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
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Academic article – In Search of Better Management of Potato Common Scab
Merete Dees, Leslie A Wanner
Authors
Merete Dees Leslie A WannerAbstract
Common scab (CS) is an important disease and quality problem in potato crops worldwide. CS degrades the appearance of the potato tubers, thereby diminishing market value. Knowledge of CS has expanded considerably over recent years, enabling improved detection of the causal pathogens and increased understanding of mechanisms of pathogenicity, and providing potential methods of modulating pathogen response for disease resistance. However, effective control of this disease remains elusive, and will require increased understanding of both the host and the pathogen. Traditional control strategies such as irrigation and reduced soil pH are not sufficient and often fail. Optimizing environmental conditions for reduction of CS can also lead to favorable conditions for other diseases. The most desirable control method would be disease-resistant potato cultivars. However, no currently available commercial potato cultivar has been shown to be completely resistant to CS. In this review, we provide an overview of potato CS caused by plant pathogenic Streptomyces species, recent research on mechanisms and management of the disease, and knowledge gaps that limit successful control of this ubiquitous and troublesome disease.
Abstract
Herbivorous insects use information about volatile substances to select their host plants. The possibility that insects use these volatiles to assess the infection status of a host plant has rarely been tested. The assessment of host status via olfaction may allow a more successful allocation of time and energy towards the procurement of valuable resources for the offspring. We hypothesized that olfactory cues play a role in providing an herbivorous insect with information about the health status of a potential host plant. To test this hypothesis, we compared the attraction and oviposition response of the grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, to healthy grapes, Vitis vinifera, with the response to grapes infected with a phytopathogenic fungus, Botrytis cinerea. The fungal infection elicited substantial reductions in both attraction from a distance and oviposition on the host. By preventing contact with the fruits, we found that volatiles from the infected grapes were the signal eliciting the observed behaviour. Experiments with a synthetic compound, 3-methyl-1-butanol, identified in the odour of infected grapes, confirmed the essential function of olfactory cues in this process, both in the laboratory and in the field. In our system, the avoidance of a diseased plant supported the preference performance hypothesis in L. botrana. Results are discussed in relation to the role of fungal volatiles in plant–insect relationships.
Abstract
The flight responses of 750 female Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are investigated in a wind tunnel bioassay. The attraction of C. vicina towards dead mice and seven different synthetic lures made from dimethyl trisulphide, mercaptoethanol and O-cresol is compared. Responses towards natural odours and the three-component synthetic kairomones depend on the flies' ovarian egg developmental status. The natural and three-component lures also induce similar age-dependent responses, although the dead mice lure yields a significantly higher attraction. Oriented flight increases with the number of chemicals in the synthetic kairomone; one-, two- and three-compound lures induce 13–25%, 32–43% and 62% attraction, respectively. Responses to one-component lures are not significantly influenced by egg developmental status, whereas blends of two or three components are. Attraction levels increase in a stepwise manner both across egg developmental categories and with the number of compounds. The results suggest that the attractiveness of synthetic kairomones is influenced not only by the blowflies' physiological state, but also by the complexity of the lure.
Authors
H.J. van der Fels-Klerx P.W Goedhart Oleif Elen T. Börjesson V Hietaniemi C.J.H BooijAbstract
Climate change will affect mycotoxin contamination of feed and food. Mathematical models for predicting mycotoxin concentrations in cereal grains are useful for estimating the impact of climate change on these toxins. The objective of the current study was to construct a descriptive model to estimate climate change impacts on deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of mature wheat grown in northwestern Europe. Observational data from 717 wheat fields in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and The Netherlands were analyzed, including the DON concentrations in mature wheat, agronomical practices, and local weather. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, and the best set of explanatory variables, mainly including weather factors, was selected. The final model included the following variables: flowering date, length of time between flowering and harvest, wheat resistance to Fusarium infection, and several climatic variables related to relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall during critical stages of wheat cultivation. The model accounted for 50 % of the variance, which was sufficient to make this model useful for estimating the trends of climate change on DON contamination of wheat in northwestern Europe. Application of the model in possible climate change scenarios is illustrated.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Daniela Sauer Peter Finke Rolf Sørensen Ragnhild Sperstad Isabelle Schülli-Maurer Helge I. Høeg Karl StahrAbstract
The first results of modeling soil development in marine sediments in S Norway using the model SoilGen are compared to measured properties of two soil chronosequences, on the western and eastern side of Oslofjord, respectively. The aim of this work is to test how well soil development under well-defined environmental conditions can be modeled. Such testing reveals to what degree soil-forming processes are understood, allowing formulation of adequate calculations reflecting these processes. The model predicts particle size distribution reasonably well, although clay depletion in the upper parts of the soils as a result of clay migration is overestimated. The model tends to underestimate contents of organic carbon and CEC in the A horizons: below, modeled CEC matches well with measured CEC. Base saturation is overestimated in the upper 40 cm and underestimated below. Apparently, leaching of bases proceeds less rapidly in reality than is predicted by the model, due to strong soil structure of the B horizons, causing preferential flow and base leaching around the aggregates, whereas bases inside the aggregates are only slightly affected by leaching. Difficulties and possibilities for improvements are identified, some related to model input data and some to the model itself. Input data could be improved by determining the amounts of organic carbon in organic surface horizons and by quantifying effects of bioturbation. A big challenge is the implementation of soil structure formation in the model. Quantitative data on the development of soil structure with time that can be included in a model are required. Amounts, distribution and connectivity of macro pores need to be defined for each stage of soil development, and zones of low and high base leaching need to be distinguished in the model for each time step. The long-term aim of this work is to model soil development with different sets of soil-forming factors, e.g. different climatic conditions in order to reliably predict soil development under different climate scenarios and related sets of soil-forming factors. The results of the first model runs and the identified possible improvements suggest that this aim is generally achievable.
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered