Codling moth uses yeast to digest fruit
Codling moth ( Cydia pomonella) is a major pest insect of apples worldwide; the larvae mine and destroy the fruit. Chemical ecologists at SLU (the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences),yeast molecular biologists at Lund University and entomologists from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) have now shown that the larvae associate with a yeast ( Metschnikowia) , and that this yeast...
(2012-10-24)
Fungi and mussels acceptable in fish feed
Farmed predatory fish (salmon, cod, etc.) need large quantities of food, which at present consists of wild-caught marine fish species that are endangered to varying degrees.
(2012-04-25)
Legumes reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
Net emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from legumes are less than those from N fertilised crops. That makes them extra suitable as feedstock for bioenergy production. In a review article Erik Steen Jensen, SLU, has collated the current knowledge on the capacity of legumes.
(2012-04-24)
Spider’s silk for surgical sutures
Spider’s silk is an extremely strong and elastic biomaterial that can be used for many purposes: from surgical sutures to bullet-proof vests. Researchers at SLU have now learned how spiders produce their silk thread. Soluble proteins are produced from a gland in the spider’s body. When this solution passes through the thread canal, pH is lowered from 7 to 6, and the thread is formed. It is possible...
(2012-04-17)
Adapted forest fertilisation: more good than harm?
In Sweden, forest land is fertilised with commercial fertilisers to increase the growth of forest trees. Only a small portion of Sweden’s forested land is fertilized this way and studies so far show that there is little effect on local watercourses.
(2012-03-07)
Clever fishing part of the solution
Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea is a growing problem. The emission of nutrients to the sea has to be reduced, but better management of fisheries is also required. To implement ecosystem-based management in the future, researchers at SLU are trying to understand the role of fish in the food chain.
(2012-03-07)
We are all Peepoople
One billion of the world’s population does not have a toilet. A few more billions use primitive dry toilets and risk infections. This is the starting point for Peepoo, a bag which turns the notion of what a toilet is, upside down.
(2012-03-07)
Planning for both timber and biodiversity
With the help of the Heureka system (a software tool), SLU researchers have asked the question how the forest should be managed to provide both high profit and good habitats for various species.
(2012-01-03)
How does climate change affect Sweden’s mountain vegetation?
Mountain forest biomass in Sweden has increased by as much as 19 per cent over the past 13 years, researchers show in a recently published study. The next step is to review data from Sweden’s national inventory programme to study the rest of the mountains.
(2011-12-29)
Following Global Forest Trends
Karin Beland Lindahl, researcher at SLU, studies international forest trends and how they may affect future forest management in Sweden.
(2011-12-15)
Community elders showed the effects of forestry
Solomon Gebreyohannis and Professor Kevin Bishop have been studying the relation of forest cover and river flow in the Koga watershed, a headwater of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.
(2011-12-14)
Mapping Swedish Fells
At SLU in Umeå, researchers are developing new techniques for automated mapping of land cover.
(2011-11-29)
Traces of Chernobyl remain in reindeer
Several of the 51 reindeer herding districts in Sweden still have to adapt management to reduce the caesium content in reindeer. In total, this costs the Swedish society seven million Swedish crowns per year.
(2011-08-19)
Follows Nature's Calendar
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has collected 350 000 phenological observations made during the period 1873-1918 from across Sweden in a unique data base. These historical observations combined with observations of today, makes it possible to follow how plants have been affected by climate change.
(2011-07-13)
What natural environment do we want?
SLU researchers have played an important role in Sweden’s 150 year long history of environmental acidification, for instance the acidification process was first shown by soil researcher Svante Odén in the 1960s. Reduced sulphur emissions and thereby less acid deposition, makes land and water areas in Sweden now recovering from the acidification that started already during the 19th century. But towards...
(2011-07-11)
Later coastal fishing favours wild salmon
Robust salmon stocks in the Baltic Sea are possible with the right knowledge and fishing methods, as suggested by Professor Hans Lundqvist and Associate Professor Kjell Leonardsson at the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environment at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
(2011-06-23)
Mink warn of chemicals in the environment
SLU researchers have developed a new environmental monitoring system in which methods have been developed to reveal reproductive impairment in wild mink.
(2011-05-10)
Landscape characterisation methods
SLU researchers are developing methods of describing landscape character, i.e. the patterns and structures that distinguish one landscape from another.
(2011-04-27)
MOTH finds less common habitats
Every sixth years, Sweden is to report on the conservation status of the habitat types specified in the EU Habitats Directive*.
(2011-04-20)
Occurrence of Algae on Spruce Follows Nitrogen Deposition
The amount of algae found on Norway spruce needles in Sweden is a good indicator of the atmospheric deposition of nitrogen. High nitrogen deposition generates high algae growth and low nitrogen deposition generates low algae growth.
