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.
2019
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
The predicted and ongoing climate warming is expected to affect many aspects of plant development. We analysed data from a 31-year series of observations (1985–2016) on spring phenology and flowering and fruiting performance of three plum cultivars in an experimental orchard at Ås in southeast Norway (59° 40′N; 10° 50′E). Regression analyses revealed a trend of increasing March and April temperature during the study period that was highly significantly (P < 0.001) negatively correlated with the date of full bloom (FB). On average for all cultivars, blooming was advanced by 10 days over the study period. August and September temperature, which also increased significantly during the study period, was closely positively correlated with the amount of flowering in the subsequent spring and also interacted with early spring temperature in advancing blooming time. Investigation of the time of floral initiation in two of the studied plum cultivars revealed that the transition to reproductive development took place in early to mid-August. This finding strongly suggests that the close positive correlation between August-September temperature and the amount of flowering in plum observed in this and other studies, is causally linked to a specific physiological effect of elevated temperature on the flower bud formation process. Increasing March and April temperatures during the last 30 years has advanced blooming and spring phenology in plum and the resulting extension of the growing season has led to increasing fruit size at harvest. We conclude that so far, the ongoing climate warming appears to have been positive for plum production in the cool Nordic environment. However, an increasing risk of frost associated with earlier blooming will represent a potential negative effect of continued warming.
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Abstract
High tunnels offer an intensive and protective production system for many fruit crops. In May 2014, two tractor-accessible Haygrove® multibay tunnel systems were installed on a 10% slope at the experimental farm at Nibio Ullensvang, western Norway (60°19’8.03”N, 6°39’14.31”E). Feathered 1-year old European plum cultivar ‘Opal’ on rootstock ‘St. Julien A’ were planted with two rows per bay at a spacing of 1.5×4 m during 2012. Trees were trained to a central leader as free spindles. In 2016, one tunnel was covered (150 μm clear classic polyethylene film) from before blooming until harvest and one tunnel only covered from mid-July till harvest. Different crop loads levels were established by blossom thinning (each flower 5, 10, and 15 cm apart), and fruitlet thinning (each fruitlet 5, 10, and 15 cm apart) at 10-12 mm fruitlet diameter at the end of June. Treatments were applied on single whole trees in a randomized complete block design with five replications. Climatic parameters were monitored inside and outside the tunnels from mid-June to mid-September. Fruit set, yield data, and fruit quality parameters for each treatment were recorded. Increased thinning distances reduced the fruit set and was highest when thinned at fruitlets. Thinning to 5 cm apart and covered the whole season and 10 cm apart covered one month gave the highest fruit sets of 17.9 and 14.3%, respectively. The yield was positively correlated with the fruit set response, 11.7 kg tree-1 (20 t ha-1) – 5 cm between fruitlets and short-covering versus 3.4 kg – 15 cm distance between flowers and long covering. Both blossom and fruitlet thinned trees when covered got a significant yield reduction compared to covered one month. Thinning at the fruitlet stage resulted in smaller fruits at the same crop level (41.3 g on average) compared to flower thinning for both covering periods (47.2 g). Qualitative traits of ’Opal’ plums (bright yellow ground colour, red over colour, and soluble solid contents) were weakly correlated with the fruit set and was high (16.7% average soluble solids content). The coverage from bloom to harvest time promoted maturity of the plums. From the preliminary results, it can be concluded that fruitlets thinning from uncovered trees and one month covering before harvesting gave the largest crop of premium fruits.
Abstract
For plum production to be economically viable, dwarfing rootstocks are essential for establishing high-density orchards, which ensure easier management, lower production costs, and earlier yields. Performance of the semi-dwarfing plum rootstocks ‘Wavit’, ‘Ute’ (both clones of Prunus domestica), and the dwarfing ‘VVA-1’ (Krymsk®1) was compared against the industry standard, ‘St. Julien A’. Onto these rootstocks, scion cultivars ‘Excalibur’, ‘Reeves’, and ‘Valor’ were grafted and assessed in a replicated field trial in western Norway at 60° North. Trees were planted in spring 2006 and the ‘VVA-1’ rootstock in May 2007. Plants were all one-year-old whips, spaced 2.0×4.0 m apart and trained to a central leader as free spindles. Tree vigour, yield, fruit size, fruit quality, and yield efficiency were evaluated for eight subsequent years. Tree size was significantly influenced by the rootstock after eight years of growth. ‘VVA-1’ produced the smallest trees, about half the tree size of ‘St. Julien A’ as measured by trunk cross-sectional area. ‘Wavit’ and ‘Ute’ were similar in size to ‘St. Julien A’. All plum trees came into production slowly. On average the cultivars ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Reeves’ were harvested in mid-September and ‘Valor’ two weeks later. During the period 2011-2014, when trees were fully mature, ‘Reeves’ and ‘Valor’ grafted on the three semi-dwarfing rootstocks resulted in the highest yields tree-1. ‘VVA-1’ resulted in significantly lower yields for ‘Valor’. ‘Excalibur’ was the only cultivar in which ‘VVA-1’ significantly increased yield efficiency. Accumulated yield from 2011-2015 on ‘VVA-1’ was 0.52 kg cm-2 TCSA, 2.3 times more than on ‘St Julien A’. Fruit weight in ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Reeves’ was on average 57 and 62 g, respectively, and not affected by the different rootstocks. ‘Valor’ on ‘VVA-1’ showed a 10 g reduction in fruit weight compared to 59 g fruit weight on the other rootstocks. Fruit soluble solids were on average around 13 °Brix for ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Reeves’ and 16 °Brix for ‘Valor’ and did not differ significantly between trees on the different rootstocks tested. In conclusion, ‘St. Julien A’ was the most reliable semi-vigorous rootstock and resulted in the highest accumulated yields over the first eight years after planting and with favourable effects on fruit quality of all European plum cultivars evaluated. ‘VVA-1’ resulted in trees of low vigour which, especially with ‘Excalibur’, were more precocious and had higher yield efficiencies than all other rootstock scion combinations. If this rootstock is to be used it should be planted at a higher density per area than the semi-dwarfing rootstocks and on fertile soil with fertigation provided.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Erlend Indergaard Mette Thomsen Pia Heltoft Thomsen Belachew Asalf Tadesse Berit Nordskog Kristina Norne Widell Tom Ståle Nordtvedt Torgeir Tajet Hanne LarsenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Erlend Indergård Mette Thomsen Pia Heltoft Thomsen Belachew Asalf Tadesse Berit Nordskog Kristina Norne Widell Tom Ståle Nordtvedt Torgeir Tajet Hanne LarsenAbstract
After harvesting, the Norwegian root vegetables are normally stored at refrigerated temperatures for 5 to 7 months. During this period, up to 30% of the products are lost. The goal is to reduce the diseases, the product loss and energy consumption, in addition to increase shelf-life and storage period. Twenty-eight commercial root vegetable cold-stores were instrumented to measure air temperature, relative humidity and product temperature. The study was done over two years. The cold-stores were located in four different regions of Norway. The three focus-products carrot, swede and celeriac were harvested from one field in each region in open wire nets. The nets were placed in the various cold-stores in the respective regions and put in the wooden bins together with the producer's own products. The quality and yield of the products were determined and correlated to the storage condition. The various storage condition negatively affects the respiration and quality of the root vegetables, storage-life, and influence on the cooling capacity of the refrigeration systems.
Abstract
Agroforestry can be defined as sustainable and multifunctional land-use systems where trees are managed together with agricultural crops or livestock on the same piece of land. In the northern periphery area, agroforestry has a long history with woodland grazing, reindeer husbandry and gathering of different non-wood forest resources as herbs, mushrooms and berries. Traditional agroforestry has gradually disappeared during the 20th century with the intensification of agriculture and forestry. Currently agroforestry systems are gaining new interest, not only from farmers but also from politicians, as this practice can possibly contribute to a more sustainable way of agricultural production. In the northern periphery area, the benefits of agroforestry practices can be manifold not only promoting traditional practices, but also novel systems with the use of new technology. In addition, agroforestry has environmental benefits as a method for conservation and enhancement of biodiversity, improved nutrient cycling, and water quality. Soil humus layer will also increase with several agroforestry systems leading to carbon sequestration. Here we present an overview of agroforestry practices in the Nordic countries and the use of non-wood forest resources with the emphasis on wild berries.