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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.

2018

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Abstract

Plants and crops contain a staggering diversity of compounds, many of which have pharmacological activity towards a variety of diseases. These properties have been exploited by traditional and modern medicine providing important sources of healthcare to this day. The contribution of natural products (such as plant-derived) to the modern pharmacopeia is indeed significant; however, the process of identifying novel bioactive compounds from biological sources has been a central challenge in the discovery of natural products. The resolution of these challenges relied extensively on the use of hyphenated Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)-based analytical technologies for the structural elucidation and annotation of novel compounds. Technical developments in instrumentation and data processing have fostered the development of the field of metabolomics which provides a wealth of tools with the huge potential for application in the process of drug/bioactive discovery from plant tissues. This manuscript provides an overview of the metabolomics toolbox available for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds and the integration of these tools in the bioprospection and drug discovery workflows.

Abstract

Fusarium head blight and seedling blight, both caused by Fusarium spp. and Microdochium spp., and glume blotch caused by Parastagonospora nodorum, are important diseases in wheat. In Norway, wheat seed lots are routinely analysed for infestation by these pathogens using traditional methods (plating grain on PDA, recording presence or absence of fungal colonies). This method is time consuming, require knowledge within fungal morphology, and do not facilitate identification to species in all cases. Molecular methods such as quantitative PCR (qPCR) could allow detection and quantification of fungal DNA at the species level in a relatively time effective way, particularly since the method allows for automation in different steps such as DNA extraction and pipetting. Whether the latter method is suitable within seed health evaluations will depend on the relationship between the amount of DNA of the different fungal species and field performance, and the purpose of the test (evaluation of planting value, need for seed treatment, survey of fungal species, quality of grain for consumption etc). To compare the two different methods, about 150 spring wheat seed lots from the years 2016-2017 (including two cultivars) were selected for the analysis of different fungi using species-specific qPCR and compared with the results from routine testing on PDA. In the 2016 material (81 samples), a mean seed infestation rate of 26% was observed for Microdochium spp. in the PDA test. The level of Fusarium was lower (mean infestation rate of 5%). A strong relationship was observed between the percentage of seeds infested by Microdochium and the level of Microdochium DNA (sum of DNA from Microdochium majus and Microdochium nivale) quantified by qPCR (R2 of 0.76, p<0.01). The relationship between Fusarium infested seeds and the level of Fusarium DNA (sum of DNA from three species) was moderate (R2 of 0.33, p<0.01). The samples were also analysed for the presence of P. nodorum. Compared to Fusarium and Microdochium, P. nodorum was present at an intermediate level (mean infestation rate of 12%). The relationship between the two different methods was weaker for this fungus (R2 of 0.21, p<0.01) than for Fusarium and Microdochium. The relationship between germination capacity and rating of the three groups of fungi by either method was studied. Preliminary results suggest that of the three fungi, Microdochium was associated with germination capacity in the 2016 material, and that the Microdochium infestation rate on PDA was slightly better correlated to germination capacity than the level of Microdochium DNA. Further results will be presented at the conference, including the association between the relative DNA content of the different Microdochium and Fusarium species and seed germination.

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Abstract

Background: The emerging cellulosic bioethanol industry will generate huge amounts of lignin-rich residues that may be converted into biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) to increase the output of energy carriers from the biorefnery plants. The carbohydrates fraction of lignocellulosic biomass is degradable, whereas the lignin fraction is generally considered difcult to degrade during AD. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of biogas production by AD from hydrolysis lignin (HL), prepared by steam explosion (SE) and enzymatic saccharifcation of birch. A novel nylon bag technique together with two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify recalcitrant and degradable structures in the lignin during AD. Results: The HL had a lignin content of 80% which included pseudo-lignin and condensed-lignin structures resulting from the SE pretreatment. The obtained methane yield from HL was almost twofold higher than the theoretical methane from the carbohydrate fraction alone, indicating that part of the lignin was converted to methane. Characterization of the undegradable material after AD revealed a substantial loss of signals characteristic for carbohydrates and lignin–carbohydrate complexes (LCC), indicating conversion of these chemical components to methane during AD. The β-O-4′ linkage and resinol were not modifed as such in AD, but major change was seen for the S/G ratio from 5.8 to 2.6, phenylcoumaran from 4.9 to 1.0%, and pseudo-lignin and condensed-lignin were clearly degraded. Scanning electron microscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis measurements demonstrated changes in morphology and thermal properties following SE pretreatment and AD. Our results showed that carbohydrate, LCC, pseudo-lignin, and condensed-lignin degradation had contributed to methane production. The energy yield for the combined ethanol production and biogas production was 8.1 MJ fuel per kg DM of substrate (4.9 MJ/kg from ethanol and 3.2 MJ/kg from methane). Conclusion: This study shows the beneft of using a novel bag technique together with advanced analytical techniques to investigate the degradation mechanisms of lignin during AD, and also points to a possible application of HL produced in cellulosic bioethanol plants.

