In a 2-year experiment at an open-air ozone fumigation field, the effects of fungicide application and low-level ozone exposure, single and combined, on fine root and mycorrhiza condition of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings were studied. Two different fungicides, copper oxychloride and propiconazole, with different modes of actions, were used. Propiconazole treatment reduced mycorrhizal infection in both years while copper oxychloride treatment and ozone exposure slightly stimulated mycorrhizal infection after the first year. Different mycorrhizal morphotypes showed different kinds of responses to the two fungicides. Light brown morphotype appeared to be the most sensitive one to propiconazole treatment. After the second year, ectendomycorrhizas disappeared in propiconazole treatment while in control treatment ectendomycorrhizas formed the majority of the light brown morphotype. The root biomass was not affected by fungicide treatments, but ozone exposure increased the total amount of short roots and the fresh weight of propiconazole treated roots. No significant differences in the concentrations of ergosterol, starch and total phenolics in pine roots between treatments were found. However, ergosterol concentration correlated positively with the mycorrhizal infection level. Both fungicides reduced the soil respiration compared to controls. At the ultrastructural level, both fungicides caused increased transparency and gradual granulation and degeneration of cytoplasm in the fungal symbiont of mycorrhizal short roots. Slightly elevated ozone did not have harmful effects on root ultrastructure. These results suggest that fungicides have deleterious effects on the quantity and quality of mycorrhizas in Scots pine roots and also side-effects on non-target soil fungi. Some of these deleterious effects were noticeable only at the ultrastructural level.& k w d : Key words Fungicides · Ozone exposure · Scots pine · Fine root condition · Mycorrhiza& b d y :

The effects of pesticides on 64 ectomycorrhizal fungi of boreal forest trees were studied in vitro. The pesticides (fungicides: benomyl, chlorothalonil, copper oxychloride, maneb and propiconazole; herbicides: chlorthiamid, glyphosate, hexazinone, linuron and terbuthylazine; insecticide: cypermethrin) were selected as those commonly used in Nordic forest nurseries and afforestation sites. In general, the fungicides proved to be more toxic to ectomycorrhizal fungi than the herbicides and cypermethrin. The fungicides, chlorothalonil and propiconazole, had the clearest inhibitory effect on growth of mycorrhizal fungi. Conversely, maneb, glyphosate and terbuthylazine stimulated the growth of some mycorrhizal fungi. Leccinum versipelle and L. scabrum, Paxillus involutus and Cenococcum geophilum were the most sensitive ectomycorrhizal fungi to the various pesticides.

Background Obesity is a globally growing public health challenge among children. In developed countries, the risk of obesity is commonly higher among lower socioeconomic groups. Measuring socioeconomic position (SEP), especially income, is challenging in surveys as self-reported information may suffer from reporting, awareness, recall and non-response bias. Our aim is to utilize official register data on several SEP indicators and measured height and weight of children, to identify the strongest predictors of SEP of the parents on the risk of obesity among the whole 2-17-year-old child population in Finland. Methods Data for all children who had visited child health clinic or school health care in 2018 were extracted from the National Outpatient Register on Primary Health Care Services (n = 387623, coverage 40% in 2018). Obesity was defined according to the WHO criteria. SEP indicators were obtained from Statistics Finland for both parents living in the same household with a child. Boosted regression model was used to analyze the contribution of SEP to obesity using training dataset on 155479 non-related children. Results The area under the curve for the final model in training dataset was 0.736 and 0.718 in validation dataset. Mother's educational level (12.6% of the total explained variation) and household's disposable income (12.6%) were the SEP indicators that most strongly predicted childhood obesity, whereas the impact of educational level of the father was somewhat smaller (8.1%). The influence of the age of a child was even bigger (39.2%), the prevalence of obesity being highest at 11 and 9 years of age among boys and girls, respectively. Conclusions Our results based on official register data from Finland, a Nordic high-income country, endorse earlier findings on higher obesity risk among children with low socio-economic family background. Identification of the SEP related risk factors and support to families are essential in the prevention of childhood obesity. Key messages