Press releases

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Maria Knutson Wedel new vice-chancellor Today, the government approved the appointment of Maria Knutson Wedel as SLU's new vice-chancellor. 07 June 2019
Welcome to attend Thesis Day on 29 May Learn more about SLU's different subjects and meet our students in the end of their studies. At Thesis Day the students show their degree projects at poster exhibitions and mini seminars. The entire SLU get the opportunity to honor and celebrate their academic achievements. 23 May 2019
New professors’ lectures in Umeå Thirteen new professors are to be installed at SLU this year. On Friday 24 May three of them will hold their inauguration lectures at SLU’s Umeå Campus. The lectures cover topics such as ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems, expertise and tools that can promote sustainable forest management, and new technological innovations in forestry. The lectures are also webcast. 20 May 2019
New positive data - Mussel farming in the Baltic Sea as an environmental measure New results show that mussel farms in the Baltic Sea can make a significant contribution to reducing eutrophication while supporting the circular economy and circular food production. Earlier recommendations on mussel farming in the Baltic Sea need to be replaced with new recommendations according to the authors of a new policy brief. 09 May 2019
New professors’ lectures in Alnarp Thirteen new professors are to be installed at SLU this year. On Friday 10 May five of them will hold their inauguration lectures at SLU’s Alnarp Campus. The lectures cover topics such as how abandoned industrial areas can be transformed into public places, the use of beneficial organisms in plant protection, management of urban open spaces, and the use of organic amendments containing natural biostimulants. The lectures are also webcast. 08 May 2019
New collaboration on genetic engineering in African plant breeding Can genetic engineering contribute to more efficient plant breeding in Africa? That is what researchers believe in an SLU-led project that strives for cassava varieties with better nutritional value and potato varieties with better resistance to diseases. 16 April 2019
New report: SLU research has high international standard SLU research has high international, scientific standard and was in many cases deemed world-leading. Several research groups received the highest marks when it came to communicating research findings and creating societal change. All of this and more can be found in the Quality and Impact 2018 evaluation, which has now been published. 26 March 2019
Vision loss in both Labradors and humans caused by the “Stargardt gene” Both dogs and humans suffer from inherited eye disease leading to vision impairment and blindness. In children and young adults, Stargardt disease is one of the most common forms of inherited retinal degenerative diseases. An international team led by researchers from SLU (The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) has now for the first time identified a mutation in the ABCA4 gene resulting in a similar disease in Labrador retriever dogs. The findings, published in PLOS Genetics, will b... 20 March 2019
SPPS awards three researchers at UPSC The council of the Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society (SPPS) has selected the winners of the SPPS Prizes 2019. Three of the seven awardees are affiliated with the Umeå Plant Science Centre. 18 March 2019
The Centre's 2018 annual- Forest Alnarp A productive year 2018, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Alnarp 14 March 2019
Warmer and browner waters decrease production of fish in lakes Warming and browning are ongoing processes coupled to climate change, with potentially severe consequences for lake ecosystems. In a new study, SLU researchers now show how the combination of warming and browning of lakes affects fish production. 14 March 2019
New professors’ lectures in Uppsala Thirteen new professors are to be installed at SLU this year. On Friday 22 March five of them will hold their inauguration lectures in “Loftet” at SLU’s Uppsala Campus. The lectures cover topics such as fish genetics, microorganisms that injure plants, agricultural, environmental and natural resources economics as well as rural development and gender issues. The lectures are also webcast. 12 March 2019
SLU at Top Three in international ranking SLU is ranked as the third best university in the world in the world in the fields of Agriculture & Forestry by the QS organization, which now releases the list for 2019. 27 February 2019
SLU Researcher help rebuild Puerto Rican forests after Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria striking Puerto Rico in 2017 was one of the heaviest storms ever affecting the Caribbean island. Almost 3000 people lost their life and the hurricane caused more than $90 billion in damages. 25 February 2019
Ten reasons for preserving grasslands It is well known that natural and semi-natural grasslands are important for biodiversity. But such grasslands also provide us with many other benefits. SLU (The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Stockholm and Lund Universities have led an international research group that has assessed ecosystem services from grasslands, using Northern Europe and Southern Africa as case studies. Grasslands are important for the climate, for agriculture, for water in the landscape, and have large... 20 February 2019
DNA-methods reveal the web of life Modern DNA-based methods provide entirely new insight into the interaction between different species in nature. Researchers can finally reveal the details of who is eating whom, who pollinates what flower and who lives on whose skin or feathers. A special issue of the scientific top journal Molecular Ecology now provides an overview of the state of the art in this field. 11 February 2019
New pathogen particularly aggressive on thirsty, fast growing pines The pine pathogen Diplodia sapinea earned infamy overnight in 2016, when it was first exposed as the causal agent of a larger disease outbreak in a Swedish pine forest. In a new study, researchers from SLU and several other European universities show that in particular fast growing, thirsty pines in drought-stressed stands suffer from attacks. The damage may however be mitigated if discovered in time. 06 February 2019
