What Quantity of Heavy Metals Ends Up in Agricultural Soils?
Calculations carried out by the Swiss Soil Monitoring Network (NABO) over more than 30 years reveal that fertiliser applications and plant-protection products can lead to excess heavy metals in agricultural soils.
Should Antibiotic Use Be Reduced through Incentives?
Antibiotic use could be curtailed through incentives that improve animal health. Most farmers are open to direct payments in support of this.
More Cherries and Bigger Apples from Optimal Pollination
Certain crops in Switzerland can benefit from more-species-and-individual-rich wild-bee communities. An Agroscope report shows how this could be achieved.
What Quantity of Heavy Metals Ends Up in Agricultural Soils?
Calculations carried out by the Swiss Soil Monitoring Network (NABO) over more than 30 years reveal that fertiliser applications and plant-protection products can lead to excess heavy metals in agricultural soils.
Should Antibiotic Use Be Reduced through Incentives?
Antibiotic use could be curtailed through incentives that improve animal health. Most farmers are open to direct payments in support of this.
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More Cherries and Bigger Apples from Optimal Pollination
Certain crops in Switzerland can benefit from more-species-and-individual-rich wild-bee communities. An Agroscope report shows how this could be achieved.
Risk Maps for Plant-Protection Product Input into Surface Waters
What are the possible routes of entry of plant-protection products into surface waters? Agroscope shows the potential input risks in terms of tile drainage, runoff and agricultural point sources for over 20 000 catchment areas.
Crop-Variety Mixtures for Greater Yields and Robustness
Crop variety mixtures can have various benefits, including greater resistance to pathogens as well as yield stability and increased yields.
Increasing Food-Security Challenges Faced by Switzerland
Agroscope conducts an annual analysis of the risks to food supply on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for Economic Supply FONES. In 2021, a power shortage, seed imports and climate change were addressed as particular risks.
Lower in-Kind Yields from Forgoing the Use of Plant-Protection Products in Arable Crops
A survey of 18 experts from the whole of Switzerland shows what effects a complete or partial avoidance of plant-protection products would have on in-kind yields in arable production.
Swiss Ley Farming: Italian Ryegrasses ‘Maggyl’ and ‘Oryttus’ Set New Standards
Italian ryegrass is a high-yielding meadow grass that is often used in clover-grass mixtures. Out of a total of 52 varieties tested by Agroscope, two new frontrunners scored top marks for nearly all traits.
More Soil Life in Organic Vegetable Production
Nematodes are important indicators for soil life. An Agroscope study shows that nematode numbers and species diversity are significantly higher in organic vegetable fields than in conventionally farmed fields.
How Dairy Farmers Improve Their Quality of Life
Dairy farmers have developed individual strategies designed to maintain or improve their quality of life. A project by BFH-HAFL collected and analysed a variety of those strategies.
Protecting the Climate with Biochar
An Agroscope study commissioned by the Federal Office for Agriculture shows that the use of biochar clearly has potential, yielding benefits for the climate and ecosystems.
Sustainable Weed Management: Towards New Tools
New tools are being developed to limit the use of herbicides in crops and improve the efficacy of alternative management methods. An update.
Beekeeping – A Mobile Application for Controlling the Varroa Mite
A simple smartphone could soon become an essential ally for beekeepers in their battle to control the varroa mite. A mobile application for identifying and counting these tiny parasites in the hive – the first of its kind in Switzerland – has just been developed.
Consumption of Raw Goat’s Milk: What Is the Risk of Infection with TBE Viruses?
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) pathogens can be transmitted to humans by the consumption of raw milk and raw-milk products from infected goats. The risk is judged to be low, and is most likely to come from on-farm consumption of the (unpasteurised) products.
Use of Iodised Salt in Cheesemaking Improves Iodine Sufficiency
Sections of the Swiss population are deficient in iodine. Agroscope and the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) examined how the use of iodised salt affects the iodine content of cheese.
Weeds? – Sown Wildflower Strips and Crop-Accompanying Flora Promote Beneficials in Cabbage Production
FiBL field trials demonstrate that sown wildflowers together with the spontaneous arable weed flora in cabbage fields can promote predatory beneficial insects and pollinators. This makes it possible to enhance the ecological value of production areas.