Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Abstract
This report presents results from apple cultivar testing at NIBIO Ullensvang during 2016–2024. In total, 23 cultivars and advanced selections were evaluated for flowering, harvest time, yield, tree efficiency, fruit quality, and potential storage performance. Clear differences were found among cultivars in productivity and market suitability. ‘Fonn’ and ‘Jonagold Decosta Robijn’ were the most promising cultivars, combining high and stable yields, good fruit quality, and attractive fruit size. Both of them can be recommended for further commercial testing in a wide scale. Cultivar ‘Santana’ showed value as a niche cultivar because of its stable yield, scab resistance, and suitability for low-allergen and organic production, although its relatively high acidity reduced taste scores. Small fruited cultivar ‘Early Crunch’ produces very tasteful fruits and may have potential in the snack-apple segment.
Abstract
Within the EUFRIN apple rootstock trials, seven apple rootstocks are being tested for their resistance to ARD (apple replant disease) in several European countries. The current paper focuses on the effects of rootstock and soil type (ARD vs. fresh soil) on the accumulation of phenolic compounds in apple fruit. This research was performed at the Lithuanian trial site. Accumulation of phenolic compounds in fruit tissues was enhanced in replanted soil. On average, total phenol content in fruit flesh increased by 25%, and in fruit peel by 31%. Hyperoside and rutin in fruit flesh, and hyperoside, reynoutrin, phloridzin, and procyanidin C1 were the most variable among detected phenolic compounds, and their content in fruits from ARD soil was by 50-77% higher than in fruits from the fresh soil. The content of (-)-epicatechin in fruit flesh and (+)-catechin and procyanidin B1 in fruit peel was similar in both ARD and fresh soil. Rootstock had a significant effect on phenolic compound accumulation, but this effect was modified by soil conditions. Soil type had no effect on total phenol accumulation in fruits (flesh and peel) grown on Pajam 2 rootstock. Also, a stable phenol content in fruit flesh was on G.11 and M200 rootstocks, and in fruit peel on G.41. The highest increase of total phenol content at replant conditions was recorded on B.10 (by 66% in flesh and 60% in peel) and on G.935 (by 68% in flesh and 47% in peel) rootstocks.
Abstract
The successful introduction of new cultivars requires proper pomological, phenological, and technological evaluation. It is particularly important in the harsh Norwegian climate conditions. Investigations were conducted with apple cultivar ‘Eden’/‘Wursixo’ (WUR 6), to establish an optimal balance between yield, fruit quality, and bearing regularity. Four different crop load levels were tested in 3 consecutive years in the orchard, planted 3.5×1 m and trained as a slender spindle. Lower crop load levels guaranteed good return bloom, a very high share of fruits harvested during the first picking, and larger fruits. Increasing crop load led to less intensive return bloom, smaller fruit sizes, and a higher share of fruits harvested during the second picking. It was found that ‘Eden’ is strictly alternating cultivar and precise crop load levels according to the tree age and tree vigour were defined. In order to keep ‘Eden’ trees in regular bearing mode, crop load levels should be maintained at 4.5-5 fruits cm‑2 of trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) in the 3rd and 6-7 fruits in the 4th growing season.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Sylvain Poque Ulrika Carlson-Nilsson Muhammad Omer Anna Palmé Ingunn M. Vågen Gert Poulsen Matti W. Leino Kristiina Himanen Hamid KhazaeiAbstract
Faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) has great potential to contribute to sustainable agriculture and protein security globally but is known to be very sensitive to drought stress. Uncovering drought-adapted germplasm is critical for developing resilient cultivars and advancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stress adaptation. However, high-throughput plant phenotyping under stress conditions remain a major bottleneck in crop genetics and breeding programs. In this study, a multi-sensor indoor phenotyping platform was used to assess 44 faba bean genotypes under water deficit conditions. Standardized, monitored stress conditions were achieved by watering-by-weighing for drought onset, duration, and intensities allowing genotype-level comparisons. The genotypes showed a range of stress responses in growth and physiology, including traits such as plant height, biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. Digital biomass, derived from combined top- and side-view plant imaging, was strongly correlated with biological biomass at the experimental endpoint, validating its use as a non-destructive proxy for growth assessment in faba bean. Time-resolved generalized additive modelling further revealed genotype-specific differences in the timing and magnitude of water deficit response. Genotypes that maintained growth and WUE under water deficit conditions may serve as valuable pre-breeding materials for development of drought-adapted faba bean.
