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.
2021
Authors
Beatrix Alsanius Christer Magnusson Mogens Nicolaisen Sandra A.I. Wright Per Hans Micael Wendell Paal Krokene Johan Stenberg Iben Margrete Thomsen Trond RafossAbstract
Key words: VKM, risk assessment, Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Norwegian Environment Agency, Biowaste, Compost, Plant health, organic waste, Phytosanitary safety, Biogas, Alien organisms Introduction The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA) have jointly asked the Norwegian Scientific Committee for food and environment for an assessment into treatment methods and validation methods for compost and digestate based on organic waste in relation to plant health and the spread of harmful alien organisms in Norway. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority will use the report in its supervisory work over companies that produce compost and digestate. The assessment will also provide important input for the regulatory development of several current regulations including regulations on indicator organisms that are used to validate new methods and ensure adequate security with regards to the survival of plant pests. The Norwegian Environment Agency wants to establish whether the methods used in the composting of garden waste and other types of plant waste today are able to ensure that the finished product does not become a source for the spread of harmful alien organisms. This will form the basis for the Norwegian Environment Agency’s guidelines relating to the precautionary provisions in the regulation on alien organisms. This request is limited to an assessment of plant pests and harmful alien organisms (hereinafter alien organisms). The survival of infectious diseases harmful to people and animals is considered in separate assessments. Methods We have conducted initiating workshops for identifying relevant fundamental processes and parameters, of relevant organisms and of relevant search terms for the literature surveys, as well as for discussion and validation. Visits to composting facilities and contact with stakeholders in Norway were also conducted. This information was further implemented in an extensive literature search. This assessment include/encompass organic waste and other materials that are currently treated in biogas and composting facilities, including garden and park waste (incl. soil), plant waste from garden centres, etc., food waste and waste from the food and animal feed industry (including grain/seed husks and waste from enterprises which package and process potatoes and vegetables), manure, bulking agents used in composting facilities, and husks from contracted grain/seed cleaners for sowing. We have used a quantitative risk assessment. The level of confidence in the risk assessment is described, and uncertainties and data gaps identified. Furthermore, we have used re-submission commenting and external expert reviewing before final approval and publication. ...........
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Michael Roleda Sandra Lage Daniel Fonn Aluwini Celine Rebours May Bente Brurberg Udo Nitschke Francesco G. GentiliAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Johan A. Stenberg Kjetil K. Melby Christer Magnusson Anders Nielsen Julie Rydning Micael Wendell Beatrix Alsanius Paal Krokene Mogens Nicolaisen Iben M. Thomsen Sandra A. I. Wright Trond RafossAbstract
Key words: VKM, risk assessment, Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Food Safety Authority, biological control, Nematodes, Phasmarhabditis californica, Moraxella osloensis. Parasitic nematodes and associated bacteria are increasingly being used for biocontrol of molluscs. Functionally, it is the bacteria that kill and thus control the targeted pests, but the function of the bacteria is dependent on the nematodes, which should be regarded as vectors of biocontrol. Although the nematodes and the bacteria have a symbiotic relationship within such biocontrol formulations, it should be noted that they are not dependent on each other in the wild, but can establish separate populations which can be free-living or hosted by other organisms. The biocontrol product Nemaslug 2.0 contains the nematode Phasmarhabditis californica (strain P19D) and the bacterial symbiont Moraxella osloensis (unknown strain). The nematode was first described in 2016 and has never been reported in Norway. The lack of reports suggests that it is absent from Norway, but this conclusion comes with a high degree of uncertainty since there have been limited search efforts. The climatic thresholds of the nematode are not known, but its current distribution, spanning widely varying climates, suggests that it could survive and establish in Norway. Natural spread from currently known areas of establishment to natural habitats in Norway is ruled out due to the nematode’s limited dispersal capacity. However, human-assisted spread (e.g. via the use of biocontrol products) and establishment would be likely if Nemaslug 2.0 is allowed for use in open fields in Norway. Use of Nemaslug 2.0 in greenhouses and other enclosed areas is not likely to facilitate spread to natural habitats in Norway provided that residues are properly handled. However, deposition of product residues from greenhouses to outdoor areas may result in local establishment of the nematode in the vicinity of the deposition. Phasmarhabditis californica has a broad host range and may parasitize both rare/endangered and common mollusc species. However, there is no scientific evidence suggesting that the nematode can affect natural populations of molluscs in wild habitats, or otherwise have negative effects on biodiversity. The nematodes’ association with the bacteria Moraxella osloensis is most likely lost, or at least weakened, in natural habitats, suggesting that the nematode becomes less capable of killing its hosts in the wild. Phasmarhabditis californica is not capable of harming or infecting humans. The bacterial species Moraxella osloensis is already present in Norway in a few locations and at a low abundance, and it may be native to Norway. Little is known regarding its distribution in natural environments, but the literature shows that it can infect humans and other mammals. In humans with immunodeficiency or other comorbidities, M. osloensis can cause meningitis, vaginitis, sinusitis, bacteremia, endocarditis, and septic arthritis. The risk of infection in people handling Nemaslug 2.0 can probably be substantially reduced by protective clothing and appropriate handling. We are not aware of any reported health issues arising from use of the previous version of Nemaslug, which also contains M. osloensis. Different strains of M. osloensis are known to vary in their sensitivity to antibiotics, and likely in other traits too. Thus, the lack of information provided about the strain identity and specific characteristics of the strain used in Nemaslug 2.0 generates a high degree of uncertainty regarding its pathogenicity, climate tolerance, sensitivity to antibiotics etc.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Venche Talgø Martin Pettersson Magnhild Sekse Erdal May Bente Brurberg Sigrid Mogan Arne StensvandAbstract
