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.
2017
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Mould growth is an important contributor to colour change of untreated wood exposed outdoors. Predicting the development of mould growth is therefore important to ensure successful use of untreated wood as a façade material. More knowledge about the factors affecting mould growth on outdoor exposed wood is required to give better predictions. In this study, climatic factors and material properties affecting mould growth have been investigated by exposing selected wooden specimens (aspen, pine sapwood, pine heartwood, spruce sapwood and spruce heartwood) to 8 different climates for 91 days. The climates were defined in a factorial design with two levels of relative humidity (65 and 85 %), wetting period (2 and 4 hours per day) and temperature (10 and 25 °C), respectively. The degree of mould growth was visually evaluated once a week during the exposure period. Aspen and pine sapwood were the substrates most susceptible to mould growth. There were no significant differences in susceptibility between pine heartwood and spruce heartwood, but the difference between heartwood and sapwood was significant for both pine and spruce. The effect of density on mould growth was tested for the spruce heartwood material, but was not found to reduce the residual variance significantly. However, all the tested climatic factors affected mould growth significantly; relative humidity was most important, while there was a somewhat smaller effect of wetting period and a minor effect of temperature. Overall, increased RH, longer wetting period and increased temperature had a positive effect on the mould growth. It was found a significant interaction between temperature and relative humidity, indicating that the temperature had larger effect on the mould growth at lower relative humidity, and that the relative humidity had larger effect at lower temperature. There was a tendency that the relative performance of the substrates was dependent on climate, but this interaction effect was not significant for any of the climatic factors.
Authors
Sølvi WehnAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Line Johansen T. Lennartsson Anna Westin A. Iuga C.M. Ivascu Eveliina Kallioniemi Sølvi WehnAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tatsiana Espevig May Bente Brurberg Marina Usoltseva Åslög Dahl Agnar Kvalbein Karin Normann Jo Anne CrouchAbstract
Dollar spot is a destructive and widespread disease affecting most turfgrass species, but until recently it has been absent from the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe. In the fall of 2014, disease symptoms consistent with dollar spot were observed on a golf course fairway in Sweden. A fungus was isolated from symptomatic turf and identified as Sclerotinia homoeocarpa on the basis of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, morphology, and culture characteristics. The ITS sequence was identical to isolates of S. homoeocarpa from the eastern and midwestern United States. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled, confirming the S. homoeocarpa isolate as the causal agent. This is the first report of turfgrass dollar spot in Sweden and only the second report of the disease from Scandinavia. Because pesticides are rarely used in the cultivation of Scandinavian turfgrass, dollar spot disease may prove difficult to control through conventional means and potentially represents a major threat to the industry.
Authors
John P. Clarkson Rachel J. Warmington Peter G. Walley Matthew Denton-Giles Martin J. Barbetti Guro Brodal Berit NordskogAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Background and aims Decomposition of the finest harvest residues is important for the carbon and nutrient cycle in forest ecosystems both before and after tree felling. We assumed that decomposition is dependent on harvest residue fraction and chemistry, soil temperature and moisture, and aimed at determining decomposition rates and nutrient dynamics of needles, twigs and fine roots from newly felled Picea abies trees in two sites with different climate and topography. Methods Decomposition of needles, twigs and fine roots in mesh bags was followed for up to six years and four years in harvesting sites in eastern and western Norway, respectively. The western site had a more humid climate and a steeper terrain than the eastern site. Results The mass loss after two years was significantly higher for needles (49–59%) than for twigs and fine roots (29–38%). Between sites, there was no significant difference between mass loss for neither needles nor twigs. Nitrogen accumulated in needles during the first year, but 35% of initial needle N had been released after three years. The initial needle and twig decomposition rate was dependent on soil moisture and topographic aspect. During the first three years, needle lignin concentrations retarded whereas P concentrations stimulated needle mass loss. For twigs, P concentrations stimulated mass loss, whereas higher soil temperatures reduced it. Conclusions Lignin and P concentrations of plant parts and soil temperature were the most important factors for the first three-year mass loss. The slow release of nutrients shows the importance of remaining needles, twigs and fine roots as a long-time nutrient source in the ecosystems under study.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered