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.
2011
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The causative agent of dieback on European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) was first described as Chalara fraxinea based on cultural morphology because no sexual stage of the fungus was known. Later, based on culturing of ascospores of a candidate teleomorph, morphological comparison and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequencing, the sexual stage of C. fraxinea was assigned as Hymenoscyphus albidus, a native and widespread species in Europe. Recently, the morphological species concept of H. albidus was shown to cover two species that cannot be separated from each other based on teleomorph characters, but which can be distinguished by several DNA markers. As a result, the strains causing ash dieback were reassigned as H. pseudoalbidus. The closely related H. albidus is presumably a non-pathogenic endophyte, but pathogenicity tests to confirm this hypothesis have not yet been performed. Genotyping of herbarium specimens has shown that H. pseudoalbidus was present in Switzerland for at least a decade prior to the epidemic outbreak in Europe. The origin of the ash dieback pathogen, and the general importance of correct pathogen identification to development of effective disease control, are discussed.
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Authors
Felix Herzog Katalin Balázs Peter Dennis Tetyana Dyman Wendy Fjellstad Jürgen Friedel Salah Garchi Philippe Jeanneret Rob Jongman Maximilian Kainz Gerardo Moreno Charles Nkwiine Maurizio Paoletti Philippe Pointereau Jean-Pierre Sarthou Siyka Stoyanova Davide ViaggiAbstract
Farmland biodiversity is an important component of Europe’s biodiversity. More than half the continent is occupied by agricultural lands. They host specific habitats and species, which - in addition to their conservation values they provide - perform vital ecological functions. Indicators are needed to enable the monitoring of biodiversity at the farm level for the purpose of assessing the impacts of farming practices and of agricultural policies. Our research aims at identifying farmland biodiversity indicators which are scientifically sound, operational and relevant for stakeholders. We screened the literature for farmland biodiversity indicators and, in an iterative process with stakeholders, we identified 28 candidate indicators for genetic, species and habitat diversity. Those selected biodiversity indicators, as well as 14 management indicators that are known to relate to biodiversity, were assessed in 12 case study regions across Europe. Each case study region represents a typical production system (i.e. specialist field crops, horticulture and permanent crops; specialist grazing with cattle and other livestock types; mixed crop and livestock farming). In each region, 8-20 farms were randomly selected, mostly within the two groups of organic and non-organic farms, to obtain a gradient of farming intensity. Indicators were measured applying standardized sampling procedures and farm interviews. Sampling effort was recorded in order to assess the cost of indicator measurement. For each case study region, biodiversity indicators are presently being evaluated in conjunction with management indicators. Surrogate indicators will be proposed when possible and indicators will be prioritized taking into account their validity, practicality, cost and priority for stakeholders. Based on preliminary results, the presentation will focus on the specific challenges of farm level monitoring, addressing issues of sampling design within the farms and up-scaling from plot to farm to region. Part of this research was funded by the EU FP7 contract KBBE-2B-227161. For more information consult www.biobio-indicator.org
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Experiments were set up over two winter seasons on golf greens i the Nordic countries. Two mowing heights in the autumn and one late application of 0.2 kg N /100 m2 were examined for effects on winter survival and turf performance in the spring. There were small effects from mowing height, but partly significant positive effects of fertilization. The results form annual meadow grass (Poa annua) were not consistent, but red fescue (Festuca rubra), creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and velvet bent grass (A.canina) accorded.
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Ingun Tryland Lucy J Robertson Anne-Grete Buseth Blankenberg Markus Lindholm Thomas Rohrlack Helge LiltvedAbstract
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Kenneth J. Thomson John Marshall BrydenAbstract
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