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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.

2021

Abstract

Plantevernmidler er et viktig verktøy i dagens plantevernpraksis i jordbruket for å sikre gode avlinger. Miljørisikoen knyttet til det enkelte plantevernmiddel vurderes nøye før det godkjennes for bruk, men langvarig overvåking er nødvendig for å avdekke de faktiske miljøkonsentrasjoner og - effekter etter forskriftsmessig bruk av plantevernmidler. Sveriges nasjonale miljøovervåkingsprogram for plantevernmidler startet i 2002. Hovedmålet med programmet er å følge langtidstrender i påvirkningen av jordbrukets plantevernmiddelbruk på kvaliteten av overflate- og grunnvann, samt å bestemme miljøkonsentrasjonene av plantevernmidler i sediment, luft og nedbør. Formålet med denne evalueringen var å vurdere styrker og svakheter ved overvåkingsprogrammet, samt behov for endringer i den praktiske gjennomføringen, rapporteringsprosedyrer og målsetningen med programmet. Denne evalueringen vurderer også behovene hos de aktuelle sluttbrukergruppene for programmet som inkluderer svensk landbruks- og miljøforvaltning, rådgivningstjenesten i landbruket, bønder og bondeorganisasjoner mv.

Abstract

In Northern Europe, future changes in land-use and weather patterns are expected to result in increased precipitation and temperature this may cause an increase in plant disease and insect pests. In addition, predicted population increase will change the production demands and in turn alter agricultural practices such as crop types and with that the use pattern of pesticides. Considering these variabilities and magnitudes of pesticide exposure to the aquatic environment still needs to be accounted for better in current probabilistic risk assessment. In order to improve ecological risk assessment, this study explores an alternative approach to probabilistic risk assessment using a Bayesian Network, as these can serve as meta-models that link selected input and output variables from other models and information sources. The developed model integrates variability in both exposure and effects in the calculation of risk estimate. We focus on environmental risk of pesticides in two Norwegian case study region representatives of northern Europe. Using pesticide fate and transport models (e.g. WISPE), environmental factors such as soil and site parameters together with chemical properties and climate scenarios (current and predicted) are linked to the exposure of a pesticide in the selected study area. In the long term, the use of tools based on Bayesian Network models will allow for a more refined assessment and targeted management of ecological risks by industry and policy makers.

Abstract

Occasionally, high mycotoxin levels are observed in Norwegian oat grain lots. The development of oat varieties with improved resistance to Fusarium and mycotoxins is therefore highly valued in order to increase the share of high quality grain into the food and feed industry. The Norwegian project “SafeOats” (2016-2020) aimed to develop resistance-screening methods to facilitate the phase-out of Fusarium-susceptible oat germplasm, as well as to give new insight into the biology of Fusarium langsethiae and HT2+T2 accumulation in oats. In naturally infested as well as in inoculated field trials, the relative ranking of oat varieties according to Fusarium graminearum/DON content did not resemble the ranking according to F. langsethiae/HT2+T2 content. One variety regarded as moderate resistant to Fusarium according to studies of DON content, was susceptible to F. langsethiae and thus at high risk for HT2+T2 contamination. Screening of resistance to F. langsethiae/HT2-T2 should therefore be routinely applied in breeding programs in addition to the already established screening of resistance to F. graminearum/DON. The incidence of F. langsethiae in a selection of oat seed lots used for commercial sowing showed a similar ranking of varieties as in the field trials. On average, the fungus was observed on 5% of the kernels in 168 seed lots tested during 2016-2018. No indication of transmission of F. langsethiae from germinating seed to seedling was found in a study with germination of naturally infected seeds. We investigated whether removing of small kernels by size sorting could be a method to reduce the content of mycotoxins in oat grain. For several of the mycotoxins including HT2+T2, the concentrations were considerably higher in the small kernel fraction compared to unsorted grain. Our results demonstrate that the level of mycotoxins in unprocessed oat grain can be reduced by removing small kernels. The results from SafeOats will benefit consumers nationally and internationally by providing tools to increase the share of high quality grain into the food and feed industry. The project was financed by The Agriculture and Food Industry Research Funds /Research Council of Norway with support from the industry partners Graminor, Lantmännen, Felleskjøpet Agri, Felleskjøpet Rogaland & Agder, Fiskå Mølle Moss, Norgesmøllene, Strand Unikorn/Norgesfôr and Kimen Seed Laboratory.

2020

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Abstract

BACKGROUND Pollen beetles are key pests in oilseed rape (OSR) production. These beetles use visual and olfactory cues to locate their host plants at specific phenological stages, hence trap cropping may represent an alternative pest control strategy. In this study, a trap crop strategy for spring OSR was developed. To elaborate such a trap cropping system, a pest control measure that eradicates the attracted beetles in the trap crop before they migrate further into the main crop was included in the final trap cropping strategy. RESULTS Testing yellow‐flowering turnip rape and one yellow‐ and two cream‐coloured flowering OSR cultivars as potential crops in different trap cropping strategies, we found that pollen beetles clearly preferred turnip rape over the cream‐coloured and yellow OSR cultivars, and preferred the yellow OSR cultivar over the two cream‐coloured cultivars. This behaviour was related to the plant growth stage and associated volatile and colour signals of the tested cultivars. Using turnip rape as a trap crop and testing kairomone‐ or insecticide‐assisted trap cropping as the pest control strategy was as effective as compared with whole fields treated with a standard pesticide. CONCLUSION Combining a turnip rape cultivar as trap crop with kairomone traps placed in the trap crop as a killing agent may enable renunciation of pesticides in spring OSR production. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

To document

Abstract

In a field-trapping experiment with plant volatiles, we observed notably high attraction of green lacewing (Chrysotropia ciliata) males to the compound p-anisaldehyde. Based on this finding, we initiated the present study to elucidate this phenomenon and to investigate the chemical ecology of C. ciliata. Scanning electron microscopy revealed elliptical glands abundantly distributed on the 2nd to 6th abdominal sternites of C. ciliata males, whereas females of the species completely lacked such glands. No p-anisaldehyde was found in extractions of body parts of C. ciliata. Methyl p-anisate and p-methoxybenzoic acid were identified exclusively in the extract from abdominal segments 2–8 of males. Field-trapping experiments revealed no attraction of C. ciliata to either methyl p-anisate or p-methoxybenzoic acid. In contrast, males showed marked attraction to p-anisaldehyde in the field and antennae showed strong responses to this compound. Headspace collections in the field from living insects in their natural environment and during their main daily activity period indicated that p-anisaldehyde was emitted exclusively by C. ciliata males. Our overall results suggest that p-anisaldehyde might serve as a male-produced pheromone that attracts conspecific C. ciliata males. Here, we discuss hypotheses regarding possible mechanisms involved in regulation of p-anisaldehyde production, including involvement of the compounds methyl p-anisate and p-methoxybenzoic acid, and the potential ecological function of p-anisaldehyde in C. ciliata.