Soil bacterial community in potato tuberosphere following repeated applications of a common scab suppressive antagonist

Disease suppressive soils are important for managing soil-borne diseases that cannot be controlled with chemicals. One such disease is the potato common scab caused by Streptomyces species. Suppressiveness against common scab can develop spontaneously in fields where potato is grown for years without interruption, and this has been attributed to non-pathogenic Streptomyces strains. Streptomyces spp. have been used as inoculants in biological control, but their long-term effects have gained less attention. In our previous studies, a nonpathogenic Streptomyces strain (Str272) isolated from a potato common scab lesion suppressed common scab in field trials lasting over 5 years. In this study, bacterial communities in the tuberosphere i.e. in the soil adjacent to potato tubers, were analysed by next generation sequencing (NGS). The aim was to compare bacterial communities in untreated control plots to those in which seed tubers were treated with Str272 in one or several growing seasons. Str272 applications increased soil bacterial diversity and affected the bacterial composition in the potato tuberosphere. The most pronounced differences were observed between the untreated control and the treatments in which the antagonist had been applied in three or four consecutive years. The differences remained similar until the following growing season. Bacterial composition after repeated antagonist applications was associated with lower common scab severity. The antagonist applications had no or only slight effect on the number or abundance of OTUs belonging to Actinobacteria or Streptomyces, and no differences in quantities of pathogenic Streptomyces populations were detected by qPCR. This indicates that suppression of common scab by Str272 may not be based on direct effect on the common scab pathogens but is more likely to be associated with the alterations of the soil bacterial community. The most abundant bacteria phyla in the potato tuberosphere were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. However, the OTUs responding greatest to the antagonist treatments belonged to Bacterioidetes and Gemmatimonadetes. Results indicate that repeated applications of Str272 can change the bacterial community in the potato tuberosphere and lead to development of soil that is suppressive against potato common scab for several growing seasons after the last application.Peer reviewe

Turvetuotannosta vapautuneiden suonpohjien kasvittaminen poron ravintokasveilla

Luonnontilaiset suot ovat tärkeitä porojen kesälaitumia. Eteläisellä poronhoitoalueella ne ovat olleet myös hyvin turvetuotantoon soveltuvia. Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla turvetuotanto onkin merkittävä soiden käyttömuoto. Lähitulevaisuudessa turpeen energiakäyttö vähenee merkittävästi ilmastopoliittisista syistä, ja turvetuotanto vielä tuotannossa olevilla alueilla tulee päättymään hyvinkin nopeasti. Perinteisten turvetuotannosta vapautuvien suonpohjien käyttömuotojen lisäksi tarvitaan uusia vaihtoehtoja, joissa otetaan huomioon ympäristövaikutusten lisäksi myös aluetaloudelliset tekijät. Porotalouden näkökulmasta suonpohjien paras käyttömuoto olisi uusien laidunalueiden perustaminen istuttamalla tai palauttamalla niille sellaista suokasvillisuutta, jota poro käyttää ravinnokseen luontaisesti. Laidunalueiden lisääntyminen vähentäisi todennäköisesti myös ristiriitoja porotalouden ja muiden maankäyttömuotojen välillä. Turveporo-hankkeessa (EAKR A72891) turvetuotannosta vapautuneille lannoittamattomille suonpohjille siirrettiin koneellisesti poron ravintokasvien, tupasvillan, järvikortteen ja raatteen luontaisia kasvustoja syksyllä 2017. Siirtoistutettujen kasvustojen menestymistä seurattiin kolmen kasvukauden ajan vuosina 2018–2020. Lisäksi seurattiin kahden erilaisen laidunseoksen menestymistä kylvökoealoilla. Siirtoistutettuja ja kylvettyjä kasvustoja verrattiin turvepinnan luontaiseen kasvittumiseen. Puolet koealueista aidattiin, jotta voitiin selvittää laidunnuksen vaikutukset kasvillisuuden palautumiseen. Kenttäkokeiden lisäksi hankkeessa toteutettiin kaksi haastattelua, joissa sidosryhmien edustajilta sekä turvetuotantoalueella tai sen läheisyydessä sijaitsevien kiinteistöjen maanomistajilta kysyttiin näkemyksiä suonpohjien käytöstä turvetuotannon päättymisen jälkeen. Tupasvillan siirtoistutus onnistui hyvin, kun taas järvikortteen ja raatteen menestys siirtoistutuksen jälkeen oli heikkoa. Todettakoon kuitenkin, että nämä lajit leviävät todennäköisesti alueelle luontaisesti myös ajan myötä ja sopivien olosuhteiden vallitessa. Kasvipeitteen kehittyminen oli nopeinta kylvökoealoilla, kun taas paljaan turvepinnan luontainen kasvittuminen oli hidasta. Tutkimustulosten perusteella sekä luonnonkasvien siirrolla että poron ravinnoksi soveltuvien kasvien kylvöllä voidaan siis edistää porojen laidunnusmahdollisuuksia turvetuotannosta vapautuneilla suonpohjilla. Sidosryhmien näkemykset suonpohjien jälkikäyttömuodoista vaihtelevat. Käyttömuoto tulisi valita paikalliset tarpeet ja ympäristöolosuhteet huomioiden. Poron ravintokasvien siirto ja kasvatus nähdään lupaavana ja hyödyllisenä vaihtoehtona, mutta toimien rahoitukseen ja laajemman mittakaavan toteutettavuuteen nähdään liittyvän epävarmuutta. Eri menetelmiä ja niiden rahoitusmahdollisuuksia kannattaisi selvittää ja kehittää, jotta maanomistajille voitaisiin jo hyvissä ajoin tarjota houkuttelevia jälkikäytön vaihtoehtoja. Tässä raportissa esitellään Turveporo-hankkeen tulokset ja tarkastellaan niitä mahdollisten ympäristövaikutusten sekä käytännön tarpeiden ja mahdollisuuksien näkökulmasta

