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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.

2010

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Abstract

Norwegian agriculture is mainly dominated by grass-based milk and livestock production, so winter damage to overwintering grasses may have large economic consequences. We assessed the impact of climate change on the winter survival of timothy (Phleum pratense L) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L) under Norwegian conditions using agroclimatic indices and a simulation model of frost tolerance. This study was based on locally adjusted future climate scenarios (two for the period 2071-2100; one for the period 2020-2049) for six important agricultural regions, represented by one location each. We proposed and validated a rough way to estimate the daily minimum air temperatures from scenario data. compared with the control period 1961-1990, the future hardening period will be shortened by up to 21 days. As a consequence, the modelled maximum frost tolerance is expected to be reduced by up to 3.9 degrees C and 1.9 degrees C for timothy and perennial ryegrass, respectively, under the warmest scenario. In spite of this reduction, the plants are expected to be hardy enough to withstand the predicted autumn frosts, and we also expect a general reduction in the risk of winter frost injuries. The plant data available to this study suggest that agroclimatic indices developed for Canadian conditions can be useful for assessing the hardening status in timothy and perennial ryegrass. However, such indices are less suitable for assessing the risk of plant injury related to frost and ice encasement in Norway, since they do not account for the dynamics of cold adaptation. Although less snow is expected, in most cases this will not be accompanied by an increase in the risk of ice encasement injuries. However, a slight increase in the number of ice encasement events was predicted for one location. An earlier start of growth was predicted for all locations, accompanied at one coastal location by a slightly increased predicted risk of spring frosts. There is little risk of winter injuries related to frost and ice encasement in the hardier grass species timothy. The better overwintering conditions in general indicate that it will be possible to grow perennial ryegrass in areas where it is not grown today, provided the risk of fungal diseases does not increase. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract

The fruit quality of European blueberry (EB) is mainly determined by taste compounds (sugars, acids, flavour) and health-beneficial structures generally denoted as antioxidants (vitamin C, phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins). Content and compound composition is strongly affected by the growth environment regarding light, temperature, water and edaphic factors. In order to assess genotypic relationships (northern and southern clones of EB) and environmental impact (temperature, day length) on berry quality parameters, a high-throughput system for blueberry metabolite profiling of nutritional compounds was established based on gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Dried methanol/H2O extracts from fresh-frozen berry tissue were derivatized, and subjected to GC/MS in order to detect polar compounds such as organic acids from Krebs-cycle, amino acids, sugars, polyols, and partly secondary metabolites (phenols, flavonoids). In addition, general quality parameters such as total phenols, total anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity (FRAP) were measured. Fructose (5 g), glucose (5 g), and sucrose (0.5 g/ 100 g f.w. at average) were the most abundant carbohydrates, together with high levels of organic acids such as citric acid (1.3 g), quinic acid (1.6 g), and malic acid (0.3 g/ 100 g f.w. at average). More than 50 metabolites per sample (identified compounds and not-annotated mass spectral tags) could be detected, and established the basis for multivariate statistics using principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, and metabolite network analysis. Genotypic differences, modulation of metabolite pools and biosynthetic relationships are being discussed in-depth.

Abstract

A second Working Ring Test (WRT) was organised within the framework of the EU/Life+ FutMon Project (`Further Development and Implementation of an EU-level Forest Monitoring System`, LIFE07 ENV/D/000218), to evaluate the overall performance of the laboratories responsible for analysing atmospheric deposition and soil solution samples in European forests, and to verify improvements in the analytical quality resulting from the QA/QC work carried out in the laboratories which participated in previous WRTs organized in the framework of the UN/ECE ICP Forests Monitoring Programme. The WRT was carried out in accordance with International ISO and ILAG guide proficiency test both for sample preparation and numerical elaboration of the results. Five natural atmospheric deposition and soil solution samples and 3 synthetic solutions were distributed to 42 laboratories for analysis using their routine methods for the following variables: pH, conductivity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, ammonium, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, total alkalinity, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Two tolerable limits were defined for each variable on the basis of the measured value, the results of previous WRTs, a comparison with the Data Quality Objectives of other international networks, and the importance of the variable in deposition and soil solution monitoring. In the ring test 12% of the results from all the laboratories did not fall within the tolerable limits. This enabled us to identify those variables and laboratories for which improvements in analytical performance are required. The results of the exercise clearly show that the use of data check procedures, as described in the ICP Forests manual for sampling and analysis of atmospheric deposition, makes it possible to detect the presence of inaccurate or outlying results, and would therefore greatly improve the overall performance of the laboratories. A discussion of the improvement of the results in this WRT compared to the previous WRTs is also included, showing a relevant improvent for several variables and underlining the importance of participating to these exercises for the overall analytical quality of the monitoring network.

Abstract

Plant responses to elevated CO2 are governed by temperature, and at low temperatures the beneficial effects of CO2 may be lost. To document the responses of winter cereals grown under cold conditions at northern latitudes, autumn growth of winter wheat exposed to ambient and elevated levels of temperature (+2.5°C), CO2 (+150 µmol mol-1), and shade (-30%) was studied in open-top chambers under low light and at low temperatures. Throughout the experiment, temperature dominated plant responses, while the effects of CO2 were marginal, except for a positive effect on root biomass. Increased temperature resulted in increased leaf area, total biomass, total root biomass, total stem biomass, and number of tillers, but also a lower content of total sugars and a weaker tolerance to frost. The loss of frost tolerance was related to the larger size of plants grown at elevated temperature. The 30% light reduction under shading did not affect the growth, sugar content, or frost tolerance of winter wheat. At the low temperatures found at high latitudes during autumn, the atmospheric CO2 increase is unlikely to enhance autumn growth of winter wheat to any significant extent, while a temperature increase may have important and major effects on its development and growth.

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Abstract

P>Autumn growth of weeds (i) provides an opportunity for mechanical and chemical control in autumn and (ii) can be important for weed survival and infestation in the following spring. Growth characteristics of Elytrigia repens, Cirsium arvense and Sonchus arvensis in autumn were studied in 2004 and 2005, on plants of different origins and developmental stages (planted at various times from May to August). The plants were grown outdoors in large pots and were assessed during September and October each year. The study showed that (i) all species grew in autumn, but growth ceased and the species withered at different times; S. arvensis first, followed by C. arvense and then E. repens and (ii) less developed (i.e. younger) plants grew later in the autumn. This was demonstrated by leaf area development and biomass distribution during autumn. Older plants had a greater total biomass with relatively more rhizomes or creeping roots than younger plants. In young plants of C. arvense and S. arvensis, the biomass of creeping roots increased during autumn. The total biomass, however, changed little during autumn. These growth patterns indicate that E. repens will be the easiest, S. arvensis the most difficult and C. arvense in between, regarding control of these species in autumn.