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
On September 6th – 11th in 2015, the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) organized The 12th International Christmas Tree Research and Extension Conference (CTREC) at Honne, Norway. Around 40 participants from Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, UK, and USA gathered to share skills and recent research related to Christmas tree production and marketing. Nearly 50 presentations (oral and poster) were given during the conference covering the following topics; Breeding & genetic, Insects, Tree health, Physiology, Growth conditions & integrated pest management, Postharvest, and Market & economy. Abstracts, extended abstracts or papers from all presentations are available in this proceedings.
Authors
Arne StensvandEditors
Claudio Ioriatti Petros Damos Adriana Escudero-Colomar Christian LinderAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Csilla Farkas Rain Elken Juan Manuel Garcia Diaz Anatoli Vassiljev Attila Nemes Johannes Deelstra Andreas Porman Tiia Pedusaar Per Stålnacke Peeter EnnetAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Andre van Eerde Yanliang Wang John-Kristian Jameson Lisa Paruch Aniko Varnai Hege Særvold Steen Vincentius Gerardus Henricus Eijsink Jihong Liu ClarkeAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
We determine the production risk effects and welfare implications of single-trait Bt corn adoption in the Philippines. We use a stochastic production function estimation approach that allows for examining the skewness effects of Bt within a damage abatement specification. Our results indicate that Bt corn has a statistically significant yield increasing, risk-increasing (i.e., variance-increasing) and downside risk-reducing (i.e., skewness-increasing) effects. Based on risk premium, certainty equivalent, and loss probability welfare measures, Bt corn farmers in the Philippines are better-off (in absolute terms) relative to non-Bt farmers given Bt corn's dominant yield increasing effect and downside risk-reducing effect.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Ash dieback, caused by the ascomycete Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, has been spreading throughout Europe since the early 1990s, threatening European ash at a continental scale. Little is known about the development of the disease in individual forest trees and in different age classes. In this study we monitored ash dieback on trees of different diameter classes in five permanent plots in ash stands in south-eastern Norway from 2009 to 2016, and from 2012 to 2016 in three plots in western Norway with a shorter disease history. Our results showed that more than 80% of the youngest and more than 40% of the intermediate future crop trees in the plots in south-eastern Norway were dead by 2016, while the disease development in large, dominant trees was slower. Although less damage has been observed in the plots in western Norway, the trend for the juvenile trees is the same as in south-eastern Norway with rapidly increasing damage and mortality. Most dead trees in south-eastern Norway were found at sites with high soil moisture and showed symptoms of root-rot caused by Armillaria species. Infected trees, both young and old ones, are weakened by the disease and appear to be more susceptible to other, secondary pathogens, especially under unfavourable site conditions.
Abstract
Currently, sugar snap peas are harvested manually. In high-cost countries like Norway, such a labour-intensive practise implies particularly large costs for the farmer. Hence, automated alternatives are highly sought after. This project explored a concept for robotic autonomous identification and tracking of sugar snap pea pods. The approach was based on a combination of visible–near infrared reflection measurements and image analysis, along with visual servoing. A proof-of-concept harvesting platform was implemented by mounting a robotic arm with hand-mounted sensors on a mobile unit. The platform was tested under plastic greenhouse conditions on potted plants of the sugar snap pea variety Cascadia using LED-lights and a partial shade. The results showed that it was feasible to differentiate the pods from the surrounding foliage using the light reflection at the spectral range around 970 nm combined with elementary image segmentation and shape modelling methods. The proof-of-concept harvesting platform was tested on 48 representative agricultural environments comprising dense canopy, varying pod sizes, partial occlusions and different working distances. A set of 104 images were analysed during the teleoperation experiment. The true positive detection rate was 93 and 87% for images acquired at long distances and at close distances, respectively. The robot arm achieved a success rate of 54% for autonomous visual servoing to a pre-grasp pose around targeted pods on 22 untouched scenarios. This study shows the potential of developing a prototype robot for semi-automated sugar snap pea harvesting.
Abstract
The world’s need for industrial wood is expected to greatly increase in coming decades. Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a way in which an almost unlimited number of genetically identical plants (clones) can be produced from a single mother plant/seed, and it offers an effective way to convey the genetic gain obtained in breeding to the planting stock. As cultures or methods of SE, for example in Norway spruce (Picea abies), may become the subject of intellectual property rights (IPRs), a legal conflict may arise between the right holder and the rights of the general public covered by the Every man’s rights to freely sample, for example, forest genetic resources (FGRs). Various IPR systems may be relevant for the protection of SE material in forestry, but they possibly differ in how well sufficient genetic variation can be encompassed by protection claims. We therefore specifically advocate awareness of genetic variation in future SE-related IPR claims in forestry, and argue that process patents are most applicable. In face of the bioeconomy, it is mandatory to be aware of the possible conflicts between IPRs and rights of the public to FGRs, and the genetic variation of future IPR-protected SE material in forestry.