Agricultural soils constitute the base in human food production and soil content of organic matter and plant nutrients together with soil microbial activity are all important parameters for high crop yield of good quality. These parameters are dependant on proper fertilization.Anaerobic digestion of organic wastes for biogas production generates a liquid residue called biogas residue (BR). It contains organic material and plant nutrients which makes ita potential fertilizer for arable cropping. However, it also contains heavy metals and toxic organic compounds and it is therefore in need of evaluation before usage.Microbial tests were performed aiming to evaluate the agronomic traits of four different BR and to find a viable procedure for evaluating slurry fertilizers. Two experiments where soil respiration and soil potential denitrification activity (PDA) was measured at fertilizer addition were performed.

The open air museum of Disagården is situated in the Old Uppsala parish, Uppsala municipality, are projected to portray a double row village, before the land enclosure, on the Uppsala plain during the 1860s and 1870s. Disagården operates under the County Museum of Uppland and serves as an exhibit of Uppland's farming culture during the late 19th century. However, an open-air museum is a complex institution where many interests are linked together. Disagården aims to simultaneously portray an historical environment while offering broad public appeal. The Disagården open air museum was inaugurated in 1931 and consists of relocated buildings that together form three farm complexes "Gränbygården", "Skuttungegården" and "Bärbygården". The thesis explores how the close surroundings of a typical farm in Uppland looked during the 1860s and 1870s. This historical depiction has then been applied to Disagården in a development suggestion creating a foundation from which Disagården can structure the close cultivation of the different farms. The basis of the development program has primarily been compiled through archival and literary studies but also through on-site visits and interviews. How did the concept of open air museums start and what were the ideas behind the concept? Which external influences affected the situating of cultivations and buildings? Which crops and species were present on the farms in Uppland during the specified time period? What was the relation of the different structures to each other? Which organizations had influences on the farmer's household of the Uppland plain? The thesis attempts to clarify the answers to these questions. The influences affecting on the farmer's household in Uppland were probably numerous.

The interest for locally produced food is increasing due to consumer concern about the environment, distrust of industrial foods and a demand for high quality products. Apple is the predominant fruit crop in Sweden, and by processing apples into cider and vinegar, these products could significantly contribute to the development of the market of local foods.In this study different yeast types and different bacterial cultures were evaluated for their suitability in cider and vinegar production from cloudy apple juice. Ten apple cultivars (Aroma, Baldwin, Belle de Boskoop, Bramley, Cortland, Gravensteiner, Ingrid-Marie, Jonathan, Rubinola and Spartan) were also evaluated for their suitability for production of juice, cider and vinegar. Chemical analyses including total soluble solids, titratable acidity and total phenols were performed on the products along with sensorial evaluation by taste panels.The yeast strains were shown to have an effect on fermentation rate and the resulting content of total phenols in ciders fermented from cloudy apple juice. Dry commercial starter strains gave a higher appreciated cider compared to cider that was spontaneously fermented, and the ale yeast Safale S-04 was concluded to be the most suited for fermentation of cloudy apple juice.For vinegar production, the bacterial culture had an effect on TSS, but not on any other chemical or taste characteristics.

To produce milk of good standard the feed for the animals kept for milk production is an important part in the work of quality. This makes it important to feed them with good forage, especially when feeding with silage. The process of making silage is very complex and requires a careful handling to be successful. The fundamental idea is to create an anaerobic environment in the herbage to favour the desirable micro-organisms, in this case the lactic acid bacteria. This environment is created by careful handlings were the importance is to pack the crop well and cover it as soon as possible to exclude oxygen.

Arbetet syftar till att genom en litteraturstudie samt ett antal kortare intervjuer som skickas ut via e-post göra en grundläggande undersökning av CFRP (Carbon fibre reinforced polymers) därtill hur användningen av förstärkningsmetoderna ser ut idag. Rapporten skall ta upp hur projektörer bör arbeta när de träffar på produkter som är nya på marknaden.Att förstärka betongkonstruktioner med kolfiberförstärkning har blivit allt mer vanligt under de senaste åren. Även stålband eller stålbalkar används för att förstärka bjälklag och liknande konstruktionselement. Anledningen till att en byggnad eller annan typ av konstruktion måste förstärkas kan bero på ett flertal olika saker, bland annat om byggnadens användningsområde ändras.Kolfiberförstärkning är i jämförelse med stål mycket starkt i förhållande till sin vikt. Tunna förstärkningar gör stor skillnad.

Arbetet syftar till att genom en litteraturstudie samt ett antal kortare intervjuer som skickas ut via e-post göra en grundläggande undersökning av CFRP (Carbon fibre reinforced polymers) därtill hur användningen av förstärkningsmetoderna ser ut idag. Rapporten skall ta upp hur projektörer bör arbeta när de träffar på produkter som är nya på marknaden.Att förstärka betongkonstruktioner med kolfiberförstärkning har blivit allt mer vanligt under de senaste åren. Även stålband eller stålbalkar används för att förstärka bjälklag och liknande konstruktionselement. Anledningen till att en byggnad eller annan typ av konstruktion måste förstärkas kan bero på ett flertal olika saker, bland annat om byggnadens användningsområde ändras.Kolfiberförstärkning är i jämförelse med stål mycket starkt i förhållande till sin vikt. Tunna förstärkningar gör stor skillnad.

