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.
2010
Authors
May Sæthre Ignace Godonou Segolene Leclerq Ghislain Tchoromi Tepa-Yotto Braima JamesAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jens Rohloff Inger Martinussen Eivind Uleberg Olavi Junttila Anja Hohtola Laura Jaakola Hely HäggmanAbstract
The fruit quality of European blueberry (EB) is mainly determined by taste compounds (sugars, acids, flavour) and health-beneficial structures generally denoted as antioxidants (vitamin C, phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins). Content and compound composition is strongly affected by the growth environment regarding light, temperature, water and edaphic factors. In order to assess genotypic relationships (northern and southern clones of EB) and environmental impact (temperature, day length) on berry quality parameters, a high-throughput system for blueberry metabolite profiling of nutritional compounds was established based on gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Dried methanol/H2O extracts from fresh-frozen berry tissue were derivatized, and subjected to GC/MS in order to detect polar compounds such as organic acids from Krebs-cycle, amino acids, sugars, polyols, and partly secondary metabolites (phenols, flavonoids). In addition, general quality parameters such as total phenols, total anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity (FRAP) were measured. Fructose (5 g), glucose (5 g), and sucrose (0.5 g/ 100 g f.w. at average) were the most abundant carbohydrates, together with high levels of organic acids such as citric acid (1.3 g), quinic acid (1.6 g), and malic acid (0.3 g/ 100 g f.w. at average). More than 50 metabolites per sample (identified compounds and not-annotated mass spectral tags) could be detected, and established the basis for multivariate statistics using principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, and metabolite network analysis. Genotypic differences, modulation of metabolite pools and biosynthetic relationships are being discussed in-depth.
Authors
Aldo Marchetto Rosario Mosello Gabriele A. Tartari Kirsti Derome Nils König Nicholas Clarke Anna KowalskaAbstract
A second Working Ring Test (WRT) was organised within the framework of the EU/Life+ FutMon Project (`Further Development and Implementation of an EU-level Forest Monitoring System`, LIFE07 ENV/D/000218), to evaluate the overall performance of the laboratories responsible for analysing atmospheric deposition and soil solution samples in European forests, and to verify improvements in the analytical quality resulting from the QA/QC work carried out in the laboratories which participated in previous WRTs organized in the framework of the UN/ECE ICP Forests Monitoring Programme. The WRT was carried out in accordance with International ISO and ILAG guide proficiency test both for sample preparation and numerical elaboration of the results. Five natural atmospheric deposition and soil solution samples and 3 synthetic solutions were distributed to 42 laboratories for analysis using their routine methods for the following variables: pH, conductivity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, ammonium, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, total alkalinity, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Two tolerable limits were defined for each variable on the basis of the measured value, the results of previous WRTs, a comparison with the Data Quality Objectives of other international networks, and the importance of the variable in deposition and soil solution monitoring. In the ring test 12% of the results from all the laboratories did not fall within the tolerable limits. This enabled us to identify those variables and laboratories for which improvements in analytical performance are required. The results of the exercise clearly show that the use of data check procedures, as described in the ICP Forests manual for sampling and analysis of atmospheric deposition, makes it possible to detect the presence of inaccurate or outlying results, and would therefore greatly improve the overall performance of the laboratories. A discussion of the improvement of the results in this WRT compared to the previous WRTs is also included, showing a relevant improvent for several variables and underlining the importance of participating to these exercises for the overall analytical quality of the monitoring network.
Abstract
Plant responses to elevated CO2 are governed by temperature, and at low temperatures the beneficial effects of CO2 may be lost. To document the responses of winter cereals grown under cold conditions at northern latitudes, autumn growth of winter wheat exposed to ambient and elevated levels of temperature (+2.5°C), CO2 (+150 µmol mol-1), and shade (-30%) was studied in open-top chambers under low light and at low temperatures. Throughout the experiment, temperature dominated plant responses, while the effects of CO2 were marginal, except for a positive effect on root biomass. Increased temperature resulted in increased leaf area, total biomass, total root biomass, total stem biomass, and number of tillers, but also a lower content of total sugars and a weaker tolerance to frost. The loss of frost tolerance was related to the larger size of plants grown at elevated temperature. The 30% light reduction under shading did not affect the growth, sugar content, or frost tolerance of winter wheat. At the low temperatures found at high latitudes during autumn, the atmospheric CO2 increase is unlikely to enhance autumn growth of winter wheat to any significant extent, while a temperature increase may have important and major effects on its development and growth.
Abstract
P>Autumn growth of weeds (i) provides an opportunity for mechanical and chemical control in autumn and (ii) can be important for weed survival and infestation in the following spring. Growth characteristics of Elytrigia repens, Cirsium arvense and Sonchus arvensis in autumn were studied in 2004 and 2005, on plants of different origins and developmental stages (planted at various times from May to August). The plants were grown outdoors in large pots and were assessed during September and October each year. The study showed that (i) all species grew in autumn, but growth ceased and the species withered at different times; S. arvensis first, followed by C. arvense and then E. repens and (ii) less developed (i.e. younger) plants grew later in the autumn. This was demonstrated by leaf area development and biomass distribution during autumn. Older plants had a greater total biomass with relatively more rhizomes or creeping roots than younger plants. In young plants of C. arvense and S. arvensis, the biomass of creeping roots increased during autumn. The total biomass, however, changed little during autumn. These growth patterns indicate that E. repens will be the easiest, S. arvensis the most difficult and C. arvense in between, regarding control of these species in autumn.
