May Bente Brurberg

• PhD / Dr. scient
• Professor at Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research

Metabarcoding targeting nematodes, bacteria, fungi and oomycetes was used in combination with multispectral drone imagery and traditional soil extraction of nematodes to diagnose poor growth in patches of a potato field in Norway. Areas of good and poor growth as identified by the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) based on aerial photog...

Bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae is an important disease on stone fruit trees. The development of infections after artificial inoculation of sweet cherry and plum trees in the nursery phase was examined. Furthermore, sweet cherry trees were observed in a nursery and for up to four years after planting in commercial sweet cherry orcha...

The phenylpropanoid pathway, regulated by transcription factors of the MYB family, produces secondary metabolites that play important roles in fertilization and early phase of fruit development. The MYB46 transcription factor is a key regulator of secondary cell wall structure, lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis in many plants, but little is known a...

Fusarium species complex and fumonisin on maize grains of Ethiopia

Secondary metabolites produced by the phenylpropanoid pathway, which is regulated by transcription factors of the MYB family, play crucial roles in this early phase of fruit development. The MYB46 transcription factor is a key regulator of secondary cell wall structure and lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis in many plants, but little is known about...

Phytophthora cactorum is a plant pathogenic oomycete that causes crown rot in strawberry leading to significant economic losses every year. To invade the host, P. cactorum secretes an arsenal of effectors that can manipulate host physiology and impair its defense system promoting infection. A transcriptome analysis was conducted on a susceptible wi...

Background Potato virus Y (PVY) is among the economically most damaging viral pathogen in production of potato (Solanum tuberosum) worldwide. The gene Rysto derived from the wild potato relative Solanum stoloniferum confers extreme resistance to PVY. Results The presence and diversity of Rysto were investigated in wild relatives of potato (298 gen...

Potato is an important part of the traditional Norwegian diet, and the crop faces several challenges with respect to pests and diseases, as well as the increasingly challenging changes in climate. Genome editing may provide tools to improve the resilience of Norwegian potato cultivars to new climate challenges. We have altered the skin colour of tw...

Background Potato virus Y (PVY) is among the economically most damaging viral pathogen in production of potato (Solanum tuberosum) worldwide. The gene Rysto derived from the wild potato relative Solanum stoloniferum confers extreme resistance to PVY. Results The presence of Rysto and diversity of it was investigated in wild relatives of potato (29...

Erwinia amylovora , the causative agent of fire blight of pome fruits and other rosaceous plants belongs to the group of regulated quarantine pests. The aim of this work was to characterize the populations of E. amylovora in Norway and their geographical distribution. A total of 238 E. amylovora isolates recovered from symptomatic host plants in No...

Gray mold, caused by Botrytis spp., is a serious problem in Norway spruce seedling production in forest nurseries. From 2013 to 2019, 125 isolates of Botrytis were obtained from eight forest nurseries in Norway: 53 from Norway spruce seedlings, 16 from indoor air, 52 from indoor surfaces, and four from weeds growing close to seedlings. The majority...

Potato is an important part of the traditional Norwegian diet, and the crop faces several challenges with respect to pests and diseases, as well as the increasingly challenging changes in climate. Genome editing may provide tools to improve the resilience of Norwegian potato cultivars to new climate challenges. We have altered the skin colour of tw...

Non-native pests, climate change, and their interactions are likely to alter relationships between trees and tree-associated organisms with consequences for forest health. To understand and predict such changes, factors structuring tree-associated communities need to be determined. Here, we analysed the data consisting of records of insects and fun...

Phytophthora cactorum has two distinct pathotypes that cause crown rot and leather rot in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa). Strains of the crown rot pathotype can infect both the rhizome (crown) and fruit tissues, while strains of the leather rot pathotype can only infect the fruits of strawberry. The genome of a highly virulent crown rot strain, a...

Crown rot, caused by Phytophthora cactorum, is a devastating disease of strawberry. While most commercial octoploid strawberry cultivars (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) are generally susceptible, the diploid species Fragaria vesca is a potential source of resistance genes to P. cactorum. We previously reported several F. vesca genotypes with varying deg...