CONSOLE Project - Deliverable 3.2 - "Farmers and stakeholders opinions on implementation of suggested contract solutions based on survey results"

The Deliverable D3.2 is organised as follows: after the introductory summary of the CONSOLE Project tasks which are related to the present document (section 1), two distinct sections present and discuss the results from the land managers survey (section 2) and the stakeholders survey (section 4). Both these sections present the data collection procedures that have been adopted, by showing and discussing the results from the whole sample of respondents as well as the relevant insights from specific groups, also presenting few insights from the country-specific case studies (sub-section 2.4). The discussion of the results related to the acceptability of the contract solutions by the land managers and forest holders is structured in sub-section 2.5. Section 3 presents the additional work done by each partner in relation to Task 3.2 objectives, beyond the common questionnaire for land managers and forest holders and its related analysis (e.g., the Choice Experiments conducted by some partners and/or the additional questions targeting the peculiarities of the national case studies). Section 5 hosts the document references. Annexes related to both the land managers survey and the stakeholders one are attached at the end of the present document

Applying a Multi-Criteria Project Portfolio Tool in Selecting Energy Peat Production Areas

This study demonstrates the characteristics of the new generic project portfolio selection tool YODA (“Your Own Decision Aid”). YODA does not include a mathematical aggregation model. Instead, the decision maker’s preferences are defined by the interactive articulation of acceptance thresholds of project-level decision criteria. Transparency and ease of adopting the method in participatory planning are sought using the method’s simple preference input. The characteristics of the YODA tool are introduced by presenting how it has been applied in participatory land use planning in northern Finland in selecting a combination of peat production sites to attain the goals defined at municipal level. In this process, each stakeholder first constructed a project portfolio that best met his or her preferences. In doing this, acceptance thresholds for project-level decision criteria were defined. In total, eight decision criteria were related to economic value, biodiversity, social impacts, and ecosystem services. Subsequently, the portfolios of different stakeholders were combined in line with the principles of robust portfolio modelling. Core projects were accepted by all stakeholders, while exterior projects were not accepted, and borderline projects by some of the stakeholders. Although the land use planning situation at hand was highly sensitive, because it was related to various aspects of sustainability, the use of YODA provided useful results. The first meeting with stakeholders identified 52 out of 99 sites that none of the stakeholders would use for energy peat production, due to their characteristics, whereas, in the second meeting, a smaller stakeholder group found 18 core projects and 26 borderline projects which could be potential areas for energy peat production. We conclude that YODA—as a generic project portfolio tool—can be used in various planning situations