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Abstract

Due to their Mendelian inheritance, microsatellites or SSRs (simple sequence repeats) can readily be used for parentage analyses of pear seedlings, thus revealing the female and male parents of the plant. However, in cases where obtained pear seeds display low viability, conducting a parentage analyses on the pear seeds themselves could be used in order to identify the male parent (successful pollinator). In this study, batches of seeds were extracted from fruits of the triploid ‘Ingeborg’ pear (‘Conference’ × ‘Bonne Louise’), the main commercial pear cultivar in Norway. Mature pears were collected from eight commercial pear orchards located in Ullensvang, at 60° North and seeds were collected. Genomic DNA was subsequently isolated from the obtained seed batches and genotyped using 12 microsatellite markers. The same markers were also used for the genetic characterization of ‘Ingeborg’ and five pear genotypes used as pollinators in the sampled orchards (‘Clara Frijs’, ‘Herzogine Elsa’, ‘Anna’, ‘Colorée de Juillet’ and ‘Belle lucrative’). The obtained SSR profiles were used in paternity analyses, as well as for gene assignment analyses. Both approaches identified pear ‘Clara Frijs’ to be the most successful pollinator in most of the sampled orchards. Subsequent S allele genotyping of ‘Ingeborg’ and five pear genotypes used as pollinators in the sampled orchards revealed that the preferential pollination by individual genotypes was not caused by gametophytic incompatibility or semi-compatibility.

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Abstract

The application of biochar to soils is a promising technique for increasing soil organic C and offsetting GHG emissions. However, large-scale adoption by farmers will likely require the proof of its utility to improve plant growth and soil quality. In this context, we conducted a four-year field experiment between October 2010 to October 2014 on a fertile silty clay loam Albeluvisol in Norway to assess the impact of biochar on soil physical properties, soil microbial biomass, and oat and barley yield. The following treatments were included: Control (soil), miscanthus biochar 8 t C ha1 (BC8), miscanthus straw feedstock 8 t C ha1 (MC8), and miscanthus biochar 25 t C ha1 (BC25). Average volumetric water content at field capacity was significantly higher in BC25 when compared to the control due to changes in BD and total porosity. The biochar amendment had no effect on soil aggregate (2–6 mm) stability, pore size distribution, penetration resistance, soil microbial biomass C and N, and basal respiration. Biochar did not alter crop yields of oat and barley during the four growing seasons. In order to realize biochar’s climate mitigation potential, we suggest future research and development efforts should focus on improving the agronomic utility of biochar in engineered fertilizer and soil amendment products.

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Abstract

The awareness of sediment and nutrient loss from non-point sources are of increasing environmental concern as measures to reduce point source inputs to surface waters have been introduced. Mitigation efforts to reduce loss of particles and nutrients from agriculture in Norway and other countries have mainly focused on surface runoff, whereas sub-surface drainage has received little attention. However, research has shown that the sub-surface field drains are transporting both sediment and nutrients rapidly to the watercourses. Despite these established facts there has been little development of measures to reduce these losses. This article describes how Lightweight Aggregates (LWA), Leca®, can mitigate some of the environmental challenges connected to sub-surface field drains. A field experimental project was performed to assess the effects on drainage water quality hydrological performance and functionality of drainage systems based on Lightweight Aggregates compared to traditional pipe drains. Registrations of the performance of the systems were done in two separate periods, 1992–1993 and 1999–2000. After 2000 no measurement programme has run. The functionality of the drainage systems was registered in connection to ordinary farming activity. In 1999–2000 LWA drains showed particularly good performance with regard to reducing the content of Phosphorus, 40–90 % reduction in Total-P. The drainage water from the LWA drains contained less than half the amount of suspended solids compared to traditional pipe drains. The results from 1993 showed no significant difference between LWA drains and pipe drains with respect to Nitrogen. The results from 1999/2000 showed higher loss of Nitrogen through pipe drains with no envelope compared to all other systems. LWA drains may be particularly useful in reducing particles and nutrient loads from cultivated flat drained areas adjacent to environmentally sensitive and ecologically important water ecosystems. Further investigations are recommended to optimise the design of LWA drains.