About the project

The animal production in Norway has become more specialized with increased demands for the nutritional composition of the feed concentrates, and especially protein content. As a result, increasing amounts of protein-rich feed ingredients like rapeseed cake and soybean meal are being imported at the expense of the domestically produced feed grains, which are low in protein content and considered mostly as a carbohydrate source. However, the potential is great to increase the protein content of Norwegian feed grains, both short-term through optimized nitrogen fertilization and long-term through breeding of high protein content cultivars.

With focus on barley, the largest feed grain in Norway, we will engage with central actors in the grain and feed industry, including farmers, agricultural extension service, feed producers and plant breeders. The aim is to increase the protein production and ensure a better utilization of the domestically produced feed grains. Sensor technologies will be used to generate new knowledge about the link between soil variability, nutrient uptake and nitrogen remobilization in the plants during the growing season. Targeted split nitrogen fertilization regimes will be developed that can be applied by the farmers to optimize both yield and protein content in barley. Genetic studies will be performed, and tools developed for the breeding of barley cultivars with increased nitrogen use efficiency and protein content. Moreover, new feed formulas will be developed to increase the utilization of domestic barley in the feed concentrates for ruminant and monogastric animals.

We will also interact with the industry and policy makers to come up with a differentiated pricing system to stimulate increased protein production based on Norwegian feed grain. Overall, the project will contribute to a more profitable, sustainable and self-sufficient Norwegian agriculture.

Work packages:

• WP1: Project management (WP-leder Morten Lillemo, NMBU)
• WP2: Linking crop canopy data with spatial soil variability to better assess plant nitrogen status and fertilization needs through remote sensing (WP-leader Trine Aulstad Sogn Tomasgaard, NMBU)
• WP3: Understanding the genetics and providing tools for effective breeding of high protein content barley cultivars (WP leader Morten Lillemo, NMBU)
• WP4: Efficient and sustainable use of nitrogen to increase protein content (WP leader Annbjørg Øverli Kristoffersen, NIBIO)
• WP5: Animal nutrition and feed evaluation (WP leader Egil Prestløkken, NMBU)
• WP6: Engagement, dissemination and communication (WP leader Harald Solberg, NIBIO/NLR)

• Objectives

  Main objective: To generate the knowledge and tools needed to support a higher protein production and utilization of Norwegian feed barley to reduce the reliance on imported protein sources in animal feed.

  This will be achieved through the following secondary objectives:

  1. Testing out sensor technologies and modeling approaches for fast and reliable assessment of plant N-status and fertilization needs,
  2. Identifying genetic variation and developing selection tools for breeding of high-protein content barley cultivars
  3. Developing N-fertilization strategies for efficient and sustainable increase of barley protein content,
  4. Improving and adapting feed formulas for monogastric and ruminant animals that can utilize a higher proportion of domestically produced high-protein barley
  5. Dissemination of project results through interaction with the whole value chain to achieve the overall aims of the project.
• Participants

  Partners

  • Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research  (NIBIO)
    Annbjørg Øverli Kristoffersen, Researcher
    Krzysztof Kusnierek, Researcher
  • Graminor
    Muath Alsheikh, research director
    Constantin Jansen, barley breeder
  • Other industry partners: Felleskjøpet Fôrutvikling, Felleskjøpet Agri, Yara, Agdir, Norsk Landbruksrådgiving (NLR)
  • International collaboration: Malcolm Hawkesford, Rothamsted Research, England