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.
2012
Abstract
The development of new tools able to select specific plant tissue is crucial for gene expression studies. During the last years, the use of laser microdissection, mainly tested on herbaceous plant tissue, has been found to be a useful technique for these purposes. This method is poorly tested on woody species, and so far no studies of gene expression have been applied on forest trees. For this reason the present work proposes the optimization of a functional protocol using laser microdissection pressure catapulting (LMPC) and real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in bark stem tissue of Norway spruce (Picea abies). Bark tissue fragments were collected from Norway spruce trees and sliced with a cryostat. RNA was extracted from both whole cross-sections and microdissected bark cells. The feasibility of the method was confirmed by the amplification of the α-tubulin, an endogenous gene of P. abies, with efficiency comparable to that obtained from non-microdissected tissue. The proposed protocol, here adapted for bark tissue of woody species, represents a useful tool in a wide range of hosts that, unlike herbaceous plants, have scarcely been considered up to now.
Authors
Nicola Luchi Paolo Capretti Carl Gunnar Fossdal Mario Pazzagli Pamela PinzaniAbstract
The development of new tools able to select specific plant tissue is crucial for gene expression studies. During the last years, the use of laser microdissection, mainly tested on herbaceous plant tissue, has been found to be a useful technique for these purposes. This method is poorly tested on woody species, and so far no studies of gene expression have been applied on forest trees.For this reason the present work proposes the optimization of a functional protocol using laser microdissection pressure catapulting (LMPC) and real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in bark stem tissue of Norway spruce (Picea abies). Bark tissue fragments were collected from Norway spruce trees and sliced with a cryostat. RNA was extracted from both whole cross-sections and microdissected bark cells.The feasibility of the method was confirmed by the amplification of the -tubulin, an endogenous gene of P. abies, with efficiency comparable to that obtained from non-microdissected tissue. The proposed protocol, here adapted for bark tissue of woody species, represents a useful tool in a wide range of hosts that, unlike herbaceous plants, have scarcely been considered up to now.
Authors
Ingeborg KlingenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jim Treasure Richard Fitzgerald Julie Maguire Celine Rebours Åsbjørn KarlsenEditors
Oddvar OttesenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Erlend NybakkAbstract
This study examines the relationships among learning orientation, firm innovativeness and financial performance in the context of the Norwegian wood industry. A questionnaire-based survey was sent to the CEOs of firms in the wood industry in Norway (241 usable replies, response rate of 49 percent). Learning orientation and firm innovativeness were conceptualised and analysed as latent second-order constructs by using structural equation modelling. The findings show that learning orientation has a positive effect on firm innovativeness in the traditional manufacturing industry. In addition, learning orientation was found to positively affect financial performance via the full mediating effect of firm innovativeness. Furthermore, firm innovativeness was also found to have an independent positive effect on financial performance. No direct effect of learning orientation on financial performance was found. According to the data, firm age also does not appear to affect the relationship between learning orientation and firm innovativeness.
Abstract
The pea moth Cydia nigricana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is the key pest of the pea Pisum sativum (Fabaceae). Alternative pest control techniques need to be developed since efficient control options are scarce. Field studies in Northern Hessen, Germany, in the years 2006 - 2008 demonstrated a strong correlation between the seasonal flight period of C. nigricana and the phenology of pea. With this starting point, we propose to study the olfactory space between the pea plant and the pea moth, aiming to identify volatile cues encoding host recognition and host finding in pea moth females, and the potential use of these compounds for control of the pea moth. As a first step, two-choice experiments in the laboratory concerning complex plant odours were conducted to study the preference between different phenological development stages of pea plants using male and female C. nigricana (mated and non-mated). Males and non-mated females showed no preference, whereas mated females clearly preferred flowering pea plants. To study the host finding behaviour and upwind orientation of C. nigricana we conducted wind tunnel experiments, using pea plants in different phenological development stages. The preference of mated females for the pea flower has been confirmed and additionally, high attraction of mated females for the late bud stage was recorded. Overall, the flower and the late bud stage of P. sativum seem to be the most important phenological development stage of pea for host finding behaviour of C. nigricana. The next steps in this study are the identification, selection and characterisation of behavioural active pea plant compounds.
Authors
Tore SkrøppaAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ricardo HolgadoAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jens Rohloff Eivind Uleberg Laura Jaakola Kajetan Trost Olavi Junttila Hely Häggman Inger MartinussenAbstract
Individual bilberry plants from two Northern and two Southern clones were studied for climatic effects on production and quality in a controlled phytotrone experiment at 12 °C and 18 °C in a 2-year trial. At each temperature the following light conditions were tested: 1) 12 h natural light (short day); 2) 24 h natural light (long day) and 3) 24 h natural light (long day) plus red light. In order to ensure sufficient and comparable fruit set between treatments, flower pollination was executed outdoors. Berry yield, quality parameters such as total anthocyanins, total phenols and antioxidant capacity, and chemical composition (GC/MS-based metabolite profiling) were recorded in both years, while HPLC-based anthocyanin analysis was only carried out in the second year. All analyzed compounds showed significant year-to-year variation with the exception of antioxidant activity. The experiment was conducted under natural light conditions, and therefore light intensity and quality varied between the two growing seasons. The first experimental year there was no difference in yield between temperatures, however, the second experimental year the berry yield was significantly higher at 18 °C. Temperature treatments led to faster berry ripening in the Northern than in the Southern clones at 12 °C. Metabolite profiling also revealed higher levels of flavanols, hydroxycinnamic acids, quinic acid and carbohydrates at 12 °C. Clonal effects showed that the content of all anthocyanin derivatives, as well as levels of antioxidants, total phenolics, malic acid and sucrose were highest in the Northern clones, while Southern clones had higher levels of hydroxycinamic acids, epicatechin, quinic acid and myo-inositol. Northern clones were also more responsive to additional red light with highest levels of anthocyanins under long-day treatment.