Non-native pests, climate change, and their interactions are likely to alter relationships between trees and tree-associated organisms with consequences for forest health. To understand and predict such changes, factors structuring tree-associated communities need to be determined. Here, we analysed the data consisting of records of insects and fun...

Fusarium verticillioides is the most common fungal pathogen of maize in Ethiopia. Many strains of this pathogen produce fumonisin myotoxins that are harmful to human and animal health. This study was conducted to determine the fumonisin-producing ability of isolates of F. verticillioides isolated from maize kernels collected from different maize-gr...

Grey mold caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea can affect leaves, flowers, and berries of strawberry, causing severe pre- and postharvest damage. The defense elicitor β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) is reported to induce resistance against B. cinerea and many other pathogens in several crop plants. Surprisingly, BABA soil drench o...

Control of grey mould, caused by Botrytis spp., is a major challenge in open field strawberry production. Botrytis was isolated from plant parts collected from 19 perennial strawberry fields with suspected fungicide resistance in the Agder region of Norway in 2016. Resistance to boscalid, pyraclostrobin, and fenhexamid was high and found in 89.1, 8...

International trade in plants and climate change are two of the main factors causing damaging tree pests (i.e. fungi and insects) to spread into new areas. To mitigate these risks, a large-scale assessment of tree-associated fungi and insects is needed. We present records of endophytic fungi and insects in twigs of 17 angiosperm and gymnosperm gene...

International trade in plants and climate change are two of the main factors causing damaging tree pests (i.e. fungi and insects) to spread into new areas. To mitigate these risks, a large-scale assessment of tree-associated fungi and insects is needed. We present records of endophytic fungi and insects in twigs of 17 angiosperm and gymnosperm gene...

Bacteria isolated from onion bulbs suffering from bacterial decay in the United States and Norway were previously shown to belong to the genus Rahnella based on partial housekeeping gene sequences and/or fatty acid analysis. However, many strains could not be assigned to any existing Rahnella species. Additionally, strains isolated from creek water...

Oomycetes are spore-forming eukaryotic microbes responsible for infections in animal and plant species worldwide, posing a threat to natural ecosystems, biodiversity and food security. Genomics and transcriptomics approaches, together with host interaction studies, give promising results towards better understanding of the infection mechanisms in o...

Dollar spot, caused by at least five Clarireedia species (formerly Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F. T. Benn.), is one of the economically most important turfgrass diseases worldwide. The disease was detected for the first time in Scandinavia in 2013. There is no available information from Scandinavian variety trials on resistance to dollar spot in turfgr...

Plants with roots and soil clumps transported over long distances in plant trading can harbor plant pathogenic oomycetes, facilitating disease outbreaks that threaten ecosystems, biodiversity, and food security. Tools to detect the presence of such oomycetes with a sufficiently high throughput and broad scope are currently not part of international...

The soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) infect a wide range of plants worldwide and cause economic damage to crops and ornamentals but can also colonize other plants as part of their natural life cycle. They are found in a variety of environmental niches, including water, soil and insects, where they may spread to susceptible plants and cause disease....

Soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) are ubiquitous on earth as there are records of findings from all continents where host plants are grown. This chapter describes information on soft rot diseases on these continents. For some countries, detailed information is provided by local experts on the SRP present, their economic damage, and the management st...

The increasing use of seaweeds in European cuisine led to cultivation initiatives funded by the European Union. Ulva lactuca, commonly known as sea lettuce, is a fast growing seaweed in the North Atlantic that chefs are bringing into the local cuisine. Here, different strains of Arctic U. lactuca were mass-cultivated under controlled conditions for...

Microdochium majus and Microdochium nivale cause serious disease problems in grasses and cereal crops in the temperate regions. Both fungi can infect the plants during winter (causing pink snow mould) as well as under cool humid conditions during spring and fall. We conducted a pathogenicity test of 15 M. nivale isolates and two M. majus isolates f...

Potato soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) cause large yield losses and are persistent in seed lots once established. In Norway, different Pectobacterium species are the predominant cause of soft rot and blackleg disease. This work aimed to evaluate the potential of real-time PCR for quantification of SRP in seed tubers, as well as investigating the s...

