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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.

2018

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Abstract

Improved waterlogging tolerance of wheat and barley varieties may alleviate yield constraints caused by heavy or long-lasting precipitation. The waterlogging tolerance of 181 wheat and 210 barley genotypes was investigated in field trials between 2013 and 2014. A subset of wheat genotypes were selected for yield trials in 2015 and 2016. Our aim was to: (1) characterize the waterlogging tolerance of genotypes with importance for Norwegian wheat and barley breeding, and (2) identify which phenotypic traits that most accurately determine the waterlogging tolerance of wheat in our field trials. Waterlogging tolerance was determined by principal component analysis (PCA) where best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) of the traits chlorosis, relative plant height, heading delay, relative spike number, relative biomass and an overall condition score were used as input variables. Six wheat and five barley genotypes were identified as consistently more tolerant in 2013 and 2014. This included the waterlogging tolerant CIMMYT line CETA/Ae. tauschii (895). Chlorosis and the overall condition score were the traits that best explained the yield response of the genotypes selected for the yield trials. Our results show that early stress symptoms did not necessarily reflect the ability to recover post treatment. Thus, records from full crop cycles appear as fundamental when screening populations with unknown tolerance properties.

Abstract

Research is being poured into developing both potential products and the processes required to convert seaweed, or macroalgae, into products. So far, the results are products for high-end markets, such as restaurants, but in very modest volumes. To understand what it will take to create a large-scale seaweed industry, research is conducted into the strategic-, environmental- and economic realities such an industry would have to deal with as suppliers of fish-feed. The idea is that unless the industry has something to offer that competing products do not, in terms of cost, performance or environmental- and economic footprint, the seaweed industry will be delegated to small volumes for special needs and high value products. These topics are discussed below.

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Abstract

In recent years, slatted floors made of materials like fiber composite and plastic have been introduced in animal housing systems. These modern floor types are claimed to have low heat conductivity and hence be “better” for the sheep than expanded metal, but the actual preference in sheep has not yet been tested. The aim of this study was to investigate the preference of ewes for different floor materials at low ambient temperatures. The experiment was performed in a non-insulated building and the indoor air temperature varied from -11.8 to + 3 °C. Each experimental pen measured 3.0 x 2.0 m (total 6.0 m2) and were divided into two equal sections (A and B). A total of 30 non-pregnant ewes were sheared and allocated to one of ten stable groups with three animals per group. Five different floor types – expanded metal, slatted floor made of fiber composite, slatted floor made of plastic, solid floor made of wood and solid floor consisting of a rubber mat, were installed in section A and B in the experimental pens. Groups were habituated to all floor material combinations and systematically rotated through the ten pens. Behaviors were scored from 20 hour video recordings using instantaneous sampling at 10 minute intervals. In addition, heat conductivity properties of the five different floor materials were tested. On days with low temperatures, the ewes were standing or walking more, resting less, eating or drinking more and resting more in physical contact than on days with higher temperatures. When given the choice, ewes showed clear preferences for standing/walking and resting on solid floor materials than on slatted floors. This is consistent with earlier preference tests on sheared sheep. Ewes did not seem to show a clear preference for one slatted floor material over another for resting. The proportion of time spent standing/walking in the pen was steadily reduced as air temperature in the barn increased. The present experiment suggests that none of the floor combinations had thermal properties that adversely affect resting and other general behaviors of the animals. The heat conductivity properties were similar among the slatted floors. In conclusion, the claimed favorable thermal properties of plastic slatted floors and fiber composite were not confirmed. There must be other properties of the floor than heat conductivity that influences the preference in ewes.

To document

Abstract

In recent years, slatted floors made of materials like fiber composite and plastic have been introduced in animal housing systems. These modern floor types are claimed to have low heat conductivity and hence be “better” for the sheep than expanded metal, but the actual preference in sheep has not yet been tested. The aim of this study was to investigate the preference of ewes for different floor materials at low ambient temperatures. The experiment was performed in a non-insulated building and the indoor air temperature varied from -11.8 to + 3 °C. Each experimental pen measured 3.0 x 2.0 m (total 6.0 m2) and were divided into two equal sections (A and B). A total of 30 non-pregnant ewes were sheared and allocated to one of ten stable groups with three animals per group. Five different floor types – expanded metal, slatted floor made of fiber composite, slatted floor made of plastic, solid floor made of wood and solid floor consisting of a rubber mat, were installed in section A and B in the experimental pens. Groups were habituated to all floor material combinations and systematically rotated through the ten pens. Behaviors were scored from 20 hour video recordings using instantaneous sampling at 10 minute intervals. In addition, heat conductivity properties of the five different floor materials were tested. On days with low temperatures, the ewes were standing or walking more, resting less, eating or drinking more and resting more in physical contact than on days with higher temperatures. When given the choice, ewes showed clear preferences for standing/walking and resting on solid floor materials than on slatted floors. This is consistent with earlier preference tests on sheared sheep. Ewes did not seem to show a clear preference for one slatted floor material over another for resting. The proportion of time spent standing/walking in the pen was steadily reduced as air temperature in the barn increased. The present experiment suggests that none of the floor combinations had thermal properties that adversely affect resting and other general behaviors of the animals. The heat conductivity properties were similar among the slatted floors. In conclusion, the claimed favorable thermal properties of plastic slatted floors and fiber composite were not confirmed. There must be other properties of the floor than heat conductivity that influences the preference in ewes.

To document

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to assess and compare the environmental limits for growth cessation and floralinitiation in a range of new and established biennial-fruiting red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars of diverseorigin under phytotron and field conditions. The results confirmed that growth cessation and floral initiation inbiennial-fruiting red raspberry are jointly controlled by the interaction of low temperature and short days (SD).When transferred from non-inductive high temperature and long day (LD) conditions to naturally decreasingautumn daylengths at varying phytotron temperatures on 18 August, growth immediately levelled off and ceasedcompletely within 2 weeks in all cultivars at 9 °C. Serial dissections of lateral buds revealed that floral initiationsimultaneously took place. At 15 °C on the other hand, the plants continued growing and remained vegetativeuntil around 15 September when the daylength had decreased to approximately 13 h. The change to 9 °C resultedin an immediate but short-lasting floral induction response that did not bring about initiation in buds situatednear the base of the canes, as was the case at 15 °C. At 18 °C, marginal floral induction took place only in thecultivars ‘Glen Ample’, ‘Balder’ and ‘Vene’, even at photoperiods down to 10 h, whereas at 21 °C, all cultivarsgrew vegetatively regardless of daylength conditions. However, exceptions were some plants of ‘Vene’ and‘Anitra’ that initiated terminal flowers at 18 and 21 °C and flowered directly without chilling (so-called tipflowering). Although some cultivars of Northern origin ceased growing and initiated floral primordia somewhatearlier (at longer photoperiods) than those of more southerly origin, the differences were relatively minor andnot consistent (no latitudinal cline). Results obtained in the field under decreasing autumn temperature anddaylength conditions agreed closely with the results in the phytotron. We therefore conclude that results ob-tained with raspberry in properly controlled daylight phytotron experiments are generally applicable to fieldconditions.