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.
2026
Authors
Dammen, Maren VedvikAbstract
Veterinære parasittmidler er avgjørende for god dyrehelse og lønnsomhet i dyreproduksjonen. Samtidig kan de utgjøre en økotoksikologisk risiko, ettersom de ofte skilles ut umetabolisert og fortsatt er biologisk aktive i miljøet. Konsentrasjonene i avføring overstiger ofte giftighetsterskler for ikke-målarter, som for eksempel gjødselbiller. I tillegg gjør mangelen på lett tilgjengelige data om bruken av slike midler i Norge, og om deres nedbrytning under nordiske klimaforhold, risikovurderinger krevende. Hovedmålet med denne oppgaven var å vurdere de potensielle miljørisikoene knyttet til bruk av parasittmidler i Norge. Dette ble gjort ved å undersøke hvordan tilførselsmåte (spiking vs. naturlig utskillelse), temperatur, og varmkompostering påvirker nedbrytningshastigheten, uttrykt som halveringstid (DT50). Tre eksperimenter (A, B og C) ble gjennomført, og disse omfattet 11 ulike parasittmidler fra gruppene isoxazoliner, benzimidazoler og makrosykliske laktoner. Analysene ble utført ved hjelp av en modifisert QuEChERS-protokoll og LC-MS/MS. Metodevalideringen som ble gjort i Eksperiment A, viste ingen betydelige forskjeller i nedbrytningshastighet mellom ivermectin tilført via naturlig utskillelse fra hest og ved spiking. Dette gir støtte til bruk av spiking som en gyldig eksperimentell metode. Eksperiment B undersøkte nedbrytning i en blanding av jord og gjødsel ved tre temperaturer (6 °C, 12 °C og 20 °C) over 100 dager, for å representere typiske norske jordtemperaturer. Studien viste at nedbrytningen nesten stoppet opp ved lave temperaturer. Ved 6 °C var den estimerte halveringstiden for flere midler over 10 000 dager, noe som indikerer at de forblir stabile i miljøet gjennom vinterhalvåret. I Eksperiment C viste varmkompostering seg å være et effektivt virkemiddel. Halveringstiden for ivermectin ble redusert til 28 dager under varmkomposteringsforhold, sammenlignet med 56 dager i jord ved 20 °C. Lotilaner ble også nesten fullstendig nedbrutt under de samme forholdene, med en DT50 på 1 dag. Oppgaven gir også de første estimatene for halveringstid (DT50) i jord for afoxolaner, lotilaner og praziquantel. Resultatene indikerer at parasittmidlenes persistens i nordisk klima sannsynligvis er underestimert, fordi nedbrytningen er tilnærmet stanset i store deler av året, fra oktober til april. Varmkompostering fremstår som en lovende strategi for å redusere den økotoksikologiske risikoen før gjødsel spres på jordbruksarealer. Resultatene understreker behovet for systematisk overvåking av både bruk og resistensmønstre for å kunne foreta risikovurderinger i fremtiden.
Authors
Heidi Udnes Aamot Shiori Koga Katherine Ann Gredvig Nielsen Ulrike Böcker Guro Brodal Ruth Dill-Macky Anne Kjersti Uhlen Ingerd Skow HofgaardAbstract
The breadmaking quality of wheat depends on the viscoelastic properties of the dough, largely determined by gluten quality. The latter is influenced by wheat genetics and environmental factors. To identify whether fungal infection can compromise gluten quality, greenhouse-grown spring wheat was inoculated with Fusarium graminearum or Fusarium avenaceum at flowering. Grain harvested at maturity was analysed for fungal infection (concentration of fungal DNA), thousand-grain weight (TGW), size distribution of glutenin polymers (proportion of un-extractable polymeric proteins, %UPP), gluten-degrading protease activity, and viscoelastic properties of gluten (maximum resistance towards stretching [RMAX] and extensibility). Fusarium graminearum caused severe infections, and strong negative correlations were observed between F. graminearum-DNA and TGW, %UPP and RMAX. Significant reductions in %UPP and RMAX were observed even when only 10% of the flour-blend originated from infected grain. The degradation of gluten proteins was attributed to both enzymatic activity and disrupted grain maturation. In contrast, F. avenaceum infections were less severe, with only slight reductions in TGW, %UPP, and RMAX, though signs of gluten-degrading enzyme activities were observed in the most infected samples. In summary, F. graminearum significantly compromised gluten quality through protein degradation and reduction in the proportion of large glutenin polymers. While F. avenaceum had a lesser impact on gluten quality, the risk of compromised grain entering the food chain may be greater than with F. graminearum, as neither F. avenaceum nor its associated mycotoxins are regulated. These findings highlight the importance of further research on how fungal infection influences the breadmaking quality of wheat.
Authors
Linn Vassvik Anders Nielsen Michael Garratt Bjørn Arild Hatteland Joseph Chipperfield Erik Trond AschehougAbstract
In 1968 Free published a paper titled "Dandelion as a competitor to fruit trees for bee visits", and since then mwoing the understory vegetation has been common practice in apple orchards. However, Free's study only included honeybees, and recent research shows that apple flowers need a diverse pollinator community for optimal quality and yield. Wild bees need a diverse floral diet to survive, raising the following questions: Do wild bees also prefer dandelions over apple flowers? And will dandelions compete with apple flowers when all pollinators are considered?