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tatsiana Espevig Kristine Sundsdal Trygve S. Aamlid Jo Anne Crouch Karin Normann Marina Usoltseva Kate Entwistle Torfinn Torp May Bente BrurbergAbstract
Dollar spot, caused by at least five Clarireedia species (formerly Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F. T. Benn.), is one of the economically most important turfgrass diseases worldwide. The disease was detected for the first time in Scandinavia in 2013. There is no available information from Scandinavian variety trials on resistance to dollar spot in turfgrass species and cultivars (http://www.scanturf.org/). Our in vitro screening (in glass vials) of nine turfgrass species comprising a total of 20 cultivars showed that on average for ten Clarireedia isolates of different origin, the ranking for dollar spot resistance in turfgrass species commonly found on Scandinavian golf courses was as follows: perennial ryegrass = slender creeping red fescue > strong creeping red fescue > Kentucky bluegrass = velvet bentgrass > colonial bentgrass = Chewings fescue ≥ creeping bentgrass = annual bluegrass. Significant differences in aggressiveness among Clarireedia isolates of different origin were found in all turfgrass species except annual bluegrass (cv. Two Putt). The U.S. C. jacksonii isolate MB-01 and Canadian isolate SH44 were more aggressive than C. jacksonii isolates from Denmark and Sweden (14.10.DK, 14.15.SE, and 14.16.SE) in velvet bentgrass and creeping bentgrass. The Swedish isolate 14.112.SE was generally more aggressive than 14.12.NO despite the fact that they most likely belong to the same Clarireedia sp. The U.S. C. monteithiana isolate RB-19 had similar aggressiveness as the Scandinavian C. jacksonii isolates, but was less aggressive than two U.S. C. jacksonii isolates MB-01 and SH44. Thus, aggressiveness of Clarireedia isolates was more impacted by their geographic origin and less by species of the isolate and/or the host turfgrass species.
2020
Abstract
Endogenous antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are evolutionarily ancient factors of innate immunity, which are produced by all multicellular organisms and play a key role in their protection against infection. Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), also called Kamchatka crab, is widely distributed and the best known species of all king crabs belonging to the family Lithodidae. Despite their economic importance, the genetic resources of king crabs are scarcely known and no fullgenome sequences are available to date. Therefore, analysis of the red king crab transcriptome and identifcation and characterization of its AMPs could potentially contribute to the development of novel antimicrobial drug candidates when antibiotic resistance has become a global health threat. In this study, we sequenced the P. camtschaticus transcriptomes from carapace, tail fap and leg tissues using an Illumina NGS platform. Libraries were systematically analyzed for gene expression profles along with AMP prediction. By an in silico approach using public databases we defned 49 cDNAs encoding for AMP candidates belonging to diverse families and functional classes, including buforins, crustins, paralithocins, and ALFs (anti-lipopolysaccharide factors). We analyzed expression patterns of 27 AMP genes. The highest expression was found for Paralithocin 1 and Crustin 3, with more than 8,000 reads. Other paralithocins, ALFs, crustins and ubiquicidins were among medium expressed genes. This transcriptome data set and AMPs provide a solid baseline for further functional analysis in P. camtschaticus. Results from the current study contribute also to the future application of red king crab as a bio-resource in addition to its being a known seafood delicacy.
Authors
Melissa Magerøy Samuel W. Wilkinson Torstein Tengs Hugh Cross Marit Almvik Pierre Petriacq Adam Vivian-Smith Tao Zhao Carl Gunnar Fossdal Paal KrokeneAbstract
In response to various stimuli, plants acquire resistance against pests and/or pathogens. Such acquired or induced resistance allows plants to rapidly adapt to their environment. Spraying the bark of mature Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees with the phytohormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) enhances resistance to tree‐killing bark beetles and their associated phytopathogenic fungi. Analysis of spruce chemical defenses and beetle colonization success suggests that MeJA treatment both directly induces immune responses and primes inducible defenses for a faster and stronger response to subsequent beetle attack. We used metabolite and transcriptome profiling to explore the mechanisms underlying MeJA‐induced resistance in Norway spruce. We demonstrated that MeJA treatment caused substantial changes in the bark transcriptional response to a triggering stress (mechanical wounding). Profiling of mRNA expression showed a suite of spruce inducible defenses are primed following MeJA treatment. Although monoterpenes and diterpene resin acids increased more rapidly after wounding in MeJA‐treated than control bark, expression of their biosynthesis genes did not. We suggest that priming of inducible defenses is part of a complex mixture of defense responses that underpins the increased resistance against bark beetle colonization observed in Norway spruce. This study provides the most detailed insights yet into the mechanisms underlying induced resistance in a long‐lived gymnosperm.