Insect pest on conifers in North America is moving north The spruce budworm, the main defoliator of conifer trees in Eastern North American boreal forests, is spreading northwards, and climatic factors seem to trigger and synchronize major outbreaks. These results are revealed in a recent reconstruction of the outbreak history of this species in Quebec during the last century, based on a dendroecological approach, i.e. analyses of the growth rings of trees. 01 February 2019
Birds use plant odours to find insects to eat Farmland birds do not only use their sight to find food but also use their sense of smell, according to a new study from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU. This novel research showed that birds use odours emitted by plants that are under attack from insects, when deciding where to forage. This finding has implications not only for the study of avian ecology, but also has practical applications because birds in agricultural systems eat both insect pests and their natural... 28 January 2019
Decreasing snow cover causes increasing methane production in frozen lakes New, unexpected consequences of climate change keep presenting themselves. A new study from SLU and Uppsala University shows that a decreased snow cover on frozen lakes in boreal forests may inhibit the activity of methane degrading bacteria beneath the ice, thereby causing an increased net production of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. 23 January 2019
Mixed forests deliver more – but only if mixed correctly! Mixed forests can deliver higher tree production, more biodiversity, more berries and game, as well as higher recreational values. But which tree species should be mixed? By analyzing data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory, researchers at Umeå University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Gothenburg University are now able to give more specific advice. Their results show clearly that it is important to mix the right tree species. In boreal forests, spruce-birch... 22 January 2019
Crowded maize plants activate their defence, and emit odours that make plants further away do the same The volatile emissions of a plant change in response to physical contacts with neighbouring plants, and these volatiles can then be perceived by plants further away. Now, researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have shown that untouched maize plants respond in the same way as neighbouring maize that have been touched. The induced changes in volatile-exposed plants make them less attractive to aphids. In the future, this discovery could be used to trigger the defence of... 18 January 2019
Let's prepare now so farming insects as food is environmentally friendly, say scientists As whole-roasted crickets gain traction as a protein-rich snack and restaurants experiment with mealworms on the menu, there's still "an overwhelming lack of knowledge" concerning the ecological sustainability of the emerging, multi-million-dollar insects-as-food industry, say researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In an opinion article published January 14 in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, they explore unanswered questions around insect rearing, safety, a... 15 January 2019
SLU receives major grants for forest research The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation invests SEK 100 million over a ten-year period for research within forest production and forest management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and SEK 180 million for research on tree genes, forest biotechnology and forest genetics at SLU, Umeå University, Uppsala University and Science For Life Laboratory. 14 January 2019
Is culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place the values most vulnerable to climate change? A few years ago, a paper in the journal Nature Climate Change1 suggested the possibility that culture, identity, community cohesion and sense of place are the values most vulnerable in a changing climate. 14 January 2019
Professor in forest planning The Department of Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre has a vacancy for a Professor in Forest planning. 12 December 2018
Jäst gör fiskfoderolja av halm Den olja, t.ex. palm- eller sojaolja, som används i foder till röding kan bytas ut mot “fet jäst” som odlats i ett halmbaserat substrat. Jästoljan har en liknande sammansättning och görs på en råvara som människan inte kan äta själv – och fisken växer lika bra. Det visar en ny studie från SLU. 12 December 2018
Elin Olofsson – this year’s SLU Alumnus of the Year for her appeal against sexism and sexual harassment within forestry Elin Olofsson created the hashtag #slutavverkat on Instagram – the forestry industry’s appeal against sexism and sexual harassment related to the global #MeToo movement. Olofsson will receive this year’s Alumnus of the Year award because she has contributed to increased work with gender equality within the forest sector and SLU. 04 December 2018
Widespread antibiotic resistance in urban neighborhoods in Cambodia The unregulated and often unnecessary use of antibiotics to food-producing animals in many low and middle income countries contributes to an increased incidence of antibiotic resistance. Gunilla Ström Hallenberg from SLU shows this in a dissertation where field work has been done at pig breeders in and around Phnom Penh in Cambodia. 28 November 2018
Perch genome sequenced for a first time A team of Swedish, Finnish and Estonian scientists have completed the world-first full sequencing of the perch (Perca fluviatilis) genome, which is three times smaller than the human genome (around one billion nucleotides) but still contains over 23,000 genes. The findings will enable researchers around the world to better understand the effects of natural selection on the genome of perch. 07 November 2018

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