Swiss Agricultural Research – Archive of the Online Journal

Fröhlich-Wyder M.-T., Bachmann H.-P., Schmidt R.

Cheese varieties from Switzerland are characterised according to various criteria. Agroscope analysed the free volatile carboxylic acids in ten cheese varieties and demonstrated that the latter are suitable for characterisation and differentiation.

Agroscope

Environment 13.09.23

Nucera E., Huguenin-Elie O., Mayer J., Liebisch F., Spiess E.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by bacteria in the soil coexisting with legumes leads to reduced fertiliser requirement. It is not easy to measure this variable on farms, however. Now researchers from Agroscope have developed a method for estimating nitrogen input via symbiotic fixation at farm level.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 12.09.23

Fiankor, D-D. D., Lartey, A. und Ritzel, C.

The agricultural sector as an aggregate proved resilient to the COVID-19 shock. But how did it impact agribusiness firms within the sector? Using the Swiss case, we provide the first set of evidence on how agri-food importing firms survived the pandemic economically.

Agroscope, University College London, UK

Food 29.08.23

Spring J.-L., Reynard J.-S., Verdenal T., Zufferey V., Cléroux M., Dienes-Nagy Á., Bourdin G., Bieri S., Blouin A., Carlen C., Favre G.

Safeguarding the clonal diversity of Muscats in the Valais has enabled the characterisation of 42 Muscat à petits grains and 36 Moscato Giallo clones. The characteristics of the two are quite distinct, particularly their aromatic potential. The best clones will be included in the Swiss certification scheme.

Agroscope

Plant production 23.08.23

Gonthier J., Koller J., Arnó J., Collatz J., Sutter L.

Tuta absoluta is one of the most destructive pests of solanaceous crops. Agroscope has developed a statistical model to study the population dynamics of the pest and its parasitoids and allows interventions to be optimally planned.

Agroscope

Plant production 16.08.23

Speiser B., Schleiffer M.

Swiss vineyards are often small and arranged in a mosaic of separate plots and management practices. Therefore, it can be assumed that spray drift from conventional to organic vineyards occurs regularly. Nevertheless, no pesticide residues are detected in most organic wines.

FiBL

Agricultural economics 10.08.23

El Benni N, Grovermann Ch., Finger R.

Agricultural economics research uses a multitude of methods and approaches to assess existing and new policy measures. This is the basis for agricultural policy that demonstrably makes a difference, i.e. is evidence-based.

Agroscope, FiBL, ETH Zurich

Plant production 08.08.23

Nay M.M., Grieder C., Frey L.A., Amdahl H., Radovic J., Jaluvka L., Palmé A., Skøt L., Ruttink T., Kölliker R.

Red clover is one of the most important legumes in European forage production. In a multi-year field trial, researchers tested Europe’s largest collection of different red clover accessions at five European locations.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Plant production 02.08.23

Verdenal T., Zufferey V., Dienes-Nagy Á., Reynard J.-S., Spring J.-L.

Grapevine nitrogen nutrition is a key parameter for achieving production targets in terms of yield and wine quality. Here we set out the current assessment methods and their interpretation thresholds for sustainable management.

Agroscope

Food 25.07.23

Eugster E., Götze F., Heine D.

Bread, sauerkraut, cheese, wine, beer, yoghurt, chocolate, coffee, kimchi, tempeh, soy sauce, miso, etc. – all these are fermented foods and are part of our daily diet. What exactly are fermented foods and what role do they play in a healthy and sustainable diet?

BFH-HAFL

Plant production 19.07.23

Verdenal T., Zufferey V., Dienes-Nagy Á., Bourdin G., J.-L. Spring

Pre-flowering leaf removal is a recent practice in viticulture. As well as reducing fungal disease pressure, it limits yield and improves grape composition. An Agroscope study shows that mechanising pre-flowering leaf removal saves effort but also involves risks.

Agroscope

Plant production 18.07.23

Calanca P., Holzkämper A., Isotta F. A.

With increasing global and regional temperatures, even in Switzerland the growing season has lengthened considerably. Using data from the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, Agroscope has traced the development of the growing season since the start of the previous century.

Agroscope

Plant production 12.07.23

Schwitter P., Herforth-Rahmé J.

Tomato is a special case among vegetables, as its seeds can only be extracted from the pulp after a fermentation step. In order to optimise this working process, various harvesting frequencies and extraction timepoints were tested at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL.

FiBL

Animal production 11.07.23

Pontiggia A., Münger A., Ammer S., Philipona C., Bruckmaier R. M., Keil N.M., Dohme-Meier F.

Even in temperate climate zones, an increase in the ambient temperature and solar radiation can cause heat stress in grazing dairy cows. Agroscope studied the physiological changes in cows caused by increasing heat load.

Agroscope, FiBL, University of Bern, University of Göttingen

Plant production 07.07.23

Fontana M., Elfouki S., Bragazza L., Guillaume T., Carlen C., Sinaj S.

The phosphate mineral reserves required for fertiliser production could be exhausted on a global scale in just a few decades. This study presents a method for recycling a Swiss industrial by-product into a phosphate fertiliser.

Agroscope

Plant production 05.07.23

Suter D., Frick R., Hirschi H.U

Perennial ryegrass is one of the most important forage grasses in Swiss agriculture. Agroscope can now recommend three new cultivars based on the results of variety tests conducted from 2020 to 2022. Three further varieties also showed promise but are yet to be approved.

Agroscope

Environment 03.07.23

Prasuhn V., Hutchings C., Gilgen A., Blaser S.

To calculate erosion risk in Swiss field crops, the effect of different arable crops on the risk of erosion was determined. Calculations for the whole of Switzerland show that although erosion risk is on average low, it is not negligible everywhere.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 30.06.23

Achermann G., Helfenstein J., Speranza C.I., Herzog F.

Agroscope studied the changes in the agricultural sector over the past twenty years in three Swiss regions and compared them with the visions of three associations: Avenir Suisse, the Schweizer Bauernverband and Landwirtschaft mit Zukunft.

Agroscope, Wageningen University, University of Bern

Environment 29.06.23

Lazzari G., Münger A., Heimo D., Seifert S., Camarinha-Silva A., Borda-Molina D., Zähner M., Schrade S., Kreuzer M., Dohme-Meier F.

In dairy cows, herbage-based diets often lead to increased nitrogen excretion. Tanniferous sainfoin and extract of acacia can reduce nitrogen excretion from urine and thus ammonia volatilization from slurry.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich, University of Hohenheim

Animal production 23.06.23

von Wyl H., Küng T., Kupper T., Spring P.

Excessive nitrogen inputs from the air lead to over-fertilisation of sensitive ecosystems. Continuous feeding optimisation can make an important contribution to reducing ammonia losses and thus nitrogen inputs.

BFH-HAFL

Animal production 21.06.23

Ueda K., Heikkilä U., Kuntzer T., Gobbo Oliveira Erünlü N., Joël Bérard J., Wellnitz O., Beglinger C., Rieder S.

Monitoring systems for indoor housing and home or alpine pastures are gaining in importance owing to their potential for uninterrupted remote monitoring of livestock and for automating administrative tasks. Identitas AG and Agroscope tested the suitability of a sensor ear-tag for cattle for this purpose. The agricultural sector is evolving towards larger farms with bigger…

Agroscope, Identitas AG

Food 13.06.23

Fröhlich-Wyder M.-T., Guggisberg D., Bisig W., Jakob E., Schmidt R.

A quarter fat Appenzeller cheese usually has significantly more holes (‘eyes’) than a full fat Appenzeller. Is this really due to the fat content? Agroscope researchers looked into this issue.

Agroscope

Environment 08.06.23

Hutchings C., Spiess E., Prasuhn V.

Agroscope researchers calculated the nitrogen and phosphorus inputs into Swiss water bodies for the year 2020. Although these inputs decreased in comparison to 2010, the 'agriculture' environmental target for nitrogen inputs was missed by a significant margin.

Agroscope

Animal production 07.06.23

Spengler Neff A., Probst J. K. und Knösel M.

Transport to the slaughterhouse and the time spent in the slaughterhouse are often very stressful for farm animals. A comparative study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL shows that on-farm slaughter can significantly reduce stress for animals.

