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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.

2008

Abstract

Most atmospheric scientists agree that climate changes are going to increase the mean temperature in Europe with increased frequency of climatic extremes, such as drought, floods, and storms. Under such conditions, there is high probability that forests will be subject to increased frequency and intensity of stress due to climatic extremes. Therefore, impacts of climate change on forest health should be carefully evaluated...

Abstract

A bucking-to-value optimization system has traditionally been used by applying price matrices in bucking control to maximize the value of single stems and thereby the income of Norwegian forest owners. This system improved the possibilities of customization of sawlog supply, but the differences between the demand and the output sawlog distribution are still significant. Hence, a new bucking system, called bucking-to-demand, was developed in Sweden in the late 80s and was also introduced in Finland. To better meet the demand of single sawmills, the harvesters use a new demand matrix in addition to the price matrix. The main objective of this case study was to evaluate the potential of achieving a more market-oriented sawlog production in Norway by utilizing the bucking-to-demand system in bucking optimization. The results showed that a bucking-to-demand system gave a higher apportionment degree than a traditional bucking-to-value system. Bucking-to-demand had a larger effect (apportionment degree) than bucking-to-value in forests with high site indexes compared with forests with low site indexes. Additionally, the value discrepancy between the two bucking systems tended to be smaller on low-productivity forest sites than on highproductivity sites. The results imply that the bucking-to-demand system can be an effective tool for achieving a more customized log production in Norway, which in turn will increase the added value in the Norwegian forest products value chain.

Abstract

Induced reactions in the phloem is a basic mechanism of conifer resistance to bark beetle and their associated fungi (1,2). Previous research has proved that certain doses of Ceratocystis polonica infection or methyl jasmonate (MeJA) application could induce acquired resistance and decrease subsequent fungal or bark beetle colonization (3,4,5). To study the induced chemical changes after fungal infection and MeJA application in the phloem of mature Norway spruce, three groups, each of 24 P. abies trees of similar size, were chosen in Tönnersjöheden, southern Sweden, in May 2006. The three groups were then inoculated with C. polonica, sprayed with MeJA, or used as untreated control, respectively. Phloem samples were taken twice from each tree: on the same day as treatment and 1 mo later. The terpene composition of all the samples was analyzed by GC-MS, and the enantiomeric compositions of α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene were analyzed by 2D-GC (6). The result indicated that both MeJA application and C. polonica infection had certain effects on the terpene composition. C. polonica infection significantly increased the biosynthesis of 3-carene, sabinene, and terpinolene. Both mean absolute amounts and relative amounts of these monoterpenes increased in samples from fungus inoculated trees, similar to what is observed in Scots pine after Leptographium wingfieldii inoculation (7). MeJA application increased the absolute amount of α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, and some other major terpenes, but it did not change the relative amount of these terpenes. However, neither MeJA application nor fungal infection changed the enantiomeric compositions of α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene in the phloem of Norway spruce.

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Abstract

Norwegian field production of lettuce has increased considerably since the early 1990s. Disease problems rarely required fungicide applications before 1996, when lettuce downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) caused severe losses. From 2002 to 2004, surveys were conducted to identify fungal diseases in Buskerud, Vestfold and Ostfold counties in the south-east and Rogaland County in the south-west, representing the main lettuce production regions of Norway. The distribution and incidence of B. lactucae was highly variable, but this pathogen was the most important due to the destructive nature of uncontrolled epidemics. Septoria lactucae caused severe damage, but was found in only one field. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was the most widespread pathogen, found in 32% of the fields, but usually affecting less than 10% of the plants. Pythium tracheiphilum was reported from 33% of the fields in south-east Norway, but was not found in the south-west. Disease incidence was usually less than 5%, and a disease incidence of more than 10% was reported in one field only. Other pathogens of potential economic importance in Norwegian lettuce fields are Alternaria spp., Botrytis cinerea and Rhizoctonia solani, although they were sporadically distributed in relatively few fields in this survey.

Abstract

Progenies from a natural stand of Picea abies planted on a forest site with heterogeneous growth conditions were characterized for genetic and environmental control of internodal and whorl branch formation and lammas growth. The progenies studied were 27 years old from seed and planted in a randomized complete block experiment. Internodes and whorls studied were located in the top section of the trees. Significant genetic variation (p<0.01) was found for a number of internodal and whorl branches. Block means for the length of internodes, a strong indicator for the site index in respective blocks, were correlated strongly with branch dimensions (r >= 0.90), intermediately with the frequency of lammas growth (r = 0.81) and number of branches in whorls (r = 0.68), and only weakly with the number of internodal branches per length unit of internode (r = 0.25). A strong environmental effect on branch dimensions was supported by the relative size of variance components. The results show that the environmental effect expressed by site index dominates the control of branch dimensions, while the number of branches is under stronger genetic control in P. abies.