Abstract
This study evaluated the agronomic performance of 15 plum cultivars grafted on both P. cerasifera and ‘Wangenheim Prune’ (P. domestica) seedling rootstocks over nine years at the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. Trees on P. cerasifera were planted 4.5 m × 2.5 m apart, while those on ‘Wangenheim Prune’ were 4 m × 1.5 m apart. On average, trees on ‘Wangenheim Prune’ developed 23% smaller trunk diameters and produced 42% less pruning mass than those on P. cerasifera yet demonstrated higher yield efficiency, except for the ‘Valor’ cultivar, which performed better on P. cerasifera. Mean plot yield was about 40% higher on ‘Wangenheim Prune’. Based on productivity, survival, and fruit quality, the most promising cultivars for Nordic climates are ‘Čačanska Najbolja’ and ‘Jubileum’ on ‘Wangenheim Prune’, while ‘Valor’ was productive on both rootstocks. Leaf nutrient analyses revealed rootstock-dependent differences: leaves on P. cerasifera contained more P, K, Ca, and Mn, whereas Mg, Cu, and Zn were higher on ‘Wangenheim Prune’. Regardless of rootstock, trees grown in calcareous, high-pH soils were deficient in Fe and Mn.
Authors
Milica Fotirić Akšić Dragana Dabić Zagorac Marko Kitanović Kristina Đorđević Maja Natić Oddmund Frøynes Mekjell MelandAbstract
Commercial production of sweet cherries is possible up to approximately 60° N latitude in Norway and is among the most economically important fruit crops in the country. The harvest is late, but yields are very high, and the fruit is intended solely for the fresh market. The objective of this study was to assess whether sweet cherry can be grown in pots and to determine fruit quality (sugar, acid, polyphenol, and mineral content) of three sweet cherry cultivars (‘Van’, ‘Lapins’, and ‘Regina’) grown in high tunnels with varying levels of fertigation (F) and the application of slow-release (SR) fertilisers. Trees were planted in 35 L plastic bags, trained as spindle trees, with a spacing of 1 × 2.5 m (4000 trees/ha). The tunnel was covered with polythene from flowering until harvest. Fruit produced in pots had low levels of sugars and acids and high levels of phenolic acids and flavonoids, while the mineral content depended on treatment and cultivar. The main sugar components (glucose and fructose), the sweetness index, phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid), flavanols (catechin, rutin, quercetin, and hyperoside), and minerals (P, K, Mg, Ca, and Na) were much higher in the F treatment. SR treatments were more effective in increasing the content of acids (shikimic, malic, and quinic) and total phenolic content (TPC). Radical scavenging activity (RSA) and total sugars showed no statistically significant differences between the treatments studied. ‘Lapins’ fruit obtained from the fertigation regimes (when Kristalon brown + Calcinit + Magnesium-sulphate were added from mid-April to 1 September and plain water for the rest of the season, up to an electric conductivity (EC) of 0.5 and 1.0) contained the highest levels of minerals (P, K, Mg, Ca). The ‘Van’ cultivar from F treatments, especially VF2 (when Kristalon brown + Calcinit + Magnesium-sulphate were added from mid-April to 1 September and plain water for the rest of the season, with EC 1.0) and VF3 (when Kristalon brown is added in July, Kristalon brown + Calcinit + Magnesium-sulphate in August, and plain water for the rest of the season) had the highest sweetness index, glucose, fructose, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and hyperoside in sweet cherry fruit. ‘Regina’ under the RSR1 (50 g Multicote and 30 g chalk lime per tree) and RSR2 regimes (100 g Multicote and 30 g chalk lime per tree) produced fruit with the highest acid components, RSA and TPC. This suggests that sweet cherry trees can be grown in pots under high tunnels, but nutrition should be adjusted for each cultivar according to its physiological responses to specific microclimate conditions.
Authors
Darius KviklysAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Darius KviklysAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Darius KviklysAbstract
No abstract has been registered