FiBL, Hofgut Rengoldshausen

Animal production 01.06.23

Münger A., Eggerschwiler L., Dohme-Meier F.

An ancient fodder crop that had been largely forgotten, sainfoin is experiencing a revival thanks to its ability to reduce ruminant emissions. Agroscope demonstrated a methane- and ammonia-reducing effect for dairy cows fed with fresh sainfoin.

Agroscope

Food 24.05.23

Berger J., Bisig W., Hummerjohann J.

The consumption of raw-milk products is considered to be healthy, but is not entirely risk-free due to the possible presence of pathogenic bacteria. Agroscope and BFH-HAFL investigated the microbiological safety of raw-milk yoghurt and showed that this is protected in several respects by fermentation.

Agroscope, BFH-HAFL

Environment 15.05.23

Gfeller A., Tschuy F., Tanner L., Adolph A., Wirth J.

By 2025, the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) aims to control the vegetation in the track area without herbicides. Agroscope tested the effectiveness of hot-water treatments in a three-year trial and rates this method as a suitable alternative to herbicides.

Agroscope, SBB AG / Infrastructure

Agricultural economics 09.05.23

El Benni N., Schmid D.

According to the international literature, direct payments influence the decision of farm managers to pursue off-farm employment. An Agroscope study looked into what this meant in the Swiss context.

Agroscope

Environment 08.05.23

Bretscher D., Wüst-Galley C., Ammann C., Kupper T., Schenker S., Eggli D., Meyer L., Bock M.

Agroscope compiles annually updated inventories and projections for Swiss agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. With the change to reporting under the Paris Agreement, new bases for calculation must be taken into account. Despite this, the overall picture for agriculture remains largely unchanged.

Agroscope, Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

Animal production 26.04.23

Ineichen S., Schenker U., Nemecek T., Reidy B.

The dairy sector is urged to reduce negative environmental impacts. But dairy is not only milk: depending on the production system and cow breed, relevant amounts of meat as by-product result. How can emissions thus be allocated to milk and meat?

BFH-HAFL

Archive

Cheese Varieties: Volatile Carboxylic Acids Contribute to their Unmistakeable Character

How Much Nitrogen from the Air Enters the Soil through Legumes?

How Resilient Were Swiss Agri-Food Importing Firms to COVID-19?

Variability and Clonal Selection of Muscats in the Valais

A New Tool to Help Practitioners in the Integrated Control of a Major Tomato Pest

Risks for Residues Caused by Spray Drift in Small Organic Vineyards in Switzerland

The Role of Agricultural Economics Research in Policymaking

European Red Clover Exhibits High Diversity and Local Adaptation

Grapevine Nitrogen Nutrition: Measures and Interpretations

The potential of fermented foods for a healthy and sustainable diet

Mechanised Pre-flowering Grapevine Leaf Removal: Benefits and Risks

Climate change leads to longer growing seasons and favours farmland at higher altitude

Efficient Seed Extraction in Organic Tomato Cultivation

How Do Grazing Dairy Cows Respond Physiologically to Heat Stress?

A Method for Recycling Calcium Phosphite into Phosphate Fertiliser

Perennial Ryegrass: Three New Recommendations and Three Candidates

How Do Different Arable Crops Affect Erosion Risk?

Reality Check: Has the Neo-Liberal, Conservative or Agro-Ecological Vision of Swiss Farming Prevailed?

Sainfoin Silage and Acacia Extract Reduce the Nitrogen Content in the Urine of Dairy Cows

Reducing Protein Content in Pig Feed

Remote Monitoring –Sensor Ear-Tag for Cattle Put to the Test

How Does Fat Content Affect Eye Formation in Cheese?

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Inputs in Water Bodies: New Estimates for Agriculture

On-Farm Slaughter – Less Stress, More Animal Welfare

Sainfoin – an Alternative to Clover/Grass Mixtures When Feeding Green Fodder to Dairy Cows?

Microbiological Safety of Raw-Milk Yoghurt

Controlling Plant Growth in the Track Area with Hot Water

Direct Payments Go Hand in Hand with Off-farm Employment

Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2023: New Calculation Guidelines Leave Overall Picture for Agriculture Largely Unchanged

How to Allocate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Dairy Production