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.
2001
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Peder GjerdrumAbstract
In the Nordic region, two thirds of a sawmill's turnover is being paid to the forestry sector to obtain adequate roundwood supply. As a consequence, an efficient use of each single log is mandatory for a profitable sawmill. This article discusses a few aspects of this task.
Authors
Malin Elfstrand Carl Gunnar Fossdal Folke Sitbon Olof Olsson Anders Lönneborg Sara von ArnoldAbstract
Peroxidases constitute a large family of proteins found in all higher plants. Owing to the complexity of the peroxidase isoenzyme family it has been difficult to assess the precise function of individual peroxidase enzymes.In this work we have studied the effects of an endogenous peroxidase-like gene from Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst], spi 2, on the development and growth of Norway spruce somatic embryo plants.Embryogenic cells of Norway spruce transformed with spi 2 under control of the maize ubi-1 promoter showed up to 40 times higher total peroxidase activity than the control cells; regenerated plants overexpressing spi 2 showed an increased total peroxidase activity.Based on these results and the overall sequence similarity with cationic peroxidases we conclude that spi 2 encodes a peroxidase. Overexpression of spi 2 resulted in increased sensitivity to stress, leading to a reduction in epicotyl formation and in height growth compared with control plants. The plants overexpressing spi 2 also showed a deeper phloroglucinol staining but similar levels of Klason lignin.
Authors
Aksel GranhusAbstract
The risk of logging damage to residual trees (height >3.0 m) and advance regeneration saplings (height 0.5–3.0 m) was evaluated after mechanized (single-grip harvesters + forwarders) and motor-manual (chain saw + skidding) selection harvesting in studies I and II. Harvesting took place during the winter season. Mechanized harvesting caused the highest injury rates, and the difference was highest at high cutting intensity in densely stocked stands. Another important difference between the two operating methods was the spatial distribution of the injury risk relative to striproads. The most important injuries on the larger (>3.0 m) trees were stem- and root wounds, and loss of branches. Wounds tended to be larger, and crown injuries more serious, after mechanized harvesting, but differences were not statistically significant. The most frequent injuries on saplings were crown injuries (loss of branches, stem breakage) and stem lean. In motor-manually harvested stands saplings without pre-harvest deformities in the form of top- or leader defects were more prone to damage than saplings with such defects. A similar difference was not found in stands subjected to mechanized harvesting. This result was attributed to the different work patterns during felling and processing with the two operating methods, in combination with the spatial distribution of saplings of different quality relative to larger trees and stand openings. In study III sapling mortality, and recovery from logging damage in a five-year period after selection harvesting, was investigated. Mortality on the different plots (n=11) was highly variable. For saplings without previous logging damage mortality was related to pre-harvest vigour, and increased with increasing cutting intensity in the immediate surrounding of the sapling. Unspecified site factors also contributed to explain the probability of mortality. Saplings that had been pushed over during harvesting often survived and recovered, while injuries to the crown led to poor survival. Crown injuries were most common on plots subjected to mechanized harvesting, while stem lean was correspondingly important on motor-manually harvested plots. Whether this pattern was attributed to differences in temperature at the time of harvesting (winter), or operating method, is uncertain. In study IV advance regeneration responses in terms of height growth, needle dry weights, and foliar nutrient concentrations were compared after three different release treatments: untouched control, selection harvesting with 50-60 % removal of basal area (BA50-60), and patch cut (25x25 m - 0.063 ha clear-cut). The foliar analyses were carried out five years after treatment, and included dominant and co-dominant (overstorey) trees on control and BA50-60 plots. Height growth and needle dry weights of saplings generally increased with increasing overstorey removal. The growth response was explained by an interaction of foliar nitrogen concentration in current (C) and one-year-old (C+1) needles, and degree of overstorey removal. The foliar analyses did, however, not confirm improved N status after cutting. Increasing overstorey removal led to a reduction of K (C), Mg (C+1) and B (C, C+1) in saplings. A parallel decline of B (C+1) occurred in the overstorey trees (BA50-60). Saplings on control plots had higher concentrations of K and Cu in C-needles, relative to overstorey trees. The influence of neighbour tree basal area on sapling height growth and presence of natural defects (top- and leader damage) was examined in study V. The three stands selected for the study had not been subjected to cutting for several decades, and basal areas ranged from 25–33 m2 ha-1. The relationship between growth and four basal area variables was evaluated: basal area (m2 ha-1) of taller (>3.0 m) neighbour trees within 2.82, 3.99 and 5.64 m radius from the sapling (25, 50 and 100 m2 circular plots), and basal area (m2) of trees within 5.64 m radius weighted according to distance from the sapling. A reduction of growth attributed to increasing basal area of neighbour trees was only observed for the tallest saplings (2.1-3.0 m). Between 33 and 42 % of the saplings had leader- or top defects, and damage frequencies increased with declining distance to the nearest taller neighbour tree.
Authors
Lars Sandved Dalen M. GriffithAbstract
Adaptation to cold and freezing temperatures is crucial for survival in temperate and boreal areas. Compared with angiosperms, little is known about the mechanisms of freezing tolerance in gymnosperms. Coniferous species such as Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) have a wide distribution in boreal areas, indicating a strong ability to adapt to lasting periods of cold and freezing temperatures.Freezing-tolerant perennial plants survive subzero temperatures by forming ice in intercellular spaces and the xylem. Certain proteins associated with pathogen attack have been found to exhibit antifreeze activity, i.e. the ability to bind and modify the growth of ice.In order to study the possible role of pathogenesis-related proteins in development of freezing tolerance in Norway spruce, we looked at the accumulation of chitinases during hardening under both artificial and natural conditions.Our findings show that chitinases and other pathogenesis-related proteins, as well as antifreeze activity, are present in needles of Norway spruce, and that they increase in response to shorter daylengths and cold temperature. It is possible that pathogenesis-related proteins accumulated in conifers during cold acclimation could also exhibit antifreeze activity, and thus play an important role during development of freezing tolerance in perennial plants such as the gymnosperm Norway spruce.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Air pollution induced changes in pine needle chemistry were observed at sample sites in the surroundings of the Pechenganikel smelter. Close to the smelter, elevated concentrations of Ni, Cu and S were found (Ni: 0.7-1 mmol/kg, CU: 0.4-0.5, and S 40-60 mmol/kg) Close to the pollution source needles were enriched in Ni and Cu by needle age. Correlation and principal component analyses show that changes in the element composition of pine needles depended on air pollution and on natural factors as well. The contribution from air pollution increased with needle age. Besides direct input of pollutants from atmosphere, soil contamination and nutritional disturbance contributed significantly to the observed changes.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Heleen A. de Wit Tore Groseth Jan MulderAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Heleen A. de Wit T. Groseth Jan MulderAbstract
No abstract has been registered