated the antibacterial and antiviral potential of condensed tannins and tannic acid when incorporated into fiber networks tested for functional material purposes. Condensed tannins were extracted from industrial bark of Norway spruce by using pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), followed by purification of extracts by using XADHP7 treatment to obtain sugar-free extract. The chemical composition of the extracts was analyzed by using HPLC, GC‒MS and UHPLC after thiolytic degradation.

Well-being at work and Finnish dairy farmers─from job demands and loneliness towards burnout.

Objectives: Novel information about the relationships between farmers' job demands, lack of resource, burnout, and ill health is reported based on testing the so-called "health impairment process" of the Job Demands─Resources Model (JD-R) on a representative sample of Finnish dairy farmers. The aim was to find out whether two different job demand factors; workload, societal demands and lack of resource; loneliness, were related to the indicators of ill health burnout.

Methods: The data is based on a postal survey of 400 Finnish dairy farms.

Climate change opportunities reduce farmers' risk perception: Extension of the value-belief-norm theory in the context of Finnish agriculture.

Global agriculture faces severe challenges due to climate change. For boreal agriculture, climate change might also bring opportunities as the growing season lengthens, if the risks of climate change are managed properly. Agricultural production is a source of greenhouse gases, while agricultural land has also a great possibility to mitigate climate change as a carbon sink.

Determinants of carbon and nitrogen sequestration in multistrata agroforestry.

Agroforestry has the potential to sequester carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), thereby counteracting climate change and soil degradation. However, the lack of empirical quantitative evidence on determinants of C and N stocks hampers the management of these stocks. The aim of this study was to identify the key determinants of the C and N stocks in multistrata agroforestry.

Pyroligneous Acids of Differently Pretreated Hybrid Aspen Biomass: Herbicide and Fungicide Performance.

The pyroligneous acids (PAs) of woody biomass produced by torrefaction have pesticidal properties. Thus, PAs are potential alternatives to synthetic plant protection chemicals. Although woody biomass is a renewable feedstock, its use must be efficient.

Successful Cryopreservation of Dormant Buds of Blackcurrant ( L.) by Using Greenhouse-Grown Plants and In Vitro Recovery.

The cryopreservation of dormant buds can be a feasible method for preserving germplasm of cold-tolerant woody plants. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of pre-desiccation, thawing method, and the rehydration of bud sections on the post-cryopreservation recovery of dormant blackcurrant buds in vitro. The estimated recovery of small- and medium-sized buds was 80.

Pulp and paper mill sludges decrease soil erodibility.

Declining carbon (C) content in agricultural soils threatens soil fertility and makes soil prone to erosion, which could be rectified with organic soil amendments. In a 4-yr field trial, we made a single application of three different organic sludges from the pulp and paper industry and studied their effects on cereal yield, soil C content, and fungal and bacterial composition. In laboratory rainfall simulations, we also studied the effects of the soil amendments on susceptibility to erosion and nutrient mobilization of a clay-textured soil by measuring the quality of percolation water passing through 40-cm intact soil monoliths during 2-d rainfall simulations over four consecutive years after application.

Clonal Variation in the Bark Chemical Properties of Hybrid Aspen: Potential for Added Value Chemicals.

This study aims to promote comprehensive utilization of woody biomass by providing a knowledgebase on the utility of aspen bark as a new alternative source for fossil-based chemicals. The research focused on the analysis of clonal variation in: (1) major chemical components, i.e.

Fate of Antioxidative Compounds within Bark during Storage: A Case of Norway Spruce Logs.

Softwood bark is an important by-product of forest industry. Currently, bark is under-utilized and mainly directed for energy production, although it can be extracted with hot water to obtain compounds for value-added use. In Norway spruce ( [L.

Sprouts and Needles of Norway Spruce ( (L.) Karst.) as Nordic Specialty-Consumer Acceptance, Stability of Nutrients, and Bioactivities during Storage.

Developing shoots, i.e., sprouts, and older needles of Norway spruce ( (L.

Native forests but not agroforestry systems preserve arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species richness in southern Ethiopia.

