How can we find more robust genotypes? In a changing climate we need to adapt our crops. Our NKJ research network NordCrop is working to do this!
Field crops are under pressure due to climate change. Knowledge of crop response to single abiotic stress is often available, but NordCrop will focus on the poorly understood effects of multiple stresses to develop more resilient field crops. Global climate change means that our crops are increasingly exposed to drought or waterlogging, heat and elevated CO2.
The network, funded by NKJ, will investigate how we can exploit new genomic and phenotyping technologies to identify more robust genotypes in key Nordic field crops (wheat, oat, potato and fodder grasses). A virtual meeting is coming up, 14-15 April 2021: “Phenotyping for abiotic climate stresses and yield” (day 1) and “Phenotyping for stresses ” (day 2). Welcome to participate!
Day 1 April 14:12.30-16.30 Phenotyping for abiotic climate stresses and yield 12.30 Welcome (Carl-Otto Ottosen, Aarhus University (AU)) 12.40 Keynote Rod Snowdon: Genetics and physiology of yield potential (Justus Liebig University) 13.10 Priming for heat tolerance in wheat (Thayna Mendanha, AU) 13.30 Image-based detection of fungal pathogen infections in Arabidopsis and application of the method on oat spikelets (Kristiina Himanen, University of Helsinki) 13.50 The genetic and physiological basis of yield progress in Norwegians spring wheat (Tomasz Mróz, Norvegian University of Life Science (NMBU)) 14.10 Magic populations in phenotyping (John Doonan, Aberysthwyth University, (AberU)) 14.30 Grain yield prediction based on multitemporal multispectral UAV imaging (Sahameh Shafiee, NMBU) 14.50 3D modelling of ear emergence (Mori Boozandani, AberU) 15.10 Break 15.30 Student presentations (5 min each) 16.00 General discussion (to be planned)
Day 2 April 15:12.30-16.30 Phenotyping for stresses 12.30 Keynote Olivier Van Aken: Wounding response och and stress tolerance (Lund University) 13.00 Wheat and drought (Anders Carlsson, Swedish Agricultural University (SLU) 13.20 Sorghum (Mulatu Geleta, SLU) 13.40 Modulated chlorophyll fluorescence as sceening tool (Eva Rosenqvist, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) 14.00 Guard cells in action (Hannes Kollist, University of Tartu) 14.20 Physiological responses of tomato to drought, elevated CO2 and VPD (Shenglan Li, UCPH) 14.40 Multiple stresses and melationin (Rong Zhou, AU) 15.00 Break 15.20 Wheat and heat (Aakash Chawade, SLU) 15.40 Detecting potato diseases in the field (Rick van de Zedde, Wageningen University and Research, NL) 16.00 Wrap up and general discussion
We need to redefine who the typical worker is in the bioeconomy. The sector needs female mentoring programs and networks for women to become more gender equal.
Download the report further down
The report “Redefining digital bioeconomy” shows the need to work with the interface between gender equality, bioeconomy and digitalisation. Digitalisation and automation of heavy jobs could have been one way to achieve a more gender-equal bioeconomy. But that has not been the case. Instead, the two already heavily male-dominated sectors have continued to be as male-dominated when they are joined in a digitalised bioeconomy.
Not only for women
We want to change that! The bioeconomy plays a crucial role in mitigating and managing climate change. To overcome the challenges we face, we must have access and make use of the competence and experiences of the entire population, not just men. And there shouldn’t be any parts in society that are closed to certain groups.
There is almost no literature investigating gender equality in a digitalised bioeconomy. With our report “Redefining digital bioeconomy”, we want to fill the gap.
Ways forward
The report highlights that the ongoing shift in workforce skills needed both in the bioeconomy and technology sectors could be used to actively redefine the stereotypical worker in the sectors.
We also recognised the need for female leadership, mentors and networks. This is widely emphasised as key factor to attract more women to the sector.
We suggest five action points:
Increasing the number of female role models
Mentorship programs
Networks for young professionals and students
Further research in the intersection of digitalisation, bioeconomy and gender
Tools and methods to incorporate gender in bioeconomy-related education
The work will go on
We will now continue to work with norm-critical dialogue and discussions with the goal to produce a handbook for a gender-equal, digitalised bioeconomy. The target group for the manual is students – they are the future workforce in the bioeconomy and that’s where we must make a difference!
The Corona pandemic changes our lifes in many respects. Networking activities has had to be different. Not at all impossible, but different.
There is other ways to network than travelling and meeting physically. We can meet and accomplish a lot in digital ways. We can present research results, discuss and step forward. But we need some time to change and to learn.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project period for NKJ networks has previously been extended. To be able to achieve the aims of the networks and to report the activities on time, we strongly encourage our networks to arrange meetings online. We don’t want you to miss out on contacts, cooperation and new knowledge, so please take all chances there are to keep up the good work!
In the light of the travel restrictions, we suggest that networks use funding initially budgeted as travel costs, for arranging high quality online meetings, if needed. This means that networks could use funding intended for travel costs to e.g. involve consultants or facilitators to help design and arrange cutting edge digital meeting solutions.
Good luck, and please let us know about your experiences of digital meetings!
There were a huge interest in joining our seminar about the current state of knowledge on soil as a carbon sink. But we want to provide those who missed it, and those who wants to refresh the memory, the presentations from our speakers.
November 26th we met to have an overview of the state of Nordic knowledge on soil as a carbon sink. There are good conditions for Nordic cooperation due to the countries’ similar soil types, climate and policies.
But where are we at? Is there a common Nordic base in terms of knowledge? These were our speakers:
Prof emeritus Johan Bouma, board member in the European Commission’s mission in the area of Soil health and food: “Exploring the exciting potential of the Nordic countries to capture soil carbon following climate change”
Prof Katarina Hedlund, Lund University: “How to turn agriculture soils into carbon sinks”
Prof Raisa Makipää, LUKE: “Forest soils and their carbon sequestration potential”
We would like to invite you to the first seminar in the Nordic Seminar Series on Soil as a Carbon Sink.
Soil as a Carbon Sink
Seminar 1: The Current State of Knowledge
When: 26th of November, 10.00-12.00 CET To solve any technical problems, please log in to the seminar no later than 09.50
Where: Online via Zoom You will be provided with a link to the seminar on Monday 23rd of November
RSVP: 13th of November to
“Globally, soil contains about three times as much organic carbon as plants and twice as much as the atmosphere” [1]
Increasing carbon storage in soil is proposed to be one of the most cost-effective climate measures, a measure that also has a positive impact on aspects such as biodiversity and soil fertility. The topic has gained the decision-makers’ interest and sits high on the political agenda in the Nordics. However, using soil as a carbon sink is a complex matter. Knowledge is developing at a fast pace, but several questions remain to be answered. The topic is also associated with challenges both in terms of policy development and implementation of identified methods and solutions.
The Nordic countries’ similar soil types and climate, as well as related goal formulations in terms of climate policy, do create promising conditions for increased Nordic co-operation on carbon storage in soil.
Agenda
Welcome and introduction
Exploring the exciting potential of the Nordic countries to capture soil carbon following climate change – Prof emeritus Johan Bouma, board member in the European Commission’s mission in the area of Soil health and food
How to turn agriculture soils into carbon sinks – Prof Katarina Hedlund, Lund University
Forest soils and their carbon sequestration potential – Prof. Raisa Makipää, LUKE
Dialogue with key note speakers
Closing remarks
Furthermore, please feel free to invite additional contacts you may have that would be interested in attending the seminar.
We need energy, for heating, for transports and for a lot of things in our everyday life. We need a lot of energy, and we need the energy system to be sustainable.
There is a potential for sustainable use of biomass in our Nordic countries. But there are also a lot of different and conflicting goals involved and we need to find ways through that.
The best way is to cooperate – and in the end we can possibly even export our knowledge and technology to the rest of the world.
NKJ has been part in the process to mapping this important matter, and you can read all about it in the report “Sustainable use of biomass for heating and transport fuel”. The work has been supervised by a steering group composed of Nordic Energy Research, Nordic Forest Research (SNS) and Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ).