Milk fever, or parturient paresis, is the second most common disease in Swedish dairy cows. The disorder is associated with the onset of lactation when some cows are unable to meet the metabolic demands of calcium to support milk production and therefore develop a state of hypocalcaemia. Clinical hypocalcaemia (milk fever) may lead to coma and death in severe cases but subclinical hypocalcaemia has also been shown to have negative effects on e.g. feed intake and production and to increase the susceptibility of the cow to develop secondary diseases. The nutritional strategy applied precalving is of great importance in preventing milk fever and e.g.

Kenya is considered to be a developing country. This means that basic needs such as nutrition are not met for an extended period of time (www, Sida 1, 2012). Approximately half of the population is living under the poverty line (www, CIA 1, 2012). Agriculture is the largest sector in the country, employing 75% of the population. These are thereby directly dependent on the sufficiency of outputs received.

The agricultural sector is characterized by larger crop farms and more extensive livestockproduction. The efficiency improvement is partly a result from a stronger competition in theglobal market. The agricultural products need to be produced at a lower cost than competitorsin order to survive as a farmer. The solution is larger firms that benefit from economies ofscale. This brings large investments that create a greater need for leverage and closer relationto the credit agency.

Higher demands of competitiveness and efficiency have led to increasing sizes of farms, with more land, more capital and more comprehensive logistics. The aim is to gain benefits of scale economies that reduce the production cost per unit. However, a greater extent of the business exposes the farm of increased risk where small deviations rapidly can erase the benefits. A modern dairy farm thus put high demands on the farmer?s ability to coordinate, plan and manage the forage production through the whole process until storage to obtain silage of the desired quality and quantity at the right price. The objective of this study was to design a simple model, i.e.

This bachelor thesis is intended to gather the knowledge and experimental data on the winter wheat crop production relevant for Swedish conditions, with focus on sowing time, row spacing and seed rate. This essay is a literature study with a minor component based on interviews with farmers producing winter wheat. The work is divided into a background part where basic knowledge of winter wheat physiology, development and environment interactions are described and one part where results of field trials studies are presented. Optimal date of sowing winter wheat depends on annual weather variations. Because it is difficult to forecast the weather the choice of sowing date should be based on weather statistics, production experience and previous results depending on sowing date.

Renkavle har under lång tid varit ett stort problem för lantbrukare i stora delar av norra Europa och har etablerat sig på större arealer även i Sverige. Genom sin bio-logi är renkavle mycket väl anpassad till odling av höstsådd spannmål, speciellt i kombination med reducerad jordbearbetning. Det finns en ökande trend av både höstsådd spannmål och reducerad jordbearbetning som talar för att problemen med renkavle kommer att öka framöver. Även den pågående klimatförändringen mot ett varmare klimat i Sverige förbättrar förutsättningarna för att renkavle ska etablera sig längre norrut. Renkavle är ett ogräs som kräver en mycket hög grad av kontroll för att inte öka kommande år eftersom fröproduktionen hos renkavle kan vara mycket stor.

Thinning is the partial removal of trees in a forest stand prior to final harvest. The term can be divided in pre-commercial thinning where little if any volume is removed from the stand and commercial thinning where removals are intended to provide a positive economic result. From a silvicultural point of view, the goal of thinning is to enhance future crop tree quality by removing low-quality stems and providing sufficient space for the accelerated development of retained ones (Huuskonen & Hynynen, 2006). The goals of this study was to see if commercial thinning could positively affect the short and medium term timber supply (MTTS) in the Interior regions of British Columbia (BC), and whether or not Scandinavian forestry practices could be adopted in the BC context. The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) has created significant forest planning problems in BC. The annual allowable cut (AAC) was raised to capture beetle-killed timber while still merchantable.

AbstractAn approaching overproduction of cereals and a future uncertain supply of non genetic modified vegetable protein feedstuffs have increased the interest in an expansion of the domestic production of protein feedstuffs in Norway. Besides rapeseed (Brassica campestris), peas (Pisum sativum) may be the most suitable crop for this purpose. Peas are characterized by having a relatively high content of crude protein, ranging between 20-26%, a high content of starch, 42-51%, and a low content of fat. In general, the energy value for peas is higher than for barley but lower than for rapeseed and soybean meal.Pea protein consists of albumins and globulins to 85-100%, which leads to the fact that a large part of the pea protein is soluble and degradable in the rumen. Starch in peas is on the other hand to a large extent resistant to rumen degradation compared to starch from other starch rich feedstuffs.

As a member of the EU, Sweden has, in some cases, transferred the controlling rights to the Union. This means that the rules defined by the EU must be followed in all member countries, including Sweden. The European Agricultural policy constitutes the largest part of the EU's annual budget and is in contrast to many other areas fully funded at EU level. The last decade, many new regulations on chemicals and pesticides have been introduced which brought great changes and a lot of work throughout the Union, including Sweden. Sweden has always had a strict policy on chemicals and has been at the forefront when it comes to sustainable agriculture and environmental management.