Strawberry powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis Wallr.) is a pathogen which infects the leaves, fruit, stolon and flowers of the cultivated strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa), causing major yield losses, primarily through unmarketable fruit. The primary commercial control of the disease is the application of fungicidal sprays. However, as the use of ke...

1. Summary Strawberry is a high-value crop that suffers huge losses from diseases such as grey mould caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea . Pesticides are heavily used to protect the strawberry crop, which raises environmental and human health concerns and promotes the evolution of pesticide resistant strains. Upregulating o...

Fusarium is one of the most diverse fungal genera affecting several crops around the world. This study describes the phylogeny of Fusarium species associated with grains of sorghum and finger millet from different parts of Ethiopia. Forty-two sorghum and 34 finger millet grain samples were mycologically analysed. All of the sorghum and more than 40...

Aims Bacterial decays of onion bulbs have serious economic consequences for growers, but the etiologies of these diseases are often unclear. We aimed to determine the role of Rahnella, which we commonly isolated from bulbs in the USA and Norway, in onion disease. Method and Results Isolated bacteria were identified by sequencing of housekeeping ge...

Phytophthora cryptogea, P. gonapodyides, P. lacustris, P. megasperma, P. plurivora, P. taxon paludosa and an unknown Phytophthora species were isolated from waterways and soil samples in Christmas tree fields in southern Sweden. In addition, P. megasperma was isolated from a diseased Norway spruce (Picea abies) plant from one of the fields in Svalö...

The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora cactorum causes crown rot, a major disease of cultivated strawberry. We report the draft genome of P. cactorum isolate 10300, isolated from symptomatic Fragaria x ananassa tissue. Our analysis revealed that there are a large number of genes encoding putative secreted effectors in the genome, including nearly 200 R...

Alignment of proteins from the 16 orthogroups representing necrosis inducing proteins (NLP). Conservation of cytosine sites at alignment positions 624 and 661 identifies these proteins as Type1 NLPs. (FASTA)

Hmm models used for identification of Crinklers in Phytophthora spp. proteins. Hmm model for the Crinkler DWL domain. (HMM)

Functional annotation of P. cactorum predicted proteins. Data contains information on location, sequence, secretion status, identification as an RxLR, crinkler or CAZyme, orthology information (including orthogroup, number of proteins present in the orthogroup by species and orthogroup contained proteins), blast homology information (PHIbase, Swiss...

P. cactorum 10300 genes with homology to known Phytophthora effector gene candidates. The orthogroup is shown for the query gene, with numbers of genes in each orthogroup shown for P. cactorum (Pcac), P. parasitica (Ppar), P. infestans (Pinf), P. capsici (Pcap) and P. sojae (Psoj), as well as functional annotation of each gene. Results showing best...

Hmm models used for identification of Crinklers in Phytophthora spp. proteins. Hmm model for identification of the Crinkler LFLAK. (HMM)

Fasta sequences of predicted Crinkler proteins. Proteins sequences are included from P. cactorum (Pcac), P. parasitica (Ppar), P. infestans (Pinf), P. capsici (Pcap) and P. sojae (Psoj) genomes. (FASTA)

Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) is the most important disease of oilseed Brassica crops in Norway. Fungicide applications should be aligned with the actual need for control, but the SSR prediction models used lack accuracy. We have studied the importance of precipitation, and the role of petal and leaf infection for SSR incidence by using data from Norw...

Pathogenic soft rot Enterobacteriaceae (SRE) belonging to the genera Pectobacterium and Dickeya cause diseases in potato and numerous other crops. Seed potatoes are the most important source of infection, but how pathogen-free tubers initially become infected remains an enigma. Since the 1920s, insects have been hypothesized to contribute to SRE tr...

The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora cactorum causes crown rot, a major disease of cultivated strawberry. We report the draft genome of P. cactorum isolate 10300, isolated from symptomatic Fragaria x ananassa tissue. Our analysis revealed that there are a large number of genes encoding putative secreted effectors in the genome, including nearly 200 R...

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans, the cause of late blight, is one of the most important potato pathogens. During infection, it secretes effector proteins that manipulate host cell function, thus contributing to pathogenicity. In this study we examine sequence differentiation of two P. infestans effectors from 91 isolates collected in Poland and...

