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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.

2023

Abstract

Bark beetle (Ips typographus) outbreaks have the potential to damage large areas of spruce-dominated forests in Scandinavia. To define forest management strategies that will minimize the risk of bark beetle attacks, we need robust models that link forest structure and composition to the risk and potential damage of bark beetle attacks. Since data on bark beetle infestation rates and corresponding damages does not exist in Norway, we implement a previously published meta-model for estimating I. typographus damage probability and intensity. Using both current and projected climatic conditions we used the model to estimate damage inflicted by I. typographus in Norwegian spruce stands. The model produces feasible results for most of Norway’s climate and forest conditions, but a revised model tailored to Norway should be fitted to a dataset that includes older stands and lower temperatures. Based on current climate and forest conditions, the model predicts that approximately nine percent of productive forests within Norway’s main spruce-growing region will experience a loss ranging from 1.7 to 11 m3/ha of spruce over a span of five years. However, climate change is predicted to exacerbate the annual damage caused by I. typographus, potentially leading to a doubling of its detrimental effects.

2022

To document

Abstract

Grey mold caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea can affect leaves, flowers, and berries of strawberry, causing severe pre- and postharvest damage. The defense elicitor β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) is reported to induce resistance against B. cinerea and many other pathogens in several crop plants. Surprisingly, BABA soil drench of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) plants two days before B. cinerea inoculation caused increased infection in leaf tissues, suggesting that BABA induce systemic susceptibility in F. vesca. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved in B. cinerea susceptibility in leaves of F. vesca plants soil drenched with BABA, we used RNA sequencing to characterize the transcriptional reprogramming 24 h post-inoculation. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in infected vs. uninfected leaf tissue in BABA-treated plants was 5205 (2237 upregulated and 2968 downregulated). Upregulated genes were involved in pathogen recognition, defense response signaling, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (terpenoid and phenylpropanoid pathways), while downregulated genes were involved in photosynthesis and response to auxin. In control plants not treated with BABA, we found a total of 5300 DEGs (2461 upregulated and 2839 downregulated) after infection. Most of these corresponded to those in infected leaves of BABA-treated plants but a small subset of DEGs, including genes involved in ‘response to biologic stimulus‘, ‘photosynthesis‘ and ‘chlorophyll biosynthesis and metabolism’, differed significantly between treatments and could play a role in the induced susceptibility of BABA-treated plants.