Authors
Susanna Simovaara Jani Kurunsaari Ilona Peltoniemi Nina Sipari Laura Jaakola Pauliina PalonenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Apple is the third most grown fruit worldwide and relies on pollinator visits to increase both fruit quality and yield. Apple, like many other crops, flowers for a short and intensive period, making the collection of high-quality data on pollinator visits challenging and time-consuming when relying on traditional human observations. We therefore tested whether cameras can be used to increase data collection on pollinator visits to apple flowers, and the advantages and limitations camera-based observations has compared to manual observations. Cameras were deployed in five apple orchards in Eastern Norway during apple flowering. Each camera was positioned facing a selection of flowers, on which manual observations were also conducted. Cameras took a photo every minute from sunrise (04:30) to sun set (22:00), and manual observations were conducted twice a day, between 08:00-13:00, and 13:00-19:00, with each observation lasting five minutes. All bees visiting a flower were recorded and classified as honeybees, bumblebees, or solitary bees. Flower phenology was also recorded daily. Preliminary results show that cameras detected almost twice as many bee visits as manual observations. In addition, cameras captured visitation across all hours of the day, throughout the entire flowering period, providing detailed temporal and spatial information on bee activity and phenology. Our study provides valuable insights that cameras are a powerful tool to collect information on pollinator visits to apple flowers, enabling more comprehensive and temporally resolved datasets than traditional observations. Such improvements in data quality are essential for advancing applied pollination research and for informing management strategies aimed at sustaining crop yields under increasing environmental and agricultural pressures.
Authors
Magda KarloAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Brett Kevin Sandercock Martin Malmstrøm Eva Bonsak Thorstad Anders Nielsen Paul Ragnar Berg Anders Bryn Kjetil Hindar Lars Robert Hole Johanna Järnegren Kyrre Kausrud Lawrence R. Kirkendall Erlend Birkeland Nilsen Gaute VelleAbstract
VKM assessed the potential risks to biodiversity in Norway associated with the import and release of biocontrol agents for management of house flies and stable flies in poultry farms, pig or sheep barns, cattle feedlots, and horse stables. Effective control of filth flies requires repeated releases of up to one million mass-reared individuals, but recent permits have restricted releases to lower numbers. Risk assessments were completed for the dump fly Hydrotaea aenescens, the parasitoid wasps Spalangia cameroni, S. endius, Nasonia vitripennis, Muscidifurax raptor, M. raptorellus and M. zarapator, and the hister beetle Carcinops pumilio. Nasonia vitripennis is a native species in Norway, C. pumilio is a non-native species that is widely established in Norway, and S. cameroni occurs on pig farms in southern Norway. Hydrotaea aenescens and M. raptor have been detected in low numbers, whereas S. endius, M. raptorellus and M. zaraptor have not been reported in Norway. The biological control agents are generalist predators and parasitoids that could affect native species through six impact mechanisms from the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa: competition, predation, hybridization, disease transmission, parasitism, and indirect effects. No impacts on native biodiversity have been documented where the non-native species occur in Norway or elsewhere. The potential for establishment and spread is low because the non-native species are associated with manmade habitats, have poor dispersal ability, and are warm-adapted species unlikely to cope with cold winters. Mitigation measures can reduce risks during import from commercial suppliers and releases in farms and stables, whereas surveillance programs could detect unexpected changes in insect communities. VKM concludes that the risks to native biodiversity in Norway are likely to be low from use of these biocontrol agents for management of pest flies in animal production facilities.
Authors
Zhe Yu Yihui Du Qianwen Ding Qiang Hao Hongwei Yang Kerou Shi Chao Ran Yalin Yang Chen Wang Johan Johansen Giovanna Ottaviani Aalmo Zhen Zhang Zhigang ZhouAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Petri Widsten Marc Borrega Miriam Kellock Mariem Zouari Anita Wronka Grzegorz Kowaluk Matthew Schwarzkopf Andreas TreuAbstract
Abstract Indoor air quality can be improved by coatings that adsorb harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the present work, bio-based and VOC-adsorbing wood coatings were fabricated from polyphenols extracted from spruce bark, biochar produced from mixtures of spruce and pine bark, and a polyamine crosslinker. The bark-based biochar was doped with a catalyst (MnO 2 ) to enable continuous elimination of the adsorbed VOCs so that the coatings would not become saturated. The coatings formed a homogenous and smooth layer that covered the whole surface of the wood and showed excellent adhesion to the substrate, while their VOC removal efficiency was dependent on the pollutant type and the coating weight. The best performance was achieved toward formaldehyde, followed by chloroform and methyl ethyl ketone. Thick coatings (200–220 g/m 2 ) reached a formaldehyde removal of 62%, with the coating base and the biochar contributing nearly equally to the VOC removal. Overall, the bark-based coatings showed good potential for improving indoor air quality, but the surface wettability of the coated spruce wood was high. Despite the presence of biochar and nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds, the coatings did not appear to improve the reaction to fire of the wood.
Authors
Cornelya KlutschAbstract
No abstract has been registered