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.
2024
Authors
Fride Høistad Schei Mie Prik Arnberg John-Arvid Grytnes Maren Stien Johansen Jørund Johansen Anna Birgitte Milford Anders Røynstrand Mari Mette TollefsrudAbstract
Climate change and human activities have accelerated the spread of non-native species, including forest pests and pathogens, significantly contributing to global biodiversity loss. Pathogens pose a significant threat to forest ecosystems due to a lack of coevolution with native hosts, resulting in ineffective defence mechanisms and severe consequences for the affected tree species. Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is a relatively new invasive forest pathogen threatening ash (Fraxinus excelsior) with mortality rates in northern Europe reaching up to 80 %. The loss of ash due to dieback has severe ecological implications, potentially leading to an extinction cascade as ash provides crucial habitats and resources for many organisms. Despite this, the consequences of ash dieback on associated communities are largely unknown. To address this, we analysed changes in species richness, vegetation structure, and composition in 82 permanent vegetation plots across 23 Norwegian woodlands. We compared data collected before and 10–14 years after the emergence of ash dieback. In these woodlands, ash significantly declined in cover, leading to changes in tree species composition and facilitating the establishment of other woody tree species like hazel (Corylus avellana) and the invasive species sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). Despite these changes in the tree species composition, no significant alterations were observed in the understory plant community, indicating a degree of ecosystem resilience or a lagging community response. At this point, and with our focus on the vascular plants, we do not find support for cascading effects due to ash dieback. However, our findings demonstrate that one invasive species is facilitating the expansion of another, raising concerns about potential ecological imbalance and cascading effects in the future.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Theresa Weigl Jorunn Børve Emily Follett Ingunn Øvsthus Carl Gunnar Fossdal Hanne Larsen Siv Fagertun RembergAbstract
https://ehc.usamv.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S10-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf The mid-early ripening cultivar, 'Summerred‘, is popular among consumers and widely grown in Norway. However, 'Summerred‘ fruit is prone to rapid softening and development of senescence-related disorders, especially senescent breakdown. Calcium can have a significant role in maintaining firmness and delaying senescence of fruits. In a two-year study, foliar application of calcium chloride (CaCl2) was conducted six times, with varying weather conditions between the growing seasons. Fruit was harvested at optimal commercial maturity and stored at 4 °C for either six or nine weeks, followed by simulated shelf-life conditions at 20 °C. Ethylene levels were monitored during storage to detect ripening discrepancies. At harvest, CaCl2-treated fruit exhibited significantly lower ethylene production compared to untreated fruit, although no differences were observed during the end of the storage period. Senescent breakdown showed significant variability between the two seasons, with an incidence of up to 15 % in the first season and nearly no incidence in the second season. Senescent breakdown increased with storage length but was not affected by foliar CaCl2 application. Real-time PCR analysis of fruit flesh samples revealed increased expression of polygalacturonase and β-galactosidases genes after storage, indicating their involvement in apple softening. Notably, there were no differences in gene expression between CaCl2-treated and untreated fruit after storage. Expression patterns of genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis at harvest were different between the two seasons. Higher expression was observed in the year when more disorder development occurred, indicating advanced maturity at harvest. There were no significant differences in Streif index between the two years.