Applying a Multi-Criteria Project Portfolio Tool in Selecting Energy Peat Production Areas

This study demonstrates the characteristics of the new generic project portfolio selection tool YODA (“Your Own Decision Aid”). YODA does not include a mathematical aggregation model. Instead, the decision maker’s preferences are defined by the interactive articulation of acceptance thresholds of project-level decision criteria. Transparency and ease of adopting the method in participatory planning are sought using the method’s simple preference input. The characteristics of the YODA tool are introduced by presenting how it has been applied in participatory land use planning in northern Finland in selecting a combination of peat production sites to attain the goals defined at municipal level. In this process, each stakeholder first constructed a project portfolio that best met his or her preferences. In doing this, acceptance thresholds for project-level decision criteria were defined. In total, eight decision criteria were related to economic value, biodiversity, social impacts, and ecosystem services. Subsequently, the portfolios of different stakeholders were combined in line with the principles of robust portfolio modelling. Core projects were accepted by all stakeholders, while exterior projects were not accepted, and borderline projects by some of the stakeholders. Although the land use planning situation at hand was highly sensitive, because it was related to various aspects of sustainability, the use of YODA provided useful results. The first meeting with stakeholders identified 52 out of 99 sites that none of the stakeholders would use for energy peat production, due to their characteristics, whereas, in the second meeting, a smaller stakeholder group found 18 core projects and 26 borderline projects which could be potential areas for energy peat production. We conclude that YODA—as a generic project portfolio tool—can be used in various planning situations

Vaaka punnitsee, arvottaa, tasapainottaa -toimintamalli Vaara-Kainuun matkailualueiden suunnitteluun

Sosioekologisia työkaluja Vaara-Kainuun matkailualueiden suunnitteluun.

After-use of peat extraction sites – A systematic review of biodiversity, climate, hydrological and social impacts

After drainage for forestry and agriculture, peat extraction is one of the most important causes of peatland degradation. When peat extraction is ceased, multiple after-use options exist, including abandonment, restoration, and replacement (e.g., forestry and agricultural use). However, there is a lack of a global synthesis of after-use research. Through a systematic review of 356 peer-reviewed scientific articles, we address this research gap and examine (1) what after-use options have been studied, (2) what the studied and recognized impacts of the after-use options are, and (3) what one can learn in terms of best practices and research gaps. The research has concentrated on the impacts of restoration (N = 162), abandonment (N = 72), and replacement (N = 94), the latter of which consists of afforestation (N = 46), cultivation (N = 34) and creation of water bodies (N = 14). The studies on abandonment, restoration, and creation of water bodies have focused mostly on analyzing vegetation and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, while the studies assessing afforestation and cultivation sites mostly evaluate the provisioning ecosystem services. The studies show that active restoration measures speed-up vegetation recolonization on bare peat areas, reduce GHG emissions and decrease negative impacts on water systems. The most notable research gap is the lack of studies comparing the environmental and social impacts of the after-use options. Additionally, there is a lack of studies focusing on social impacts and downstream hydrology, as well as long-term monitoring of GHG fluxes. Based on the reviewed studies, a comparison of the impacts of the after-use options is not straightforward. We emphasize a need for comparative empirical research in the extracted sites with a broad socio-ecological and geographical context

Quantification and valuation of ecosystem services to optimize sustainable re-use for low-productive drained peatlands

LIFEPeatLandUse (LIFE12 ENV/FI/000150) 2013 – 2018, LAYMAN’S REPORT201