The Nordic genes are secured for the future! One of our networks has been working on updating a platform for hosting the information about the 33 000 seed samples conserved in Alnarp, Sweden.
Information about the network – Evalution of genebank material
NordGen is the Nordic countries’ genebank and knowledge center for genetic resources. In Alnarp, there are 33 000 seed samples conserved detrimental for adapting our agriculture to present and future challenges.
Now, the platform hosting the information about all of these seeds is updated. From the 3rd of July, Nordic Baltic Genebanks Information System (GENBIS) replaces the previous system SESTO. GENBIS will be hosted by NordGen but also used by the national genebanks in all the Nordic and Baltic countries.
The heart of the genebank
The system containing the information about all the germplasms is the heart of every gene bank. It contains data about the seed samples and plants, their collection sites, characteristics and amount of seeds, to name a few.
– Without the information in the database, we wouldn’t be able to keep the plant collection alive or conduct research with it. To have a user-friendly, reliable and up-to-date information system is thereby vital to make use of the Nordic seed collection to secure our agriculture for the future”, says Lise Lykke Steffensen, executive director at NordGen.
Hard to find staff
The previous information system, SESTO, was developed in 2002 and has since then been used by genebanks in the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as genebanks in different countries in the south of Africa. But the code it was written in has become obsolete and it is difficult to find personnel confident in working with it. That’s why it was decided, after a thorough examination, that all the information would be transferred to the international platform GRIN-Global, well-known in the genebank community. SESTO’s successor has been given the name Nordic Baltic Genebanks Information System (GENBIS).
– GENBIS is a continuation on the close collaboration the Nordic and Baltic countries have had for a long time in the area of plant genetic resources. This new information system will lead to an improvement of the services we can offer, both internally and externally, when it comes to information about the genetic resources we need for developing agricultural solutions for the future”, says Külli Annamaa, head of the Estonian Genebank.
Open system
GENBIS will be used internally for genebank work, but also as an open information system available for researchers, plant breeders and other stakeholders who want to browse and order material stored in the genebanks. GENBIS can be visited at www.nordic-baltic-genebanks.org. Here, you can also find user manuals.
For more information, please contact:
Lise Lykke Steffesen, executive manager, NordGen
+46 738-171 215
Külli Annamaa, head of the genebank, Estonian Crop Institute
+372 776837
NKJ will contribute to further Nordic cooperation through the new research networks that was granted funding at the board meeting in June. We hope your cooperation will be really fruitful, and NKJ would like to take part in it in different ways.
We received many applications for the call for networks in agriculture and climate. Here is the list of those who were granted funding:
In the call in plant health and alternative protein sources, we received fewer applications. We believe that part of the explanation may be that the Corona pandemic had reached the Nordic region when the call was opened – it is meetings between people that we want to achieve! But it doesn’t have to be physical meetings, so we hope you will be able to conduct all the activities planned for.
These networks have applied for and received funding from us:
Nordic Apple Network: Towards decreasing postharvest losses in apple by knowledge exchange and capacity building, Larisa Gustavsson, SLU
Nordic Grain– Sustainable disease management in cereals in the Nordic region, Thies Marten Heick, Århus university
Bridge builders – Building sustainable nutritional bridges between research and health and wellbeing services for elderly, Teija Rautiainen, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences
According to a study from Stanford University in 2017, 39% of all couples found their partners on the internet, and only 20% “through friends”. What works for people who search for love should also work for those looking for a research collaborator. And in an ongoing pandemic, the internet is more or less the only way of finding that partner. It was therefore natural for SNS and NKJ to make the 2020 Matchmaking Day digital.
Text and photo: Mats Hannerz, Silvinformation
Malin von Essen was facilitating our first matchmaking day online. It all ended really well and was promising for future online events.
Matchmaking Day is a forum where SNS (Nordic Forest Research) and NKJ (Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research) invite researchers and stakeholders from a broad spectrum of disciplines to identify possible partners and ideas for cooperation. The forum, which has been held almost annually since 2015, was switched this year to a digital platform instead of the usual mingling in person.
Focus on reindeer husbandry
The theme of the Matchmaking Day on August 25 was Reindeer husbandry in the arctic bioeconomy. The original intention was to gather potential delegates at a meeting in Inari, Finland in May 2020. But – the corona epidemic made it impossible.
– We talked a lot about a plan B, says SNS’ secretary Mimmi Blomquist, but we soon realised that the pandemic would continue for a long time, so simply postponing the physical meeting was not an option.
Instead, the meeting was held digitally, led by the facilitator Malin von Essen. Altogether 48 people were present for the full-day event.
Digital possibilities
The meeting was conducted using the Zoom platform, one of several online meeting tools. Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other services have seen an explosion in users since the pandemic forced people to work from home and avoid travelling. In just the first week from 11-18 March, Teams attracted 12 million new users, and Zoom use increased by 169% during the first months of the year.
– There are hundreds of thousands of people who are now learning how to use video conferencing services in an effective way. The changes we have been talking about for 20 years have now been implemented at record speed, says Malin von Essen.
A new reality
In her business, she moderates and organises meetings and workshops with the aim of inspiring people and taking the results back to their organisations. The meetings are normally physical, but in 2020 she had to rethink the situation.
– We carried out several digital workshops during the spring, and we have learnt a lot about the technique and how to use the potential of the services to engage participants, she says.
The Matchmaking Day was organised as a traditional meeting with lectures, but also with several shorter workshops in smaller groups. The digital platform Zoom facilitates flexible group meetings. In “break-out rooms”, participants with a common research interest could discuss cooperation in a group size allowing more intimate discussions, and the results could be presented later to the entire audience.
– Since we have chat functions and can also assemble suggestions using the menti.com tool, everyone can make their voice heard. And afterwards, other people can look at the recorded presentations and the results of the discussions, all being posted on the SNS’ website.
Content with the outcome
Mimmi Blomquist at SNS was impressed with how well the meeting worked out.
– Of course, we need to meet in person, but this is definitely an option that our research networks could use for many of their workshops. SNS and NKJ provide financial support to research networks with partners from all the Nordic countries, and also neighbouring countries. So, partners are often located thousands of kilometres apart, and we can save lots of travel costs and reduce climate impact by using these digital services, she says.
Advices for your coming digital meetings
It is easy to start a video conference, and most researchers and business people are already used to them, but to make the meetings effective, Malin von Essen has some advice:
Be clear about your aim and goal – why is the meeting needed and what output do you expect? Then start to think of the content.
Before the meeting is live, become familiar with all the functions in the digital platform. Conduct a test meeting with some friends.
Ensure that the meeting will function technically. Not all participants are equally comfortable, encourage them to test the technique in advance. Tell the participants to use a headset and web camera, and to avoid distracting surroundings or strong backlight.
Schedule breaks in the programme. It is better to have several short breaks than one long one.
Nordic funding opportunities in reindeer research:
The Nordic Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ) and Nordic Forest Research (SNS) is calling for networks that will strengthen co-operation in reindeer husbandry research in the Nordic region. The applicant must be a researcher or communicator at a research institution. The network must include researchers from at least three Nordic countries.
SNS is calling for networks exploring forests and forestry in relation to reindeer husbandry. The application deadline is September 21, 2020. Apply for SNS networks here!
NKJ prioritises networks focusing on reindeer husbandry in relation to climate change and land-use change, but networks that focus on other aspects of reindeer husbandry are also encouraged to apply. The application deadline is November 20, 2020. Apply NKJ networks here!
SEE THE PRESENTATIONS:
Morten Tryland, professor in veterinary medicine, infection biology at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø
After a period of clinical veterinary practice, he transitioned to research and has spent most of his research career investigating infectious diseases in arctic wildlife and semi-domesticated reindeer, in close cooperation with Fennoscandian research groups and reindeer herders.
Morten told us about reindeer health and supplementary feeding, which is a quite complex issue.
NKJ will contribute to further Nordic cooperation through the new research networks that was granted funding at the board meeting in June. We hope your cooperation will be really fruitful, and NKJ would like to take part in it in different ways.