The natural occurrence of fungi, mycotoxins and fungal metabolites was investigated in 100 samples of maize grains collected from south and southwestern Ethiopia in 2015. The maize samples were contaminated by Fusarium, Aspergillus and Penicillium species. Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry 127 secondary metabolites were analysed....

Knowledge about the reproduction strategies of invasive species is fundamental for effective control. The invasive Fallopia taxa (Japanese knotweed s.l.) reproduce mainly clonally in Europe, and preventing spread of vegetative fragments is the most important control measure. However, high levels of genetic variation within the hybrid F. × bohemica...

The genus Pectobacterium, which belongs to the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae, contains numerous species that cause soft rot diseases in a wide range of plants. The species Pectobacterium carotovorum is highly heterogeneous, indicating a need for re-evaluation and a better classification of the species. PacBio was used for sequencing of two so...

Dollar spot is a destructive and widespread disease affecting most turfgrass species, but until recently it has been absent from the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe. In the fall of 2014, disease symptoms consistent with dollar spot were observed on a golf course fairway in Sweden. A fungus was isolated from symptomatic turf and identified...

Due to their sessile nature, plants have evolved a multitude of adaptive responses to overcome pathogens, abiotic stress and other environmental factors. At the molecular level, plants have diverse mechanisms to ward off pathogens, resist adverse conditions and even remember its pathogenic foes. Similar to the immunologic memory of mammals, where a...

Helminthosporium solani causes silver scurf, which affects the quality of potato. The biocontrol agent Clonostachys rosea greatly limited the severity of silver scurf symptoms and amount of H. solani genomic DNA in laboratory experiments. Transcriptomic analysis during interaction showed that H. solani gene expression was highly reduced when coinoc...

Potatoes are the most important food crop with respect to first hand value in Norway. Diseases are a major constrain in potato production, leading to a significant reduction in yield and quality. Contaminated seed tubers are the most important source of inoculum for many potato diseases. Particularly challenging is the fact that many of the importa...

Soft rot and blackleg of potato caused by pectinolytic bacteria lead to severe economic losses in potato production worldwide. To investigate the species composition of bacteria causing soft rot and black leg of potato in Norway and Poland, bacteria were isolated from potato tubers and stems. Forty-one Norwegian strains and 42 Polish strains that f...

The objective of this study was to find sources of resistance to Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin accumulation in maize germplasm. Totally 15 maize cultivars were evaluated by means of silk channel inoculation using a fumonisin producing F. verticillioides isolate in field trials during 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons. Fusarium ear rot severity was de...

The genus Microbacterium contains bacteria that are ubiquitously distributed in various environments and includes plant-associated bacteria that are able to colonize tissue of agricultural crop plants. Here, we report the 3,508,491bp complete genome sequence of Microbacterium sp. strain BH-3-3-3, isolated from conventionally grown lettuce (Lactuca...

Fig. 1. Subsystem category distribution of major protein coding genes of Curtobacterium sp. strain BH-2-1-1 as annotated by the RAST annotation server. The bar chart shows the subsystem coverage in percentage (blue bar corresponds to percentage of proteins included). The pie chart shows percentage distribution of the 25 most abundant subsystem cate...

Important losses in strawberry production are often caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cactorum, the causal agent of crown rot. However, very limited studies at molecular levels exist of the mechanisms related to strawberry resistance against this pathogen. To begin to rectify this situation, a PCR-based approach (NBS profiling) was used to isolat...

Lack of resistance to pink snow mould (Microdochium nivale) is a major constraint for adaptation of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) to continental regions with long-lasting snow cover at higher latitudes. Almost all investigations of genetic variation in resistance have been performed using cold acclimated plants. However, there may be varia...

Fusarium species causing maize kernel rot are major threats to maize production, due to reduction in yield as well as contamination of kernels by mycotoxins that poses a health risk to humans and animals. Two-hundred maize kernel samples, collected from 20 major maize growing areas in Ethiopia were analyzed for the identity, species composition and...

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was used to study the genetic variation among 80 F. verticillioides isolates from kernels of Ethiopian maize, collected from 20 different maize growing areas in four geographic regions. A total of 213 polymorphic fragments were obtained using six EcoRI/MseI primer combinations. Analysis of the data base...