Authors
Nanna Lien Hege Henriksen Lena Lie Nymoen Marianne Wind Knut Inge KleppAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Øyvind Johan Korsøen Tim Dempster Jan Erik Fosseidengen Anders Fernø Einar Heegaard Tore S KristiansenAbstract
Farmed Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are occasionally exposed to buoyancy changes in sea-cages, through lifting or lowering of cage nets. Physiological processes regulate the level of gas in the closed swim bladders of cod and thus the ability of cod to control their buoyancy. Rapid net lifting may cause positive buoyancy, leading to barotrauma, while net lowering may lead to negative buoyancy and alter cod behaviours. We tested how groups of farmed cod responded immediately after lifting events from 5 different start depths equivalent to 40% pressure reductions, and how long they took to return to pre-lifting pressure levels. In addition, we tested immediate responses and recovery times to cage lowering events equivalent to 100– 300% pressure increases. Trials were conducted with 100 cod of 1.1–1.7 kg in a 63 m3 sea-cage at the lower (5 °C) and upper (16 °C) water temperature limits experienced during culture. Swimming behaviours were measured at fixed intervals before and after cage lifting or lowering, and a feeding test was used to assess appetite. In general, lifting events increased swimming speeds 1.5–4 times and tail beats 2–3 times and fish swam with an average −14° head-down angle, indicating positive buoyancy. The depth before lifting affected the immediate response as the fish became more active after lifting events from shallow compared to deeper depths. Appetite levels decreased for about 2 h after cage lifting, independent of temperature or start depth. The overall recovery time of 8 h after lifting did not depend upon start depth or temperature. Lowering events appeared to cause negative buoyancy. Swimming speeds (1.3–2.3 times) and tail beat frequencies (1.4–2.3 times) increased immediately after cage lowering, and cod swam with an average 30° head-up swimming angle. Neither pressure level nor temperature affected this immediate response. Time to recover to neutral buoyancy for 300% pressure increases took 42–90 h, but only 18–34 h for 100% pressure increases. We conclude that a 40% pressure reduction is an upper limit for lifts of healthy farmed cod. Secondary lifts should not be done until at least 10 h after the first lift. Cage lowering should be done slowly to avoid potentially stressful crowding of negatively buoyant fish on the cage bottom, especially at low temperatures.
Abstract
Roseroot, Rhodiola rosea, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Crassulaceae. The rhizomes of 95 roseroot clones in the Norwegian germplasm collection were analysed and quantified for their content of the bioactive compounds rosavin, salidroside, rosin, cinnamyl alcohol and tyrosol using HPLC analysis. All five bioactive compounds were detected in all 95 roseroot clones but in highly variable quantities. The ranges observed for the different compounds were for rosavin 2.90-85.95mgg-1, salidroside 0.03-12.85mgg-1, rosin 0.08-4.75mgg-1, tyrosol 0.04-2.15mgg-1 and cinnamyl alcohol 0.02-1.18mgg-1. The frequency distribution of the chemical content of each clone did not reflect a certain geographic region of origin or the gender of the plant. Significant correlations were found for the contents of several of these bioactive compounds in individual roseroot clones. A low, but not significant correlation was found between AFLP markers previously used to study the genetic diversity of the roseroot clones and their production of the chemical compounds. The maximum level of rosavin, rosin and salidroside observed were higher than for any roseroot plant previously reported in literature, and the roseroot clones characterized in this study might therefore prove to be of high pharmacological value.
Authors
Miroslav Matucha Nicholas Clarke Zora Lachmanová Sandor T. Forczek Květoslava Fuksová Milan GryndlerAbstract
Chlorine - one of the most widespread elements on the Earth - is present in the environment as chloride ion or bound to organic substances. The main source of chloride ions is the oceans while organically bound chlorine (OCl) comes from various sources, including anthropogenic ones. Chlorinated organic compounds were long considered to be only industrial products; nevertheless, organochlorines occur plentifully in natural ecosystems. However, recent investigations in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems have shown them to be products of biodegradation of soil organic matter under participation of chlorine. It is important to understand both the inorganic and organic biogeochemical cycling of chlorine in order to understand processes in the forest ecosystem and dangers as a result of human activities, i.e. emission and deposition of anthropogenic chlorinated compounds as well as those from natural processes. The minireview presented below provides a survey of contemporary knowledge of the state of the art and a basis for investigations of formation and degradation of organochlorines and monitoring of chloride and organochlorines in forest ecosystems, which has not been carried out in the Czech Republic yet.
Authors
Louis Boumans Espen AarnesAbstract
A copula of brightly coloured blue craneflies were photographed in Finnmark, northern Norway. The species is identified as Tipula (Beringotipula) unca Wiedemann, 1817, and the blue colour is hypothesised to result from a blatant infection with an invertebrate iridovirus (IIV). It is the first report of a naturally occurring putative IIV infection in adult craneflies.