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.
2009
Authors
Mekjell MelandAbstract
‘Elstar" is the latest-maturing commercial apple cultivar grown in Norway, with high fruit quality when properly managed. In May 2006, an experiment with four different crop loads [2, 4 ,6, or 8 flowers or fruitlets cm-2 trunk crosssectional area (TCSA), respectively] was established at two different stages [first bloom (FB), or 20-mm diameter fruitlets] and compared to unthinned control trees. Fruit growth was measured on individual fruit for each treatment throughout the season at weekly intervals. Thinning at FB gave a significantly lower final percentage fruit set than thinning to the same cropping level at the 20-mm fruitlet stage. However, fruit weights and soluble solids contents (SSC) were significantly higher, and the background fruit colour improved when trees were thinned at FB. The final number of fruit at harvest was less than the amount established at FB, or at the 20-mm fruitlet stage. There were significant differences between treatments in final fruit numbers per TCSA, which reflected the different crop loads. Fruit weights and SSC values were highest with the lowest crop load, and decreased with increasing crop loads.There was also a strong crop-load effect on the extent of return bloom per tree in the subsequent year. Trees thinned at FB had significantly more flower clusters than those thinned at the 20-mm fruitlet stage of. Untreated control trees had the lowest number of flower clusters. The amount of return bloom declined with increasing crop load. Second year crop loads and fruit weights were highest when trees were thinned at FB to two or four apples cm-2 TCSA in the previous year. Trees with the highest crop load had the lowest crop load in the following year. Fruit quality was generally high for all treatments.
Authors
Holger Lange Nicholas Clarke O. Janne Kjønaas Wenche Aas Kjell Andreassen Rasmus Astrup Susanne Eich-Greatorex Toril Eldhuset Kjersti Holt Hanssen Tonje Økland Ingvald Røsberg Trine A SognAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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
Authors
Holger Lange Nicholas Clarke O. Janne Kjønaas Wenche Aas Kjell Andreassen Isabella Børja Harald Bratli Susanne Eich-Greatorex Toril Drabløs Eldhuset Kjersti Holt Hansen Tonje Økland Ingvald Røsberg Trine Aulstad Sogn Volkmar TimmermannAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Nicholas Clarke O. Janne Kjønaas Wenche Aas Kjell Andreassen Isabella Børja Harald Bratli Susanne Eich-Greatorex Toril Drabløs Eldhuset Kjersti Holt Hanssen Holger Lange Tonje Økland Ingvald Røsberg Trine Aulstad Sogn Volkmar TimmermannAbstract
In Norway, it is planned to double the stationary use of bioenergy from all sources by up to 14 TWh before 2020, with much of this increase coming from forest resources, including residues like branches and tops (which are not much used today) being removed after tree harvest. This removal will reduce the supply of nutrients and organic matter to the forest soil, and may in the longer term increase the risk for future nutrient imbalance, reduced forest production, and changes in biodiversity and ground vegetation species composition. However, field experiments have found contrasting results (e.g. Johnson and Curtis 2001; Olsson et al. 1996). Soil effects of increased biomass removal will be closely related to soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, litter quality, and turnover rates. The SOM pool is derived from a balance between above- and below-ground input of plant material and decomposition of both plants and SOM. Harvest intensity may affect the decomposition of existing SOM as well as the build-up of new SOM from litter and forest residues, by changing factors like soil temperature and moisture as well as amount and type of litter input. Changes in input of litter with different nutrient concentrations and decomposition patterns along with changes in SOM decomposition will affect the total storage of carbon, nitrogen and other vital nutrients in the soil. To quantify how different harvesting regimes lead to different C addition to soil, and to determine which factors have the greatest effect on decomposition of SOM under different environmental conditions, two Norway spruce forest systems will be investigated in the context of a research project starting in 2008/2009, one in eastern and one in western Norway, representing different climatic and landscape types. At each location, two treatment regimes will be tested: Conventional harvesting, with residues left on-site (CH) Aboveground whole-tree harvest, with branches, needles, and tops removed (WTH). Input of different forest residues will be quantified post harvest. Soil water at 30 cm soil depth will be analysed for nutrients and element fluxes will be estimated to provide information about nutrient leaching. Soil respiration will be measured, along with lab decomposition studies under different temperature and moisture regimes. Long term in situ decomposition studies will be carried out in the WTH plots using three different tree compartments (needles, coarse twigs, fine roots) decomposing in litter bags, in order to determine their limit value. The structure of the fungal community will be determined by soil core sampling and use of molecular techniques allowing qualitative and quantitative estimation. Understorey vegetation will be sampled to determine the biomass, and the frequency of all vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens will be estimated. After harvesting, replanting will be carried out. Seedling survival, causes of mortality and potential damage, growth, and needle nutrients will be monitored. Results from these studies will be used to identify key processes explaining trends observed in two series of ongoing long-term whole-tree thinning trials. We shall combine knowledge obtained using field experiments with results of modelling and data from the Norwegian Monitoring Programme for Forest Damage and National Forest Inventory. This will help us to predict and map the ecologically most suitable areas for increased harvesting of branches and tops on a regional scale based on current knowledge, and to identify uncertainties and additional knowledge needed to improve current predictions.
Authors
Hege Nordheim-Viken Harald Volden Marit JørgensenAbstract
The aim of this experiment was to investigate effects of temperature and photoperiod on growth characteristics, chemical composition and indigestible fibre (IaNDF) in timothy harvested at three defined maturity stages. Two cultivars of timothy, Engmo (69 degrees N) and Grindstad (59 degrees N) were grown in a controlled environment using a phytotron, and were exposed to two different temperature regimes (21/15 degrees C and 15/9 degrees C, 12h/12h)and photoperiods (18 and 24h). Plants were harvested at beginning of heading (BH), full heading (FH) and anthesis (AN). Leaves and stems were separated prior to chemical analyses and ruminal in situ incubation for 288 h was used to determine indigestible aNDF (IaNDF) content. Plants grown at low temperature used almost twice the number of days to reach AN, compared to the highest temperature regime. This explained the lower leaf:stem ratio (LSR), higher aNDF content and lower crude protein (CP) content in low temperature plants. The effect of temperature was often dependent on maturity stage. However, the content of IaNDF and lignin(sa) was only affected by maturity stage at harvest. The content of IaNDF and lignin increased by 70% and 35% respectively from BH to AN. The lack of response in IaNDF and lignin(sa) content and dry matter digestibility to temperature was probably caused by a combination of direct and indirect temperature effects. Photoperiod affected growth characteristics, but had minor effects on chemical composition and IaNDF. Due to the lower LSR, Engmo had higher IaNDF and lignin(sa) content than Grindstad. This study showed a high positive correlation (0.93) between IaNDF and lignin(sa). Interactions between temperature and maturity stage affect the growth and nutritive characteristics of timothy. However, only maturity stage affected IaNDF and lignin(sa) content. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Abstract
Growth and flowering of the annual-fruiting raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivar 'Polka' were studied under controlled environment conditions in order to facilitate out-of-season production. Vegetatively-propagated plants originating from adventitious root buds were used. Height growth and the rate of leaf formation increased with increasing temperature, up to a broad optimum in the mid-20 degrees C range. While elongation was consistently enhanced by long-day (LD) conditions, photoperiod had no effect on the rate of leaf formation. LD stimulation of growth thus resulted from increased internode length only. In agreement with earlier reports, it was found that, in contrast to biennial-fruiting cultivars, such annual-fruiting cultivars do not need low temperatures for flower initiation, nor do they appear to have a juvenile phase during which they are un-responsive to flower-inducing conditions. 'Polka' plants responded to inductive conditions as early as the 5-leaf stage, and flowered freely across the entire range of growth temperatures, even at 30 degrees C. Flowering was advanced and the number of flowers increased with increasing temperature, up to an optimum at 27 degrees C. Flowering was also consistently advanced and occurred at lower nodes under LD than under short-day (SD) conditions across the whole range of temperatures. Night interruption for 3 h in the middle of the night was also effective, demonstrating that this is a true photoperiodic response and not merely an effect of increased light integral in LD. It was also confirmed that a distinct vernalisation-type advancement of flowering took place when small, non-dormant plants were exposed to additional chilling at 6 degrees C for several weeks. At low temperatures, a large proportion of the lateral buds were dormant, so that, at 12 degrees C, the plants actually flowered only at their tips. Dissections also revealed that the dormant buds had initiated flowers; but, because of their dormant state, they needed several weeks of chilling before they could flower (biennial-fruiting behaviour). Both types of buds were initiated by the same environmental conditions. Practical applications of the findings are suggested.
Authors
Vibeke LindAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered