Archive
97 posts
De-linked cost of rural landscape maintenance
In this study the de-linked cost of rural landscape maintenance in the Swiss region of Greifensee is calculated in order to asses Economies of Scope in agricultural provision of landscape. The results show that annual costs generated by non-agricultural actors for an area of 3580 ha amount to five million Euros. Over 50% of these…
Importance of agriculture within the regional economy
The importance of agriculture within the regional economy consists not only of the direct employment and added value generated, but also of the effects it has on the rest of the economy. A quantitative survey in four mountain regions in Switzerland shows that basically, that part of agriculture’s contribution to rural development over and above…
Agriculture`s contribution to food security
In addition to providing other multifunctional services, Swiss agriculture contributes to assuring that the population is supplied with foodstuffs. In the event of a crisis, supplies do not depend primarily on domestic production, but on the foodstuffs available in the mandatory stockpiles and the supply chain. However, the maintenance of production potential is essential for…
Relationship between test weight and several quality parameters in wheat
Test weight has been used as a quality parameter of cereals in a large number of countries and is still employed to determine the price level. Literature studies showed controversial results concerning the relationship between test weight and flour yield as well as with other quality parameters. In this study, the data of a wide…
DOC trial: yield and yield stability in the years 1978 to 2005
During the course of the DOC trial in Therwil (BL), the effects of organic and conventional farming systems on the yield of crops and clover grass have been investigated on a fertile loess soil for 28 years. The farming systems differed in particular with regard to fertilisation and plant protection. The organic systems achieved a…
Validation of a method for molecular genotyping of fruit varieties
Microsatellite based genotyping for the identification of cultivar varieties in crop plants is nowadays a widely used and proven method. Many variations of this method are used that differ sometimes strongly with respect to work load and efficiency. We have developed a robust and efficient method that we use with great success since several years.…
Optimized N-fertilization in the production of chicory
During three years between 2004 and 2006 different levels of nitrogen including various strategies of temporal partitioning were studied with the chicory variety Vintor. The objectives of these experiments were to assess the impact of N fertilization on the development and quality of the chicory roots and thereafter on the performance of the roots at…
Investigation on feed intake of pregnant heifers and first lactating cows in Switzerland
In dairy herds, about one third of the cows are primiparous. These animals are still growing and therefore have specific nutrition requirements. The aim of this project was to show how heifers and primiparous cows are fed on Swiss dairy farms. Feeding, production and health data were collected on 60 Swiss farms for 252 animals.…
Price thresholds for agricultural bioenergy
A study was carried out to determine by how much the price of the nearest related conventional energy source (reference energy source) would have to rise to make domestic production competitive. In the case of logwood and biogas from biowaste, the requisite price rises amounted to a maximum of 45 %. For rape methyl ester,…
What are the facrors influencing the disbanding of a farming collective?
In January 2006, the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ART carried out a survey of all farming collectives (FCs) in Switzerland. The aim of the survey was to obtain findings on the organisation of the FCs, as well as on the satisfaction levels and communication and conflict-management strategies of the partners. In the present study, logistic…
The Swiss Dairy Inspection and Advisory Service (DIAS) – a review of a ten year old pioneer work
For ten years until the extension of equivalence with EC legislation to all food products of animal origin, the Swiss Dairy Inspection and Advisory Service DIAS has delivered competent services to ensure that the requirements for export of the Swiss dairy sector were met with. DIAS has contributed to a high degree to attain high…
Dairy cow feeding and folic acid in milk
A trial with 36 dairy cows in mid-lactation allotted to 3 groups was carried with the aim to evaluate the possibility of increasing the concentration of folic acid in milk by feeding rations naturally rich in folic acid. This experimental ration contained brewery waste, cubes of alfalfa, brewers’ yeast and wheat germ in addition to…
Influence of nitrogen fertilisation on baking cereals quality
A three years study was carried out in two experimental sites to analyse the influence of increasing nitrogen fertilisation on baking quality parameters of wheat. Varieties of various quality levels were studied. An increasing nitrogen fertilisation had a positive impact on the majority of the quality parameters. Yield, protein content and quality increased, as well…
Apis and Bombus, the first Swiss cultivars of white clover
For the first time, two Swiss bred cultivars of white clover appear on the seed market: Apis and Bombus. The pedigree of Apis traces back exclusively to ecotypes from Swiss natural grassland, collected in 1989; Bombus originates from plants of the variety Ladino which had resisted to competition by tall growing grasses in plot trials.…
Manipuling pasture grass growth by nitrogen fertilization
In two field trials on a sown and a permanent pasture the possibilities of influencing grass growth of pastures via the seasonal distribution of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilization was studied over four years in the region Bern-Solothurn. In the four treatments the annual fertilizer application of 150 kg N in the form of ammonium nitrate…
Fattening pigs: influence of housing systems on adipose tissue
A survey of the effects of different housing systems on the fat quality of fattening pigs (fat score of the adipose tissue) did not show any disadvantages of housing systems, based on Swiss BTS and RAUS regulations (ALT), versus conventional housing systems (CON). The fat score of ALT pigs, which have access to an outdoor…
Life cycle assessment of energy crops
The environmental impact of bioenergy production from biomass strongly depends on the crop cultivation. This study looks into the ecological optimisation of biomass cultivation answering following three questions: What is the environmental advantage of organic over integrated farming? Which crops are suited for biomass production? What other key factors have to be considered for a…
Noxious weeds in set-aside areas: results of a nationwide observation network
Fallow land sown with a wildflower seed mixture is one of the major set-aside areas promoted by the Swiss legislation in order to enhance biodiversity in the landscape. Still, the installation of such areas on arable land raises concerns about their potential to contribute to the dissemination of noxious weeds. In order to gather information…
Agroscope research programs
The three Agroscope research stations, Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Liebefeld-Posieux ALP and Reckenholz-Tänikon ART, will jointly carry out three multidisciplinary research programs during the period 2008 – 2011. “ProfiCrops” aims at developing, preparing, evaluating and exchanging information in order to ensure a future for Swiss vegetable production in a largely liberalized market and to reinforce the confidence…
Agroscope research master plan 2008-2011
The Agroscope research master plan provides information for interested and involved players, supports coordinated research and acts as a tool for the planning and legitimisation of research work. It was drawn up by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council and Agroscope. Agroscope’s research aims and focal points for…
Occurence of lysinoalanine in milk and dairy products
Lysinoalanine (LAL) is produced as an undesirable secondary product during alkaline treatment of proteins or the heating of foodstuffs containing proteins. Because of their closeness, dehydroalanine reacts with the lysine ε-amino group. Since the reaction is largely irreversible, the value of the lysine content is almost completely or totally blocked. Due to an improvement in…
Breeding progress on triticale obtained in Switzerland by Changins Research Station
Triticale is bred in Switzerland since 30 years. Based on observations on breeding lines between 1988 and 2006, this article analyzes the main breeding progresses achieved. Agronomic performances of the 2281 lines show that:productivity per cm height was improved with a rate of 1,4% per year protein yield was increased by 1,4 dt/ha, thus progressing…
Influence of temporary and permanent grassland on milk fat composition
In a trial with three variants of six dairy cows each, forage of temporary and permanent grassland was compared with the aim to examine the influence of forage of different types of grassland and the addition of maize silage on milk fat composition. The trial lasted for five weeks. The forage was given ad libitum…
What cow do we need for grassland based milk production in Switzerland?
The annual milk yield per cow is not a suitable indicator for the efficiency of dairy production because it is strongly influenced by live weight, duration of lactation and production system. The feed conversion ratio (kg energy corrected milk kg dry matter – kg ECM kg-1 DM) or the surface productivity (kg ECM ha-1) are…
Future societal demand for multifunctionality
Society’s demand for multifunctional benefits is the basis of direct payments in Swiss agricultural policy. However, societal demand changes over time. Therefore this explorative study tries to evaluate future demand for landscape benefits in different Swiss regions. The results of the expert survey show that demand can be differentiated into production-, recreation-, and ecological orientated…
Effects of suboptimal fertilization on arable crops
The production of high yields and adequate product quality requires a sufficient and balanced supply of the soil with nutrients. The field trial, conducted since 1989 for purpose of demonstration, shows the impact of different fertilizer forms (organic and mineral fertilizer) on the one hand and the effects of an unbalanced fertilization on the other…
Soil organic matter content after eleven years of no-till and plough
The organic matter content of the soil was analyzed on a medium textured slightly humic soil at the Inforama Rütti in Zollikofen which had been cultivated either with no-till or plough over eleven years. In several soil layers down to 40 cm the organic matter content as well as bulk density were analyzed. Due to…
