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.
2010
Abstract
The effect of potential resistance inducing chemicals on disease development of Fusarium head blight was studied in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). As a pre-screening test, the effect of different treatments on development of Microdochium majus (syn. Microdochium nivale var. majus) was studied in detached leaves. Based on these tests, DL-3-aminobutyric acid, Bion (benzo-(1,2,3) thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester), and a foliar fertilizer containing potassium phosphite were selected for further studies. Greenhouse-grown winter wheat was sprayed with aqueous solutions of the potential resistance inducers 7 days prior to Fusarium culmorum point inoculation of the heads. Disease development was registered as number of bleached spikelets per inoculated spike. Spraying plants with the foliar fertilizer reduced the disease severity of F. culmorum by up to 40%. A reduced disease development of M. majus was also observed in detached leaves pre-treated with the foliar fertilizer. When the foliar fertilizer was added to the growth medium, a reduced in vitro growth of M. majus and F. culmorum was observed, indicating that the effect on disease development is at least partly due to a fungistatic effect. No significant reduction in disease development was observed in wheat pre-treated with DL-3-aminobutyric acid or Bion, although these compounds tended to reduce disease development, especially when applied in combination with other potential resistance inducers. We conclude that spraying winter wheat with a solution containing potassium phosphite can reduce development of M. majus and F. culmorum.
Authors
Aruppillai Suthaparan Sissel Torre Arne Stensvand Maria Herrero Rolf Inge Pettersen David M. Gadoury Hans Ragnar GislerødAbstract
When rose plants bearing colonies of Podosphaera pannosa were placed in a wind tunnel, the number of conidia trapped was directly proportional to intensity of daylight-balanced (white) light from 5 to 150 mu mol m(-2) s(-1). Illumination of samples using blue (420 to 520 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) increased the number of conidia trapped by a factor of approximately 2.7 over white light but germination of conidia under blue light was reduced by approximately 16.5% compared with conidia germination under white light. The number of conidia trapped under far-red (>685 nm) LEDs was approximately 4.7 times higher than in white light, and 13.3 times higher than under red (575 to 675 nm) LEDs, and germination was not induced compared with white light. When mildewed plants were exposed to cycles of 18 h of white light followed by 6 h of blue, red, far-red light, or darkness, light from the red LEDs reduced the number of conidia trapped by approximately 88% compared with darkness or far-red light. Interrupting the above dark period with 1 h of light from red LEDs also reduced the number of conidia trapped, while a 1-h period of light from far-red following the 1 h of light from red LEDs nullified the suppressive effect of red light. Our results indicate that brief exposure to red light during the dark interval may be as effective as continuous illumination in suppressing powdery mildew in greenhouse rose plant (Rosa x hybrida).
Authors
David M. Gadoury Belachew Asalf Tadesse M Heidenreich Maria Herrero MJ Welser Robert C Seem Anne Marte Tronsmo Arne StensvandAbstract
A collection of four clonal isolates of Podosphaera aphanis was heterothallic and was composed of two mutually exclusive mating types. Cleistothecial initials approximate to 20 to 30 mu m in diameter were observed within 7 to 14 days after pairing of compatible isolates and developed into morphologically mature ascocarps within 4 weeks after initiation on both potted plants maintained in isolation and in field plantings in New York State and southern Norway. Ascospores progressed through a lengthy maturation process over winter, during which (i) the conspicuous epiplasm of the ascus was absorbed; (ii) the osmotic potential of the ascospore cytoplasm increased, resulting in bursting of prematurely freed spores in water; and, finally, (iii) resulting in the development of physiologically mature, germinable, and infectious ascospores. Release of overwintered ascospores from field collections was coincident with renewed plant growth in spring. Overwintered cleistothecia readily dehisced when wetted and released ascospores onto glass slides, detached strawberry leaves, and leaves of potted plants. Plant material exposed to discharged ascospores developed macroscopically visible mildew colonies within 7 to 10 days while noninoculated controls remained mildew free. Scanning electron and light microscopy revealed that cleistothecia of P. aphanis were enmeshed within a dense mat of hyphae on the persistent leaves of field-grown strawberry plants and were highly resistant to removal by rain while these leaves remained alive. In contrast, morphologically mature cleistothecia on leaves of nine deciduous perennial plant species were readily detached by simulated rain and seemed adapted for passive dispersal by rain to other substrates. Contrary to many previous reports, cleistothecia appear to be a functional source of primary inoculum for strawberry powdery mildew. Furthermore, they differ substantially from cleistothecia of powdery mildews of many deciduous perennial plants in their propensity to remain attached to the persistent leaves of their host during the intercrop period.
