Profile

My research is on chemical compounds in relation to crop protection, covering both synthetical pesticides and natural defence compounds from agricultural crops (allelochemicals).

My research into the natural defence chemicals of agricultural crops encompasses investigations into the presence of the compounds under varying cultivation conditions and under stress effects as well as the excretion of allelochemicals from agricultural crops, sorption, transformation and leaching of allelochemicals in soil and the effect of allelochemicals on the microbial environment in soil. I deal with natural chemicals from cereals (wheat, rye and maize),legumes (clover), potatoes and the tropical crop amaranth. The identification of of the compounds is performed in LC/MS/MS/DAD and NMR . I was the coordinator of the EU 5th framework project FATEALLCHEM (Fate and Toxicity of Allelochemicals in Relation to Environment and Consumer) ( http://www.fateallchem.dk ) and I am currently the coordinator of the project AMARANTH:FUTURE-FOOD ( http://www.amaranth-future-food.net ).

Since 1992, when I started working in the former DIAS (now Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Unversity of Aarhus), I have worked with the development of methods for investigation of pesticide degradation under conditions simulating natural conditions. I have my focus on the models, describing the degradation of pesticides and the influence of soil environmental factors on degradation.

I have a diploma in education from the Royal Danish School of Educational Studies for Teachers at Technical and Commercial Colleges, Copenhagen, Denmark and many years experience as a teacher. Additionally, I have 7 years experience with environmental research and institutional strengthening in developing countries.

At present I am planning the course "Fate and Effects of Xenobiotics", which will be offered as a part of the new degree programme MSc in Agro-environmental Management at the University of Aarhus in September 2008. In August 2009, I will give part of the lectures in a 2-weeks concentrated hands-on course on Environmental Analytical Chemistry, which will be offered in Flakkebjerg as part of the Master programme in Agro-environmental Management. For the summer of 2009 we also plan a three-week summer school (of which one week is on-site) in Flakkebjerg in the research area of natural chemicals with its focus on the transformation and effects of the compounds in the soil environment.The summer school will be arranged in cooperation with the University of Copenhagen (KU-LIFE). More information will be available soon at the homepage of RECETO( http://www.receto.dk )

Danish and foreign students are welcome in our lab if you find our research areas of interest. If you are an MSc student living in Denmark and you wish to do your master thesis in our lab, we finance all costs for transportation between your home and Flakkebjerg, south-west of Slagelse during the whole period. You will do the practical work of your master thesis in a well-equipped laboratory and you will of course learn to use one of our LCMSMS equipments. Students (MSc or PhD) or visting scientists from abroad, who wish to make a short- or long-term stay in our laboratory must obtain funding for travel, house rent and daily allowances in their home country.

Curriculum Vitae

Students

• Jonas Lekfeldt, ongoing PhD project. Interaction between microbiology and natural product chemistry in potato plants.
• Selene Niveyro, ongoing PhD project. Effects of insect attacks on secondary metabolite composition in Amaranthus. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Argentina
• Teresita Guevara Figueroa, ongoing MSc project. Identification and quantification of phytochemicals in Mexican Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica). Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, San Luis, México
• Ricardo J. Rodriguez Enriquez, ongoing MSc project. Identification and quatification of selected phytochemicals in Mexican Amaranthus spp. Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, San Luis, México
• Stine Krogh, ongoing PhD. project. Phytochemicals in Amaranthus spp. University of Copenhagen.
• Søren Nielsen, ongoing, MSc project. Synthesis of 13C-labelled and deuterated biochanin A and identification of soil transformation products of biochanin A. University of Copenhagen.
• Kamilla Klausen, 2008 MSc. project. Flavonoids in barley. University of Southern Denmark
• Simon Andersen, 2007, MSc. project. Synthesis of 13C-labelled and deuterated 6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolinone (MBOA) and the identification of transformation products in soil. University of Copenhagen.
• Sandra Carlsen, ongoing. Ph.D. project. Working title: The allelopathic effect on weeds of white clover and wheat in crop rotation, - structural elucidation of the metabolism in soil of biologically active natural chemicals from white clover and wheat. The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy
• Stine Krogh, 2007. MSc project. Transformation of benzoxazinoids in soil. University of Copenhagen.
• Maria Thomsen, 2006. BSc. project. Modelling of degradation kinetics of pesticides according to the FOCUS principles. University of Copenhagen.
• Louise Simonsen, 2006, MSc project. Uptake in plants and leachability of aged soil residues of glyphosate and AMPA. University of Copenhagen.
• Malene Søltoft, 2006. MSc project. Study of the effects of benzoxazinoids on wheat infesting fungi. University of Copenhagen.
• Thomas Etzerodt, 2006. MSc project. Transformation of deuterium labelled 6-methoxy-benzoxazolin-2-one (MBOA) in soil. University of Copenhagen
• Anders Understrup, 2003-2004. MSc thesis. Transformation of hydroxamic acid metabolites in soil, - identification of metabolites in LC/MS/MS and identification of degrading micro-organisms with fatty acid analysis and enzyme assays. The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University.
• Mia Birkum Gents, 2003. MSc thesis. Studies on the microbial transformation of BOA (2-benzoxazolinone) in soil. University of Copenhagen
• Pernille Rasmussen, 2001. MSc. thesis. Modelling of the mineralization and decay of isoproturon and glyphosate in conventional and reduced tillage soil from an experimental approach. University of Copenhagen