(2011-03-21)
Value of Ecosystem Services
How high is an ecosystem’s recreational value? What is the value of carbon uptake by forests according to carbon permits under the EU emissions trading scheme? Ing-Marie Gren, professor at SLU, has done the calculations.
(2011-03-10)
Odour and Noise Causes of Conflict
Railways, traffic, factories and farms are just a few examples of sources of discomfort and conflict, but exactly how common are problems of odour and noise in modern society?
(2010-12-02)
The Neighbourhood through the Eyes of your Child
What do children think about the outdoor environment in their neighbourhood? Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have developed a method using a Geographic Information System (GIS).
(2010-12-02)
High Risk of Vole Fever in Northern Sweden
We are facing an outbreak of vole fever during winter, according to the annual forecast made by scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). This year’s high number of bank voles will spread the illness to a large number of humans.
(2010-12-01)
Domestic Cat Reveals Hazardous Substances at Home
The domestic cat and its human owner share the same environment to a large extent. The cat can therefore serve as a model for the exposure and uptake of hazardous substances at home, especially applicable to small children.
(2010-11-30)
Mink as a Sentinel Species
Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have developed an environmental monitoring system using the Swedish wild mink as a sentinel species.
(2010-11-30)
Working towards a Non-Toxic World
Leif Norrgren is Professor at SLU with a strong international commitment to environmental issues. He collaborates with people all over the world in projects concerning toxic substances and pathogens connected to water.
(2010-11-26)
Even better cultivars of Salix
Plant breeding has increased the yield of willow trees (Salix) on bioenergy plantations by 60 per cent over the last twenty years. Demand is likely to increase substantially both in Sweden and the rest of Europe.
(2010-09-23)
Farmland birds still declining
Many Swedish farmland birds are becoming increasingly rare. The curlew ( Numenius aquata ) has been particularly hard hit and is now very rare in southern Sweden. The reason for bird declines is that landscapes have become more regionally uniform with more monoculture – cereals are mostly grown on the plains; farmland in forest areas is mostly used for ley grass or fallows. Several species have declined...
(2010-09-06)
Mixtures of substances disrupt hormone production
Hormone disrupting substances are present in the food we eat, in medicines, in pesticides and in pollutants. They may impair our reproductive capacity, our health, and our early development in the womb. Since we are exposed to a mixture of substances, it is difficult to determine their combined effect.
(2010-09-03)
Amino acids – a significant source of nitrogen
Plants absorb not only nitrate and ammonium. Amino acids, i.e. the small units that build proteins, may be an additional source of nitrogen. One source of amino acids is decaying organic matter in soil.
(2010-06-30)
Timber assessed using image analysis
Sawmill scalers can now use cameras and computer image analysis to count the annual rings in timber. This enables inspectors to spend their time assessing other quality criteria, such as size, crookedness and damage – saving sawmills money in the process.
(2010-06-18)
Emissions trading around Baltic basins
Toxic algal blooms, dead sea bottoms and declining fish stocks have become a daily reality for people living along the shores of the Baltic Sea. Agreements reached thirty years ago to reduce emissions of nutrients, particularly those of phosphorus and nitrogen, have not yielded the desired results.
(2010-05-07)
Russian larch gaining ground?
Larch has a high proportion of heartwood, which makes it an attractive alternative to pressure impregnated timber in various outdoor environments, such as playgrounds, jetties, verandas and facade panelling.
(2010-05-06)
Rodents shun mink treated beech nuts
It is expensive to plant oak and beech on clear-cut areas. For this reason, may forest owners still choose to plant spruce or pine. Another, cheaper way of regenerating broad leaf deciduous forest is by direct seeding.
(2010-04-09)
Thinned forest maintains the carbon sink
Forest management has a major impact on the carbon balance. SLU researchers are using modern technology to monitor flows of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere above forests of various kinds.
(2010-02-18)
Fewer species with rising crop yields
While crop yields from European agriculture have doubled, biodiversity has declined. Half of all plant species and one-third of ground beetles and birds have disappeared from the agricultural landscape.
(2010-02-08)
Plants used to filter leachate
Phosphorus and organic substances leach from piles of watered timber and may cause eutrophication and oxygen deficiency in lakes, rivers and streams. Åsa Hedmark at SLU has been studying the efficiency of soil infiltration in order to reduce concentrations of phosphorus and organic carbon in timber leachate.
(2009-11-24)
Land quest bad for African women
Increasing demand for food and fuel places considerable stress on land and water, especially for poor women in Africa.
(2009-10-22)
Social life promoted in urban oases
A new phenomenon, known as the community garden concept, may serve as a breeding ground for ecological awareness, creativity and social life in the urban environment.
(2009-10-01)
Urban cows and wind mills arouse strong feelings
Farm animals grazing in the park and new wind farms change the landscape and sometimes spark conflicts. Dr Ingrid Sarlöv Herlin, landscape researcher at SLU in Alnarp, is examining ways of reconciling stakeholder interests.
