Ingerd Skow Hofgaard

Research Scientist

(+47) 920 57 684
ingerd.hofgaard@nibio.no

Place
Ås H7

Visiting address
Høgskoleveien 7, 1433 Ås

Biography

My research is mainly on fungal diseases in grasses and cereals, with focus on Fusarium and mycotoxins in cereals (epidemiology, forecasting models and control measures). I have worked at NIBIO since 1997. In 1995 I achieved my Cand. scient. in Plant Physiology at the University of Oslo. In 2003, I accomplished my Dr. scient. in Plant Pathology at NIBIO and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). I have worked on several projects on Fusarium and mycotoxins, often with the role as the project manager of NIBIOs activities, or as a research task leader. Since 2012, I have coordinated activities within research on Fusarium and mycotoxins at NIBIO. I am the associate chair of the Department of Fungal Plant Pathology, Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health in NIBIO.

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Abstract

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Abstract

During the last ten years, Norwegian cereal grain industry has experienced large challenges due to Fusarium spp. and Fusarium mycotoxin contamination of small-grained cereals. To prevent severely contaminated grain lots from entering the grain supply chain, it is important to establish surveys for the most prevalent Fusarium spp. and mycotoxins. The objective of our study was to quantify and calculate the associations between Fusarium spp. and mycotoxins prevalent in oats and spring wheat. In a 6-year period from 2004-2009, 178 grain samples of spring wheat and 289 samples of oats were collected from farmers’ fields in South East Norway. The grains were analysed for 18 different Fusarium-mycotoxins by liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry. Generally, the median mycotoxin levels were higher than reported in Norwegian studies covering previous years. The DNA content of Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium langsethiae, Fusarium poae and Fusarium avenaceum were determined by quantitative PCR. We identified F. graminearum as the main deoxynivalenol (DON) producer in oats and spring wheat, and F. langsethiae as the main HT-2 and T-2-toxins producer in oats. No association was observed between quantity of F. graminearum DNA and quantity of F. langsethiae DNA nor for their respective mycotoxins, in oats. F. avenaceum was one of the most prevalent Fusarium species in both oats and spring wheat. The following ranking of Fusarium species was made based on the DNA concentrations of the Fusarium spp. analysed in this survey (from high to low): F. graminearum = F. langsethiae = F. avenaceum > F. poae > F. culmorum (oats); F. graminearum = F. avenaceum > F. culmorum > F. poae = F. langsethiae (spring wheat). Our results are in agreement with recently published data indicating a shift in the relative prevalence of Fusarium species towards more F. graminearum versus F. culmorum in Norwegian oats and spring wheat.

Abstract

Web-based decision support systems (DSSs) are essential tools for precision crop protection, guiding farmers and advisors in implementing need-based control measures against pests, diseases, and weeds. These systems rely heavily on weather-driven models, where data accuracy and availability are critical. Leaf wetness is a key factor for infection and reproduction of many fungal plant pathogens, making it an important input in DSSs. However, the availability of leaf wetness data from weather services is variable, leading to the development of numerous estimation models without a universally accepted standard model. This study aimed to develop a robust mathematical model for estimating leaf wetness across diverse European climate zones and to integrate the model for enabling real-time leaf wetness estimates as inputs to web based DSSs. Hourly weather data, including leaf wetness, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and wind speed were collected from automatic weather stations. Training data came from five Norwegian sites, while testing data covered 17 locations across Europe. Five machine learning based models (decision tree (DT), random forest, K-Nearest neighbour, multi-layer perception, long short-term memory (LSTM)) were trained and their performance compared with five existing empirical models (RH87, RH90, extRH, DPD, CART/SLD) from the literature. LSTM and DT achieved best performance, demonstrating strong robustness across climate zones. The LSTM model, required fewer data inputs and well suited for time-series data, was integrated into a Flask-based service for automatic use in forecasting models within the web-based IPM Decisions DSS platform, thereby enhancing the precision of this DSS.

Abstract

I Jordbruksoppgjøret 2025 (Prp. 149 S (2024 – 2025)) ble det enighet om at kunnskapsstatus og -behov innen plantehelseområdet fra 2019 måtte oppdateres. Det er gjort i form av denne rapporten. Den bestilte utredningen er avgrenset til skadegjørere og planteverntiltak som er relevante for jord- og hagebruk. Utredingen tar for seg kunnskap, prosjekter og kunnskapshull siden 2019 og fram til i dag (2026). Kapittel 1 omtaler metodebruk og plantevern i et beredskapsperspektiv. Kapittel 2.1-2.8 omhandler status for utfordringer med skadegjørere og tilgang til planteverntiltak for alle aktuelle plantekulturer for ugras, skadedyr og sopp. Kapittel 2.9 gir en oversikt over godkjente og utgåtte plantevernmidler siden 2019. Kapittel 2.10 omhandler skadegjørere hvor kjemiske plantevernmidler er i begrenset bruk. Det vil si virus, bakterier og nematoder. Kapittel 3 tar for seg ny teknologi og innovative metoder for integrert plantevern og faktorer som påvirker bruken av disse. Kapittel 4 omhandler miljø- og helseeffekter knyttet til bruk av kjemiske plantevernmidler, hvilke plantekulturer som utgjør størst risiko for negative miljøeffekter og faktorer som reduserer helserisikoen. Kapittel 5 tar for seg næringens behov og utviklingstrekk knyttet til kunnskap, rådgivning og tiltak. Dette kapittelet ser også på årsaker til eventuelle endringer i bruk av og behov for plantevernmidler som følge av for eksempel miljøkrav.

Prosjekt REKORN - Underkultur

Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health

REKORN: Can regenerative cultivation methods contribute to reduce the risk of fungal diseases in cereals?


Regenerative agriculture is referred to as a bridge between organic and conventional agriculture and has received increased attention in recent years. Regenerative agriculture focuses on soil health and cultivation measures that can stimulate soil life and plant growth. An improvement in soil health is visualized, among other things, in increased carbon storage in the soil, limited soil compaction and increased microbiological diversity. The methods used to improve soil health within cereal cultivation may include crop rotation, reduced tillage, intercropping, use of catch crops and surface composting where plant residues are mixed into the top-soil layer.

Active Updated: 23.05.2024
End: dec 2026
Start: jan 2024
Field with  ongoing fertilisation testing

Division of Food Production and Society

Gene2Bread: Building knowledge and exploiting technology to achieve high wheat self-sufficiency in Norway


The project aims to increase Norway’s self-sufficiency in milling wheat by gaining knowledge to improve wheat quality and increase its utilisation. Adequate protein content and a stable quality between seasons and within a season are prerequisites to increasing the share of Norwegian wheat in the flour blend.

Active Updated: 17.08.2026
End: may 2028
Start: apr 2024