Lyckeby Starch AB is a farmer-owned company that produces products based on potato starch. In order to increase their production efficiency and their international competitiveness the company is investigating the possibilities of keeping their factories open longer. To achieve this, potato has to be stored for a longer period of time than what is practiced today. Starch potato is usually stored in large piles covered by straw and plastic, either in the field or on the farmyard. The objective was to examine in what way starch yield (starch content*tuber weight) in three different potato varieties was affected by storage in two different types of storage piles. The potato was stored for three months in total and starch content and tuber weight were controlled throughout the period. Stored tubers were also visually examined and prescense of mechanical damage as well as wet rots and dry rots was recorded. Bacteria and fungi were isolated and identified. In general, varietal differences were greater than differences between the storage piles.

Urban trees have very little in common with trees on natural sites, such as forests or pastures. Trees in urban environments are often planted in packed soil and in small volumes. This can lead to decreased availability of water and oxygen, as well as deteriorated ability for the soil to store nutritional elements. Also above ground the tree usually have limited space in cities. Regulations on free height over roads and cycle tracks demands high stems at an early stage of their development.

In this thesis, I have discussed which (herbacious) perennials that are sold most in the county of Norrbotten in the upper north of Sweden. Also discussed are the factors considering overwintering and factors that affect the chances of survival. The reason to the subject is that I m born and raised in Norrbotten and throughout the years I ve wondered why so many of the perennial flowerbeds look so similar. The purpose of the thesis is to give another approach to the composition of the garden by explaining some of the factors that controls the survival of plants. The information is gathered partly through interviews with plantshop personnel and partly by a literature study. The results of the interviews reveal that tradition and hardiness is the major reasons to the consumer s choice.

Gerbera jamesonii is a plant with a large amount of pollen and various flower colours and a favourite host plant for Frankliniella occidentalis. The best growing temperature for gerbera is approximately 20°C. Frankliniella occidentalis or the Western Flower Thrips is a small insect that has become an important pest in greenhouse cultivation all over the world. The high temperatures in the greenhouse are favourable for F. occidentalis.

Rotröta i träd medför stora årliga skador och därmed kostnader för det svenska skogsbru­ket. Siffror som brukar nämnas i sammanhanget är 500-1000 Mkr/år. Exempel på orsaker till dessa kostnader är nedklassning av virke, tillväxtförluster, ungskogsdöd, tidigarelagda avverkningar och ökade stormfällningar. Syftet med denna studie var att analysera förekomsten av rotröta hos gran, tall och björk fördelat på ett antal ståndorts-, bestånds- och trädvariabler. Resultaten redovisades för hela landet och uppdelat på regioner.