Selected publications

Simonsen, L.; Fomsgaard, I.S.; Svensmark,B.; Spliid, N.H. Fate and availability of glyphosate and AMPA in agricultural soil. Journal of Environmental Science and Health B. In press.

Carlsen, S.C.K.; Mortensen, A.G.; Oleszek, W.; Piacente, S.; Stochmal, A.; Fomsgaard, I.S. Variation in Flavonoids in Leaves, Stems and Flowers of White Clover Cultivars. Natural Products Communication. In press.

Carlsen, S.C.K.; Fomsgaard, I.S.; Ingerslev, F. Biologically active secondary metabolites in
white clover (Trifolium repens L.) - a review with focus on concentration in the plant, plant-pest
interactions, and degradation. Chemoecology 2008.. Online first, doi: 1007/s00049-008-0402-7.

Søltoft, M.; Jørgensen, L. N.; Svensmark, B.; Fomsgaard, I.S. Benzoxazinoid concentrations show correlation with Fusarium Head Blight resistance in Danish wheat varieties. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 2008, 36, 4, 245-259

Carlsen, S.C.K.; Understrup, A.; Fomsgaard, I.S.; Mortensen, A.G.; Ravnskov, S. Flavonoids in roots of white clover: interaction of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and a pathogenic fungus. Plant and Soil, 2008, 302, 1/2, 33-43

Etzerodt, T., Mortensen, A.G., Fomsgaard, I.S. Transformation kinetics of 6-methoxybenzoxazolin-2-one in soil. Journal of Environmental Science and Health B. 2008, 43, 1, 1-7

Fomsgaard, I.S.; Mathiassen, S.K ; Macías, F.A. Rebuttal on results from the FATEALLCHEM project. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2007, 55, 1645-1647.

Fomsgaard, I.S. Chemical ecology in wheat plant-pest interactions. How the use of modern techniques and a multidisciplinary approach can throw new light on a well-known phenomenon: Allelopathy. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2006, 54, 987-990

Fomsgaard, I.S., Mortensen, A.G., Coja, T., Idinger, J., Blümel, S. Transformation of

benzoxazinones and derivatives and microbial activity in the test environment of soil

ecotoxicological tests on Poecilus cupreus and Folsomia candida Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.. 2006, 54, 1086-1092

Etzerodt, T., Nielsen, S.T., Mortensen, A.G., Christophersen, C., Fomsgaard, I.S. Elucidating the transformation pattern of the cereal allelochemical 6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolinone (MBOA) and the tri-deuterio-methoxy analogue [D3]-MBOA in soil. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.. 2006, 54, 1075-1085

Krogh, S., Mensz, S.J.M., Nielsen, S.T., Mortensen, A.G ., Christophersen, C., Fomsgaard, I.S. Metabolic profiling of benzoxazinone allelochemicals in soil after incorporation of wheat and rye sprouts. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2006, 54, 1064-1074

Gents, M.B., Mortensen, A.G., Nielsen, S.T., Fomsgaard, I.S. & Christophersen, C. Transformation products of 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA) in soil. Chemosphere. 61, 75-84. 2005

Understrup, A.G., Ravnskov, S., Hansen, H.C.B., Fomsgaard, I. S. Biotransformation of 2-benzoxazolinone to 2-amino-phenoxazin-3-one and 2-acetylamino-phenoxazin-3-one in soil. Journal of Chemical Ecology 2005, 31, 1205-1222.

Eljarrat, E., Guillamón, M., Seuma, J., Mogensen, B.B., Fomsgaard, I.S., Olivero-Bastidas, A., Macías, F.A., Stochmal, A., Oleszek, W., Shakaliene, O. & Barceló, D. First European interlaboratory study of the analysis of benzoxazinone derivatives in plants by liquid chromatography . Journal of Chromatography A. 2004, 1047 (1), 69-76.

Fomsgaard, I.S., Mortensen, A.G., and Carlsen, S.C.K. Microbial transformation products of benzoxazolinone and benzoxazinone allelochemicals - a review. Chemosphere 2004, 54, 8, 1025-1038