The rapid conversion of native forests to farmland in Ethiopia, the cradle of biodiversity, threatens the diversity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) pivotal to plant nutrition and carbon sequestration. This study aimed to investigate the impact of this land-use change on the AMF species composition and diversity in southern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from nine plots in each of three land-use types: native forest, agroforestry, and khat monocropping.

Bioactive Properties of the Aqueous Extracts of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) Roots.

Despite the continuing interest in various plant and natural products, only a small portion of the biologically active compounds from nature has been discovered and exploited. In this study, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of aqueous fractions of three endophytic fungi isolated from the roots of 8-year-old Scots pines () growing on a drained peatland were investigated. The endophytic fungi species were , and /.

Are there environmental or agricultural benefits in using forest residue biochar in boreal agricultural clay soil?

Short-term agronomic and environmental benefits are fundamental factors in encouraging farmers to use biochar on a broad scale. The short-term impacts of forest residue biochar (BC) on the productivity and carbon (C) storage of arable boreal clay soil were studied in a field experiment. In addition, rain simulations and aggregate stability tests were carried out to investigate the potential of BC to reduce nutrient export to surface waters.

Decline in climate resilience of European wheat.

Food security relies on the resilience of staple food crops to climatic variability and extremes, but the climate resilience of European wheat is unknown. A diversity of responses to disturbance is considered a key determinant of resilience. The capacity of a sole crop genotype to perform well under climatic variability is limited; therefore, a set of cultivars with diverse responses to weather conditions critical to crop yield is required.

Gaps in the capacity of modern forage crops to adapt to the changing climate in northern Europe.

The within-species diversity in response to weather and the gaps in the response diversity in the modern set of forage crop cultivars were determined using an approach that assessed the adaptive capacity under global climate change. The annual dry matter (DM) yields were recorded in multi-location MTT (Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskus) Agrifood Research Official Variety Trials in Finland for modern forage crop cultivars from 2000 to 2012, as a response to agroclimatic variables critical to yield based on the year-round weather data. The effect and interaction of cultivars and agroclimatic variables were analysed using mixed model.

Job Resources and Work Engagement among Finnish Dairy Farmers.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine job resources, work engagement and Finnish dairy farmers' preferences concerning methods to enhance overall well-being while working on farms.

Methods: A postal survey yielded 265 completed questionnaires from 188 dairy farms. The sample was assessed as representative of Finnish dairy farmers.

Low black carbon concentration in agricultural soils of central and northern Ethiopia.

Soil carbon (C) represents the largest terrestrial carbon stock and is key for soil productivity. Major fractions of soil C consist of organic C, carbonates and black C. The turnover rate of black C is lower than that of organic C, and black C abundance decreases the vulnerablility of soil C stock to decomposition under climate change.

No Evidence of Trade-Off between Farm Efficiency and Resilience: Dependence of Resource-Use Efficiency on Land-Use Diversity.

Efficiency in the use of resources stream-lined for expected conditions could lead to reduced system diversity and consequently endanger resilience. We tested the hypothesis of a trade-off between farm resource-use efficiency and land-use diversity. We applied stochastic frontier production models to assess the dependence of resource-use-efficiency on land-use diversity as illustrated by the Shannon-Weaver index.

Stress and Burnout Among Finnish Dairy Farmers.

Psychosocial risks among farmers have increasingly been examined because of the ongoing changes in agriculture, such as restructuring of the industry, transition from family farming towards entrepreneurship, and climate change. The aims of the study were to determine the stressors, prevalence of stress and burnout, and variables associated with these symptoms among Finnish dairy farmers. In total 265 respondents completed a postal survey; their average age was 48 years, 44% were females and 56% males.

Divergent Impacts of Two Cattle Types on Vegetation in Coastal Meadows: Implications for Management.

The proportion of beef cattle in relation to the total number of cattle has increased in Europe, which has led to a higher contribution of beef cattle in the management of semi-natural grasslands. Changes in vegetation caused by this change in grazers are virtually unexplored so far. In the present study, the impacts of beef and dairy cattle on vegetation structure and composition were compared on Bothnian Bay coastal meadows.