The prevalence of Fusarium dry rot in potatoes produced in Norway was investigated in a survey for three consecutive years in the period 2010 to 2012. A total of 238 samples (comprising 23,800 tubers) were collected, representing different cultivars and production regions in Norway. Fusarium spp. were detected in 47% of the samples, with one to thr...

Delphinella shoot blight (Delphinella abietis) attacks true firs (Abies spp.) in Europe and North America. Especially subalpine fir (A. lasiocarpa), one of the main Christmas tree species in Norway, is prone to the disease. The fungus kills current year needles, and in severe cases entire shoots. Dead needles become covered with black fruiting bodi...

The woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) has become the model plant for the economically important, but genetically complex, octoploid F. × ananassa. Crown rot caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cactorum is a major problem for the strawberry industry and the identification and incorporation of efficient resistance genes into superior cultivars are...

A survey of nematodes associated with terrestrial slugs was conducted for the first time in Norway. A total of 611 terrestrial slugs were collected from 32 sample sites. Slugs were identified by means of morphological examination, dissection of genitalia and molecular analysis using mitochondrial DNA. Twelve slug species were identified, representi...

Common scab, caused by species from the bacterial genus Streptomyces, is an important disease of potato (Solanum tuberosum) crops worldwide. Early tuberization is a critical period for pathogen infection; hence, studies of host gene expression responses during this developmental stage can be important to expand our understanding of the infection pr...

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) is an allo-octoploid considered difficult to disentangle genetically due to its four relatively similar sub-genomic chromosome sets. This has been alleviated by the recent release of the strawberry IStraw90 whole genome genotyping array. However, array resolution relies on the genotypes used in t...

In 2011, Phytophthora cambivora was isolated for the first time from a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in the largest beech forest in Norway, in Larvik. This led to a survey of Phytophthora, both in Larvik and in a small beech stand in Ås. Both locations are in urban areas in south-eastern Norway. Trees with a circumference above 20 cm at chest he...

Pythium species are fungal-like organisms distributed all over the world. Most Pythium spp. live as saprophytes, but some of them are pathogenic. Here we report on disease incidence in Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings caused by Pythium undulatum, and pathogenicity in vitro of Norwegian isolates of P. undulatum and P. anandrum.

Decline of European beech (Fagus sylvatica)due to Phytophthora spp. has become an increasing problem in Europe, including Norway, the northernmost distribution of this beech species in the world. Observations of the invasive slug Arion vulgaris in a Phytophthorainfested beech forest in southeastern Norway, led to investigation of A. vulgaris as a p...

In September 2013, symptoms similar to dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F.T. Benn., were observed on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) fairways at Losby Golf Course, Lørenskog, Akershus County, in Norway (59.8864′ N, 10.9862′ E). There were small, circular spots and larger irregular patches of sunken, bleached, straw-colored...

The phyllosphere is colonized by a wide variety of bacteria and fungi: it harbors epiphytes, as well as plant pathogenic bacteria and even human pathogens. However, little is known about how the bacterial community composition on leafy greens develops over time. The bacterial community of leafy green phyllosphere obtained from two plantings of rock...

Daylily leaf streak has previously been reported from Japan, United States, and China. If the disease becomes widespread in Norway, it may severely reduce the ornamental value and thus the use of daylilies in gardens and landscape plantings. Accepted by publication 13 February 2015. Published 4 March 2015.

In 2012, conspicuous dark, bleeding cankers were observed on trunks of dying trees in natural stands of grey alder (Alnus incana) along the shore of lake Årungen in Akershus county in Norway. Phytophthora alni, which has been killing alder in Europe during the past two decades, was suspected to cause the disease. Work was initiated to identify the...

Fusarium dry rot caused by several species of Fusarium, is one of the most important postharvest diseases in potato. We are studying the importance of this disease in the project " Improved quality of Norwegian fruits, potatoes and vegetables after long and short-term storage " , www.bioforsk.no/postharvest.

Streptomyces scabies causes yield losses in potato by inducing common scab (CS) symptoms on tubers. Little information is available on global gene expression responses in CS‐causing streptomycetes upon interaction with host plants. In this study, expression of 8746 genes was analysed in the type strain of S. scabies (ATCC49173) using a custom‐desig...