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.
2012
Sammendrag
Genomic sequencing gives us a tool to systematically and rapidly discover novel genes, how their products function in the cell, and explore their interactions. When the DNA sequences are known, primers can be designed to detect transcripts of genes with gene products related to basic cellular processes and hyphal growth. The characteristic gene products induced in different fungi by different wood protection systems during decay can be identified. This knowledge will give us a better understanding of the fungal degradation of wood and we can optimize wood protection systems. Hence, no single technique will give us the answer to all questions about the decay of wood we need to gather small pieces of the puzzle using different approaches. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acetylation level on the growth of Postia placenta with regard to amount of total DNA and gene expression targeting six different genes. This paper presents preliminary results after 36 weeks of incubation. We found no mass loss in the acetylated samples treated to a high treatment level after 36 weeks of incubation in a modified monoculture soil-block test. The presence of P. placenta DNA and the absence of mass loss could indicate on an inability of the mycelia to establish a wood exploitation phase. The results also showed that P. placenta increased the expression of AlO (involved in production of H2O2), cytochrome P450 (related to breakdown of toxic compounds), and QRD (involved in generating biodegradative hydroxyl radicals via redox cycling) along the incubation time, growing on acetylated wood treated to a high treatment level.
Forfattere
Gisela Lüscher Michaela Arndorfer Katalin Balázs K.G. Bernhardt M. Bogers R.G.H. Bunce J.-P. Choisis Peter Dennis Wenche E. Dramstad Sebastian Eiter Gunnar Engan Wendy Fjellstad T. Frank Jürgen Friedel Ilse Geijzendorffer P. Gillingham Felix Herzog K.-J. Hülsbergen Philippe Jeanneret G. Jerkovich Rob Jongman Maximilian Kainz M.L. Oschatz Susanne Papaja-Hülsbergen Philippe Pointereau Jean-Pierre Sarthou M.K. Schneider Norman Siebrecht Sebastian WolfrumSammendrag
No abstract has been registered
Sammendrag
Groundwater pollution by agrochemicals, degradation of soil quality and pollution of aquatic ecosystems by agricultural drainage waters have become an issue in the last decades. Flow processes in the vadose zone are closely related to these problems. In general, water flow in soils can be classified into two major categories: uniform and non-uniform (preferential) flow (In: U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics, Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone, 2001, pp.149-187). The former describes a relatively slow movement of water through the porous soil matrix and can be modelled by Richard”s equation. The latter comprises all flow types where water bypasses a portion of the soil matrix and flows through localised (i.e. preferential) paths. Unlike uniform flow, preferential flow is hardly predictable because the assumptions of Richard”s equation of a homogeneous representative elementary volume characterised by a single value of water potential, water content and hydraulic conductivity are frequently violated (Eur J Soil Sci, 2007; 58:523-546)....
Forfattere
Merete Grung Sissel Ranneklev Øyvind Garmo Richard Frederic Wright Tor Myking Einar Heegaard Bernt-Håvard Øyen Fride Høistad Schei Hans Haavardsholm BlomSammendrag
CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad will be the world\"s largest test centre for testing and development of CO2 capture technology. The emissions to the atmosphere from CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad contain amines and may in addition contain or lead to the formation of degradation products from amine-based CO2 capture technology. An environmental baseline survey was conducted in 2011 prior to the operation. The survey performed is broad, and describes in detail the environmental situation both in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as relevant chemical compositions of a range of matrices such as soil, plants and water. The data collected in the monitoring program were used to propose a future monitoring program in the area.
Forfattere
Carl Gunnar Fossdal Nadeem Yaqoob Benedicte Riber Albrectsen Halvor SolheimSammendrag
Aspen trees are exposed to a range of attackers and employ varied strategies to reduce their impact. The diversity of responses may have importance for resistance properties at the stand level, and justifies the search for varied defensive strategies in natural populations. We used transcriptomic tools to evaluate diverse responses at the gene activity level in Populus tremula in response to wounding, and to inoculation with two pathogenic fungi (Melampsora magnusiana vs Ceratocystis sp.) that differ in life style (biotroph vs necrotroph) and host tissue requirement (live leaf vs dead wood tissues). Two aspen genotypes from the SwAsp collection with differences in growth and phenolic composition were used to study differences in resistance properties. High defence gene induction, high growth and elevated defence properties toward the biotroph appeared to support each other in this study exemplified in the more resistant SwAsp clone, whereas the more susceptible SwAsp clone was much less responsive to infections, and displayed more symptoms when infected with M. magnusiana. Interestingly, in the more resistant clone wounding gave greater systemic activity of selected candidate genes than when combined with the necrotroph, suggesting that this pathogen has some ability to suppress the induction or translocation of the systemic defence signal in this particular clone.
Sammendrag
From the range of information published, acetylation appears well suited to provide adequate protection against biological attack for materials derived from typically non-durable wood species. Acetylated wood is now commercially available both in Europe and in the USA. But still there are a lot of unanswered questions related to fungal decay mechanisms in acetylated wood.The paper summarize existing knowledge and highlight future research opportunities related to fungal deterioration of acetic anhydride modified wood. In addition statistical analyses based on previously published data were performed to quantify what factors contribute most to the performance (calculated as test sample/control).The results showed that WPG can explain approximately 50 % of the performance, measured as test sample/control (T/C), for acetic anhydride treated wood. Other of the applied variables, like wood species or type of fungus can reduce the variance in T/C by additional 15 %.