Authors
Filipa Cox Nadia Barsoum Martin I. Bidartondo Isabella Børja Erik Lilleskov Lars Ola Nilsson Pasi Rautio Kath Tubby Lars VesterdalAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
2009
Authors
Holger Lange Nicholas Clarke O. Janne Kjønaas Wenche Aas Kjell Andreassen Isabella Børja Harald Bratli Susanne Eich-Greatorex Toril Drabløs Eldhuset Kjersti Holt Hanssen Tonje Økland Ingvald Røsberg Trine Aulstad Sogn Tomasgaard Volkmar TimmermannAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees and nitrogen deposition were analysed at about 500 forest plots throughout Norway in six fiveyear periods from 1977 to 2006. Growth was calculated from five repeated calliper measurements of all trees during this period and using treering series from increment cores of a subsample of trees. From the growth data a `relative growth` variable was extracted, being the deviation in % between observed and expected growth rates. The expected growth was estimated from growth models based on site productivity, age and stand density at each plot. The plots were categorized into four age classes. The nitrogen deposition was estimated for each plot for the same five year periods by geographical interpolation of deposition observations at monitoring stations made by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research. Nitrogen deposition from 1977 to 2006 ranged from 1 to 24 kg/ha/yr at the study plots, with about 15 kg/ha/yr in the southernmost region and 3 kg/ha/yr in the northern region of Norway. For the entire 30year period we found a long term relationship between growth and nitrogen deposition, corresponding to a forest growth increase of 0.7% per kg total nitrogen deposition per hectare and year (r2 = 0.13). This is in line with studies carried out on other data sets and for shorter time periods. This apparent fertilizing effect was most pronounced for the youngest forest, while the effect was weak for the oldest forest. The growth increase was observed in the southernmost part of Norway, the region with the highest nitrogen deposition. However, the relationship between nitrogen deposition and growth varied considerably between the time periods. In two of the periods the relationship was slightly negative: these periods corresponded well with summer droughts occurring in the southernmost part of Norway. Drought, as well as other climatic factors, will influence the shortterm variations in forest growth and may obscure the fertilizing effect of nitrogen deposition in some periods. In conclusion, nitrogen deposition has most likely increased growth in Norway spruce in southern Norway. However, our study also shows that inferences from such correlative studies should be drawn with care if the growth period is shorter than 10–15 years because climatic factors produce temporal variations in the relationship between nitrogen deposition and forest growth.
Abstract
The chapter reviews the available literature about the adverse effects of excess nickel on plants and their adaptation mechanisms. The study is focused on forest ecosystems exposed to extreme air pollution from the nickel-processing industry in Northern Fennoscandia. Long-term deposition of heavy metals and sulphur has caused strong soil contamination and severe damage to trees and ground vegetation, their structure, composition and chemistry. Tree leaves, branches and bark as well as dwarf shrubs, mosses and lichens show clearly elevated concentrations of nickel and copper in the surroundings of the smelters. Multivariate analyses show that changes in the element composition of plants depend both on air pollution and on natural factors. Besides direct input of pollutants from atmosphere, soil contamination and nutritional disturbance contribute significantly to the observed changes. Despite decline in emissions, extreme pool of heavy metals accumulated in surface soils is expected to influence plant metabolism and chemistry over a long period of time.