(2009-09-15)
Grass can heat houses in the north
The perennial plant reed canary grass is an alternative energy crop in northern Sweden, where Salix struggles to survive in winter.
(2009-06-20)
Invasive species costly to control
Rugosa rose, HIV, the rat and Iberian slug – over the years many alien species have been introduced in Sweden, deliberately or inadvertently. These “invasive” species have caused varying degrees of devastation in water, on land and among man and animals.
(2009-05-25)
Better walking in farming regions
City dwellers need to get out into the countryside, even in flat country, where it is otherwise difficult to avoid asphalted highways.
(2009-04-24)
Capturing images of wood fibres
It used to be difficult to image the fibre structure of paper and card. Wood fibres reflect light so well that it is impossible to study the internal structure of paper using a normal microscope.
(2009-04-24)
Better consultation on reindeer grazing
Wherever there are natural resources and a number of interested parties, conflicts arise. One such example is found in Sweden’s boreal forest region, used by reindeer owners and forest owners in parallel, although their aims diverge.
(2009-03-25)
An intact landscape for animals
The road network creates barriers in the green infrastructure for animals. The more fragmented the landscape, the more difficult it is for populations to survive.
(2008-11-25)
Bio-surfactants rescue tomato roots
Greenhouse tomatoes are often grown in closed recirculation (hydroponic) systems to minimise the leakage of nutrients to watercourses and the sea, and to economise on fertilisers.
(2008-11-24)
Right genotype of hens for organic eggs
Hen feathers contain sulphurous amino acids, mainly cystine. Cystine deficiency can be prevented by using a feed additive consisting of synthetic methionine, which is converted into cystine. However, this method is not open to organic egg farmers.
(2008-10-27)
Efficient production of bioethanol from cellulose
Plant biomass is the largest renewable source of organic raw materials on earth. But novel biofuel manufacturing techniques must be developed if we are to benefit from this enormous green resource.
(2008-05-12)
Tax favours “clean” technology
The current technology used for heating and vehicle engines etc makes it very difficult to achieve sizeable reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.
(2008-04-04)
Leptospira thrives in a humid climate
The disease leptospirosis is caused by the Leptospira bacterium, which is capable of infecting numerous kinds of animal, including dogs, horses, cattle, pigs and rodents.
(2008-04-02)
Monitoring methane from cows
Methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas formed when cows and other ruminants digest their food. 95 per cent of the gas is released when the cow belches; the rest is emitted anally.
(2008-03-10)
Browner water with less acidification
As sulphur deposition decreases, our lakes and watercourses are becoming ever browner, an effect caused by humus from surrounding land.
(2007-12-10)
Breeding for healthier dogs
Breeding programmes in which dogs are DNA tested for certain disorders makes it possible to produce healthier breeds of dog. Geneticists at SLU have succeeded in identifying exactly which mutation causes disorders linked to white spotting and reverse hair pattern along the spine.
(2007-11-06)
Sesamine improves farmed fish
Farmed rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and salmon ( Salmo salar ) grow just as well when fed with food whose fat content comprises 75 per cent rape oil and only 25 per cent fish oil. Levels of the healthy marine omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA decrease in these fish, however. SLU researchers have now tested various bioactive substances from the plant kingdom and their ability to influence fish...
(2007-11-06)
Lack of nitrate in blooming lakes
Massive algal blooms occur in eutrophic lakes and the Baltic Sea during warm summers. The algae are often cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.
(2007-09-25)
Plant defences resemble those of animals
New knowledge about immune systems may ultimately increase our chances of curing plant and animal diseases. SLU geneticists have collated knowledge on development of the defence in plants and animals.
(2007-09-25)
Plant cultivars fend off aphids
Plants engage in chemical warfare. When different species are grown together, they defend themselves against each other.
(2007-05-04)
Wood preservation using linseed oil
Refined linseed oil can be used for industrial pressure impregnation of spruce without causing any adverse environmental impacts. The process entails filling the pores in the wood with water-repelling oil. It was not formerly possible to impregnate spruce, but SLU researchers have now shown that the technique also works on this type of wood.
(2006-11-16)
Late grazing good for flora
Species diversity in dry or mesic, nutrient poor grasslands in the pastoral landscape would increase if grazing animals were let out to pasture later in the season.
(2006-07-14)
Children need secret places
It is important that cities have areas where children are able to create their own places, where it does not matter if it looks a little untidy.
(2006-06-16)
Healthy fat from grazing heifers
We consume too much omega-6 fatty acids in relation to omega-3. In the modern diet the ratio between omega-6 och omega-3 is 10 – 20:1, although it would be better if the balance was 1 – 4:1 instead.
(2006-05-01)