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NIBIOs ansatte publiserer flere hundre vitenskapelige artikler og forskningsrapporter hvert år. Her finner du referanser og lenker til publikasjoner og andre forsknings- og formidlingsaktiviteter. Samlingen oppdateres løpende med både nytt og historisk materiale. For mer informasjon om NIBIOs publikasjoner, besøk NIBIOs bibliotek.

2022

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Sammendrag

Invasive species are leading causes of biodiversity loss and economic damage. Prevention and management of invasions requires risk assessments based on ecological knowledge for species of potential concern. Interactions between introduced species and heterospecifics in the recipient community may affect the likelihood of establishment through biotic resistance and facilitation and are therefore important predictors of invasion risk. Experimentally exposing one species to another to observe their interactions is not always safe or practical, and containment facilities offer artificial environments which may limit the number of species and the types of interactions that may be tested. To predict biotic resistance and facilitation in a more natural setting, we deployed traps with pheromone lures in the field to mimic the presence of two potentially invasive spruce bark beetles, the European Ips typographus (tested in eastern Canada), and the North American Dendroctonus rufipennis (tested in Norway). We identified and counted possible predators, competitors, and facilitators that were captured in the traps. In eastern Canada, possible predators and competitors responded strongly to I. typographus lures, suggesting the potential for considerable biotic resistance. In Norway, D. rufipennis lures prompted little response by predators or competitors, suggesting that D. rufipennis may experience reduced biotic resistance in Europe. Dendroctonus rufipennis was also attracted to I. typographus pheromone, which may encourage facilitation between these species through cooperative mass attack on trees. Our findings will inform invasive-species risk assessments for I. typographus and D. rufipennis and highlight useful methods for predicting interactions between species that rely heavily on semiochemical communication.

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Coconut production is significantly constrained by a wide variety of pests. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that management of these pests is influenced by gender differences. Therefore, there was a need to assess farmers' knowledge about coconut pests, farm-level pest management strategies, and institutions offering training to farmers to develop an ecologically sound management strategy. To achieve this research need, we surveyed six coconut-growing districts, three each from the Western and Central Regions of Ghana, using face-to-face interviews, discussions, and direct observations. In addition, a multistage sampling technique was used to sample the coconut farmers. The sample population for each town was determined using a proportional to population size approach. The sample population was randomly drawn from each town/village using a sampling frame based on the agricultural sector records. The results showed that a majority of the farmers mentioned Oryctes monoceros as the most important coconut pest. Significantly more females than males mentioned weaver birds in their plantations (P = 0.035). The number of women who did not mention any of the pests was significantly higher than that of men (P = 0.007). There was a significant difference between male and female farmers who used indigenous knowledge (i.e., knowledge accumulated by an indigenous [local] population over generations of living in a certain area) (P = 0.018) for pest management. However, pest management strategies did not vary in the Central Region. Our results showed a significant difference between male and female farmers who did not use any of the management strategies, suggesting that future studies and training should consider gender in developing sustainable pest management strategies for the pests.

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Sammendrag

Conventional agricultural practices favoring the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) increase the risk of GBH residues ending up in animal feed, feces, and, eventually, manure. The use of poultry manure as organic fertilizer in the circular food economy increases the unintentional introduction of GBH residues into horticultural and agricultural systems, with reportedly negative effects on the growth and reproduction of crop plants. To understand the potential lasting effects of exposure to GBH residues via organic manure fertilizers, we studied strawberry (Fragaria x vescana) plant performance, yield quantity, biochemistry, folivory, phytochemistry, and soil elemental composition the year after exposure to GBH. Although plants exposed to GBH residues via manure fertilizer were, on average, 23% smaller in the year of exposure, they were able to compensate for their growth during the following growing season. Interestingly, GBH residue exposure in the previous growing season led to a trend in altered plant size preferences of folivores during the following growing season. Furthermore, the plants that had been exposed to GBH residues in the previous growing season produced 20% heavier fruits with an altered composition of phenolic compounds compared to non-exposed plants. Our results indicate that GBHs introduced via manure fertilizer following circular economy practices in one year can have effects on perennial crop plants in the following year, although GBH residues in soil have largely vanished.