Forfattere
Kjersti Holt HanssenSammendrag
Selective cutting and other continuous cover forestry systems may be used in spruce forests where for instance environmental or recreational considerations are more important than forest production. However, in order for this system to be sustainable, successful regeneration must be achieved. The supply of both light and below-ground resources may influence the growth and development of seedlings. If a diverse tree species composition is desirable, knowledge of the gap sizes necessary to sustain seedling survival and growth of different species is important. We studied the growth of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings in the understory, using two Norway spruce sites with selective cutting and group fellings in SE Norway. 4-week old seedlings (henceforth: mini seedlings) were planted in plots with and without trenching in gaps of four different sizes, ranging from 20 to 500 m2. In addition, commercial seedlings of the two species were planted pairwise across the sites. After three years the mini seedlings were dug up and measured, while the survival and growth of the commercial seedlings were followed for eight years. Differences in seedling survival and growth characteristics due to gap size and (for mini seedlings) trenching were analysed using GLM. Mortality was high, especially for pine seedlings. This was due to grazing as well as competition for light and nutrients. Growth of both species was positively correlated with increasing gap size. This applied for height, diameter, shoot volume and needle biomass as well as total dry weight for both spruce and pine seedlings. However, trenching had a significant positive effect on growth too, also in the smallest gaps.
Forfattere
Jørn Henrik Sønstebø Mari Mette TollefsrudSammendrag
Background: The conifer tree Abies lasiocarpa, is native to North America with a distribution range from Alaska in the north to Arizona and New Mexico in the south. The southern populations partly belong to the variety A. lasiocarpa var. arizonica, which has a distinct morphology. A. lasiocarpa is an important species for Christmas tree production in Norway and there is an increasing demand for seeds from proveniences known to produce high quality Christmas trees. Currently, seeds are imported from natural stands in the US and Canada or collected from plantations in Norway with unknown origin, but which are known to produce high quality trees. To increase the harvest potential of seeds in A. lasiocarpa both in natural stands and in seed production stands in Norway, it is important to know the population genetic structure in North America and identify the origin of the current seed producing trees in Norway. Population genetic structures will be used to identify new potential seed collection areas in North America.Main objectives: Investigate population genetic structure across the distribution range of A. lasiocarpa. Characterize genetic diversity in north American provenances and seed bearing stands in Norway. Assign Norwegian provenances to north American provenances in order to identify their origin and new potential seed collection zones.
Forfattere
Kjell Andreassen Bernt-Håvard ØyenSammendrag
Growth conditions in Fennoscandia are characterized by relatively short growth seasons and cold winters, from 130 growth days (T 5C) in the far north high mountains to more than 200 in south Sweden and Norway. Growth models from different regions predict different forest growth.In this study, we compare some models commonly applied in forest growth prognosis in pure even aged stands of Norway spruce, Scots pine and birch in Finland, Sweden and Norway. The objectives is to identify behavioural properties, accuracy and bias in selected Nordic growth models using a wide-ranging test data set from permanent research plots in Norway.Present tentative conclusions about the accuracy of growth outside the geographical range of the original base materials. With four different response variables in the tested models we emphasized relative deviations rather than absolute values as most suitable for comparisons. The models were compared by statistical tests, a visual inspection of the smoothed curve of the relative deviations in different stand properties and ranked due to their performance.We observed site index, stand density and mean tree size as the three main components in the models. For Norway spruce a basal area increment model from Sweden had the lowest standard deviation with 23 %. The mean R2 between residuals and stand characteristics from this model was also low (1.3 %), which indicates that variables are well included in the model. For Scots pine and birch, Finnish percent volume growth models showed the best fit to the Norwegian test data, with a R2 between residuals and stand characteristics of 2.8 and 6.7 %, respectively. Several of the models from Sweden and Finland predict the growth as well as stand models frequently in use in Norway.
Forfattere
Erlend NybakkSammendrag
Growing attention is being paid to innovation and creativity and learning as success factors for sustainable competitive advantage and financial performance. This paper examines the relationships between innovation strategy, innovative working climate, learning orientation and financial performance in the context of the Norwegian wood industry. A questionnaire-based survey was sent to CEOs of firms in the wood industry in Norway (241 usable replies, response rate of 49 percent). Innovation strategy embodies four dimensions: the degrees to which innovation in the form of products, processes, and business systems are embedded in the management values and priorities as well as the degree of expenditure in R&D. An innovative working climate is exemplified by team cohesion, supervisory encouragement, resources, autonomy, challenge, and openness to innovation. Both learning orientation and firm innovativeness were conceptualised and analysed as latent second-order constructs using structural equation modelling. The result implied that innovation strategy and an innovative working climate enhanced financial performance in Norwegian wood industry. Furthermore, the findings showed that learning orientation had a positive affect on financial performance positively via firm innovativeness (full mediating effect). Findings suggest that managers in wood industry will not likely benefit financially from a learning orientation without also achieving high levels of firm innovativeness. Moreover, findings suggest that managers should focus on creating an innovative working climate and prioritising an innovation strategy.