Authors
Pål Melbye Trygve S. Aamlid Karin Juul Hesselsøe Wendy Marie Waalen Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Pia Heltoft Thomsen Marit Almvik Carl Johan Lönnberg Håkan Blusi Michelle DaCosta Eric Watkins Tatsiana Espevig Anne Friederike Borchert Michael BekkenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Trygve S. Aamlid Tatsiana Espevig Karin Juul Hesselsøe Wendy Marie Waalen Pia Heltoft Thomsen Anne Friederike Borchert Marit Almvik Michael Bekken Monica Fongen Sigridur Dalmannsdottir Carl Johan Lönnberg Håkan Blusi Michelle DaCosta Eric WatkinsAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Thomas Cottis Erik J. Joner Vegard Martinsen Adam O'Toole Hugh Riley Synnøve Rivedal Ievina Sturite Gunnhild Søgaard Simon Weldon Samson ØpstadAbstract
Carbon content is a key property of soils with importance for all ecosystem functions. Measures to increase soil carbon storage are suggested with the aim to compensate for agricultural emissions. In Norway, where soils have relatively high carbon content because of the cold climate, adapting management practices that prevent the loss of carbon to the atmosphere in response to climate change is also important. This work presents an overview of the potential for carbon sequestration in Norway from a wide range of agricultural management practices and provides recommendations based on certainty in the reported potential, availability of the technology, and likelihood for implementation by farmers. In light of the high priority assigned to increased food production and degree of self-sufficiency in Norway, the following measures were considered: (1) utilization of organic resources, (2) use of biochar, (3) crop diversification and the use of cover crops, (4) use of plants with larger and deeper root systems, (5) improved management of meadows, (6) adaptive grazing of productive grasslands (7) managing grazing in extensive grasslands, (8) altered tillage practices, and (9) inversion of cultivated peat with mineral soil. From the options assessed, the use of cover crops scored well on all criteria evaluated, with a higher sequestration potential than previously estimated (0.2 Mt CO2-equivalents annually). Biochar has the largest potential in Norway (0.9 Mt CO2-equivalents annually, corresponding to 20% of Norwegian agricultural emissions and 2% of total national emissions), but its readiness level is not yet achieved despite interest from industry to apply this technology at large scale. Extensive grazing and the use of deep-rooted plants also have the potential for increasing carbon storage, but there is uncertainty regarding their implementation and the quantification of effects from adapting these measures. Based on the complexities of implementation and the expected impacts within a Norwegian context, promising options with substantial payoff are few. This work sheds light on the knowledge gaps remaining before the presented measures can be implemented.
Authors
Jorunn Børve Theresa Weigl Emily Follett Ingunn Øvsthus Hanne Larsen Torbjørn Haukås Erlend Indergård Siv Fagertun Remberg Dalphy Ondine Camira Harteveld Arne StensvandAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) grows in a range of nature types in the boreal zone, and understanding factors affecting the abundance of the plant, as well as mapping its spatial distribution, is important. The abundance of the species can be an indicator of ecosystem changes, and lingonberry can also be a source for commercial utilisation of berry resources. Using country-wide data from 6404 field plots of the Norwegian national forest inventory (NFI), we modelled the relationship between lingonberry cover and airborne laser scanning (ALS) and satellite metrics and bioclimatic variables describing the forest structure, terrain, soil properties and climate using a generalised mixed-effects model with a quasipoisson distribution. The validation carried out with an independent set of 2124 NFI plots indicated no obvious bias in predictions. The most important predictors were found to be interactions between dominant tree species, stand basal area and latitude, as well as the reflectance in the near-infrared band from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, the dominant height based on the ALS variable and the long-term mean summer (June–August) temperature. The results provide an indicator of the effects of global warming, as well as the possibility of giving forest management prescriptions that favour lingonberry and locating the most abundant lingonberry sites in Norwegian forests.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ingeborg Klingen Nils Bjugstad Therese With Berge Krzysztof Kusnierek Hans Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg Roger Holten Anette Sundbye Lene Sigsgaard Håvard Eikemo Kirsten Tørresen Valborg KvakkestadAbstract
Droner til bruk i plantevern i jord- og hagebruk er relativt nytt og i dette forprosjektet ønsket vi å etablere et kunnskapsgrunnlag for bærekraftig bruk av droner i norsk plantevern. Vi gjorde dette ved å: 1) Systematisere kunnskap om avdrift fra plantevernmidler fra sprøytedroner, 2) Gjennomføre et pilotstudie på en metode for å måle avdrift og avsetning av plantevernmidler utenfor målområdet fra sprøyte droner, 3) Skaffe kunnskap om eksponering av dronepilot for plantevernmidler, 4) Skaffe kunnskap om miljøeksponering inkludert rester av plantevernmidler i drone-sprøytede plantekulturer, 5) Skaffe kunnskap om bruk av droner i presis påføring av plantevernmidler, lavrisikostoffer og biologiske kontrollorganismer, 6) Øke vår kunnskap om forskrifter og standarder som kan påvirke bruken av droner i integrert plantevern i Norge. Basert på kunnskap gjort tilgjengelig i dette forprosjektet, foreslår vi videre studier som er nødvendig å utføre for å kunne bruke droner i integrert plantevern på en smart måte. Vårt håp er at resultatene fra dette forprosjektet vil gjøre det mulig å ta beslutninger om hvordan droner bør brukes i plantevern i Norge for å være i tråd med direktivet for bærekraftig bruk av plantevernmidler (Direktiv 2009/128/EF). Det er spesielt målgrupper som bønder, landbruksrådgivningstjenester, agroindustri, forskere, nasjonale statlige organer som Mattilsynet og lovgivere som kan tenkes å ha nytte av å lese denne rapporten.