Luke

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Jukuri

Tervetuloa käyttämään Jukuria, Luonnonvarakeskuksen (Luke) avointa julkaisuarkistoa. Jukurissa on tiedot Luken julkaisutuotannosta. Osa julkaisuista on vapaasti ladattavissa. Luken muodostaneiden tutkimuslaitosten aikaisemmasta julkaisutuotannosta osan tiedot ovat järjestelmässä jo nyt ja kattavuus paranee jatkuvasti.

Kokoelmat

Viimeksi tallennetut

Innovation systems for sustainability : insights from wood construction businesses and land use planning in Finland
Koskivaara, Atte
Dissertationes forestales : 374 (Suomen metsätieteellinen seura, 2025)
Harmonisation of the life cycle assessment of food products in Finland : Review of Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) from a comparability perspective
Hietala, Sanna; Heusala, Hannele; Jallinoja, Marja; Joensuu, Katri; Katajajuuri, Juha-Matti; Lehtilä, Anniina; Leinonen, Ilkka; Lindfors, Kim; Silvenius, Frans; Usva, Kirsi; Vikki, Karetta
Luonnonvara- ja biotalouden tutkimus : 58/2025 (Luonnonvarakeskus, 2025)
The main goal of the Finnish LCAFoodPrint is to create a national Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodological guideline for food products and particularly, to be used in public external communication to consumers and other stakeholders. A major motivation is to significantly enhance the consistency and comparability of LCA results, which is currently limited due to varied methods across different products and categories. To achieve this, the study systematically reviews existing LCA approaches and international standards, giving main focus on the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method and the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs). Each guideline was examined for methodological consistency and differences in areas such as functional unit definition, system boundaries, allocation methods, and emission modelling. While the PEF method was designed for uniform and comparable assessments within product groups, its applicability in comparisons across product categories remains uncertain. Thus, attention was paid to the comparability of LCA results within and across product groups. In this report evaluation is made on whether the PEF method and the PEFCRs support reliable comparisons also across product categories and to identify deviations in methods causing discrepancy. Aim of this comparison is to form the basis for the development of a solid, transparent, and harmonized national LCA guideline for use in both regulatory frameworks and in external communication. The review found that while the PEF method ensures consistency within product groups, significant methodological differences across PEFCRs could impair full comparability between food products, across product categories. Well-acknowledged issue of mass-based functional units was seen as one of the largest challenges, as they do not account for nutritional value which can be very different across food categories. System boundaries generally extended from cradle to grave, but differences exist in how the use stage is handled. Allocation methods varied widely — economic, mass-based, and biophysical allocations were found to be used mainly consistently, yet severe differences were also noticed, which would hamper comparisons. Crop production emissions were typically modelled with IPCC Tier 1 methods, while livestock modelling was more variable. Use stage modelling and land use changes were inconsistently addressed, which were seen as potentially leading to variation in interpretation. Waste treatment and end-of-life modelling were generally harmonized and use the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF), though also in this case interpretation of its use was found varying. Data quality requirements were mostly aligned with PEF, but the extent and methods for collecting primary data differed, affecting transparency and comparability. The PEF method provides a solid basis for harmonizing food LCAs, but it was found as not fully sufficient for comparing different food products across categories due to inconsistencies found across PEFCRs. Key areas needing harmonization included functional unit definitions, allocation principles, treatment of the use phase, land use changes and modelling requirements and used Tiers. Although internal comparability within product groups is well supported, cross-category comparison remains limited. To support transparent communication of environmental information and informed decision-making, a national guideline food LCA guideline need to address these inconsistencies.
Life cycle sustainability assessment of an agricultural product in rural areas of Western Nepal : case study of goat meat
Usva, Kirsi; Bhattarai, Ira; Abdulkareem, Mariam; Pokharel, Kisun; Sapkota, Madan Mani; Panthi, Sunita; Acharya, Pushpa Raj; Sharma, Raksha
International journal of life cycle assessment (Springer Nature, 2025)
Purpose: In Nepal, goat farming plays a vital role in the agricultural economy and food security, and this number is increasing. The purpose of this study was to understand the sustainability impacts of this highly important food item and to test a life cycle assessment method for an agricultural product in Nepal for the first time. Methods: Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) was applied to assess the carbon footprint, social impacts, and life cycle costs of goat meat produced in Western Nepal in Sudurpashchim and Karnali Provinces. Primary data were collected from goat farms, field cultivation, middlemen, and butcheries to assess climate impact and costs. Goat farmer group discussions were held to cover social impacts. Results and discussion: The carbon footprint of the carcass weight of the goat meat was 17 kg CO2eq/kg CW. Further studies should focus on methane emissions from enteric fermentation and manure and the overall efficiency of the production chain. The results indicate that, in general, the goat business is a good business, but profitability is mostly toward the downstream side of the value chain, especially for butchers selling directly to customers. Meeting basic needs, access to services and inputs, and women’s empowerment were identified as social hotspots in several regions. Conclusions: LCSA is an applicable method in the food and agricultural sector in Nepal and provides several possibilities for the future. By integrating environmental, social, and economic perspectives, future interventions can better support small-scale farmers, enhance their livelihoods, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Independent evolution of betulin biosynthesis in Inonotus obliquus
Safronov, Omid; Lutfullahoglu Bal, Güleycan; Sipari, Nina; Wilkens, Maya; Safdari, Pezhman; Smolander, Olli-Pekka; Laine, Pia K.; Lihavainen, Jenna; Silvan, Niko; Rajaraman, Sitaram; Paulin, Lars G.; Teeri, Teemu H.; Auvinen, Petri; Sarjala, Tytti; Overmyer, Kirk; Richter, Uwe; Salojärvi, Jarkkko
Scientific reports (Springer Nature, 2025)
Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is a fungal species in the family Hymenochaetaceae (Basidiomycota) and the causative agent of white rot decay in Betula species. We assembled a high-quality 50.7 Mbp genome from PacBio sequencing and identified a lineage-specific whole genome duplication event approximately 1.3 million years ago, which has contributed to a major increase in biochemical diversity in the species through preferential retention of cytochrome P450 superfamily members. Secondary metabolism has further evolved through small-scale segmental duplications, such as tandem duplications within fungal biosynthetic gene clusters. Metabolomic fingerprinting confirmed increased complexity in terpene biosynthesis chemistry compared to related species that lacked the duplication event. This metabolic diversity may have arisen from co-evolution with the primary host species, which evolved high betulin content in its bark 4–8 million years ago.
Evidence of early genomic selection in Holstein Friesian across African and European ecosystems
Gao, Junxin; Gonzalez-Prendes, Rayner; Liu, Ying; Kantanen, Juha; Ginja, Catarina; Ghanem, Nasser; Kugonza, Donald Rugira; Makgahlela, Mahlako; Bovenhuis, Henk; Groenen, Martien A.M.; Crooijmans, Richard P.M.A.
Bmc genomics : 1 (BioMed Central, 2025)
The Holstein Friesian (HF) cattle breed is the most dominant breed in commercial dairy farming worldwide and managed in more than 150 countries. These countries span diverse agro-climatic zones, ranging from tropical to cold regions. The introduction of HF animals in these regions occurred at different moments in the past which are poorly recorded and continued through importation of live animal and frozen semen. We hypothesize that the HF cattle populations in these regions underwent early forms of adaptation to these specific local environments. However, the detection of genetic variation associated with this adaptation remains poorly documented. This study investigates genetic relationship and potential early selection signatures in HF populations from three African countries (Egypt, South Africa, Uganda) and three European countries (Finland, Portugal, The Netherlands), considering five animals per country. Approximately 16.0 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the 30 HF animals and used for further analyses. Across all countries, we identified dispersed regions totaling 3.3 megabase of ecosystem-specific genomic regions (43 genes), indicative of early selection signatures based on fixation indices (F-statistic, Fst). Furthermore, comparing variants between tropical (Egypt and Uganda) and cold regions (Finland and The Netherlands) by Fst, nucleotide diversity (θπ ratio), and extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH), we identified a total of 10 candidate regions, comprising 12 genes within a 0.57 megabase size. The regions were enriched with genes involved in signaling pathways associated directly or indirectly with adaptation, including the immune system (PGLYRP4,PGLYRP3, PAG1, CD48, SLAMF1, DYSF,and LOC615223), organ development and reproduction (LDB3, ADAMTSL4, TPRN, CCDC40, OR2AG1G, and OR8B3), thermogenic activation (TBC1D16), phospholipid metabolism (PLPPR4 and PITPNB), thermos-tolerance (ZNF423), and stimulus response (NCOA7, CYP2C85, and ARFGEF3). This study provides new insights into early forms of genetic plasticity of animals adapted to very diverse ecosystems. Our findings highlight candidate genes related to immune response, organ development, reproduction, metabolism, and thermo-tolerance, hypothesizing their role in facilitating adaptation to different environments.