Biography

My main research topic is plant pathology related to fruit growing. My researcher carrier started with a PhD about fungal fruit decay in sweet cherries. Later on it has been a wider focus with fruit rot on apple, plum and sweet cherry fruits in addition to important diseases on the trees such as European canker and bacterial canker. The research is done in cooperation with the fruit industry and related industries such as packinghouses and nurseries.

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Abstract

Ascospores discharged at rainfall and dispersed by wind can provide long-distance spread of the European canker fungus, Neonectria ditissima. Ascospores are produced by perithecia which are the sexual reproductive stage. Diffuse knowledge exists on the seasonal pattern of perithecium formation under different climatic conditions. Therefore, the development of perithecia was observed for several successive seasons at five sites in three Northern European countries. In Norway and Finland, ripe perithecia were commonly recorded throughout the year, and on individual cankers continuously for up to 28 months. In contrast, asexual reproductive structures (sporodochia) were confined to the growing season in both countries. In Northern Germany an average of 51% of cankers developed ripe perithecia by late winter, and perithecial senescence ensued in late spring. On average, ripe perithecia were present on cankers for 22 weeks. In contrast, sporodochia were observed all year round. The timing of perithecium maturation correlated with the number of days with > 2 mm rainfall in July–September. The presence of mature perithecia and sporodochia for different lengths of time in different countries has implications for regional disease management strategies.

Abstract

https://ehc.usamv.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S10-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf The mid-early ripening cultivar, 'Summerred‘, is popular among consumers and widely grown in Norway. However, 'Summerred‘ fruit is prone to rapid softening and development of senescence-related disorders, especially senescent breakdown. Calcium can have a significant role in maintaining firmness and delaying senescence of fruits. In a two-year study, foliar application of calcium chloride (CaCl2) was conducted six times, with varying weather conditions between the growing seasons. Fruit was harvested at optimal commercial maturity and stored at 4 °C for either six or nine weeks, followed by simulated shelf-life conditions at 20 °C. Ethylene levels were monitored during storage to detect ripening discrepancies. At harvest, CaCl2-treated fruit exhibited significantly lower ethylene production compared to untreated fruit, although no differences were observed during the end of the storage period. Senescent breakdown showed significant variability between the two seasons, with an incidence of up to 15 % in the first season and nearly no incidence in the second season. Senescent breakdown increased with storage length but was not affected by foliar CaCl2 application. Real-time PCR analysis of fruit flesh samples revealed increased expression of polygalacturonase and β-galactosidases genes after storage, indicating their involvement in apple softening. Notably, there were no differences in gene expression between CaCl2-treated and untreated fruit after storage. Expression patterns of genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis at harvest were different between the two seasons. Higher expression was observed in the year when more disorder development occurred, indicating advanced maturity at harvest. There were no significant differences in Streif index between the two years.