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Agricultural economics 14.08.24

Global wine sales have been falling for several years and the Swiss market has not been bucking this trend. Nevertheless, the growing consumption of sparkling wines in Switzerland and the interest in local products are creating new prospects for leveraging wine production.

Agroscope, Schweizerisches Observatorium für den Weinmarkt OSMV, Canton de Vaud

Plant production 05.08.24

Plants release root exudates – compounds that influence the growth of their neighbours – into the soil. Understanding this mechanism allows us to devise new approaches for biological weed control.

Agroscope, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)

Plant production 24.07.24

Although fairly widespread in the vineyards of Valais in the 19th century, Blanchier seemed to have disappeared. Now the grape variety was rediscovered in several locations.

Agroscope, University of Neuchâtel

Plant production 23.07.24

Twelve heritage grape varieties grown in Valais and at risk of extinction have been added to Agroscope’s grape varieties collection and studied. This action is linked to the National Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources.

Plant production 04.07.24

Are drought-tolerant catch crops a good source of feed? A trial conducted by Agroscope shows that their potential is limited. Combining certain of these catch crops with legumes can improve feed quality, including in the form of silage.

Plant production 13.06.24

Foliar applications of a zeolite-based biostimulant improved the yield as well as the export of nitrogen of winter wheat and maize. This represents an option for improving nitrogen use efficiency and reducing losses.

Agroscope, University of Ferrara

Plant production 04.06.24

Although effective microorganisms (EM) are frequently used to shallowly incorporate green manures (cover crops) in the field, almost no scientific research has been conducted on them to date. This study simulated the decomposition of green manures with EM in the laboratory.

Agroscope, FiBL, University of Bern

Plant production 08.05.24

Widespread in the Swiss alpine region, Festuca apennina could serve as a fodder plant for higher elevations. It also forms vigorous hybrids with meadow fescue and ryegrass. Does this make it suitable for improvement by breeding?

Agroscope, Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR, IPK-Genebank

Plant production 03.05.24

When wireworm damage to potato tubers is excessive the crop ceases to be marketable. Various control options were explored in an effort to remedy the problem.

Plant production 22.04.24

Spring J.-L., Reynard J.-S., Zufferey ,Verdenal T., Bieri S., Bourdin G., Blouin A., Carlen C., Rienth M., Cléroux M.

A survey conducted in a Syrah population originating in Northern Côtes du Rhône (France) resulted in the selection of three new Syrah clones with highly promising characteristics, distributed by the Swiss certification sector.

Plant production 16.04.24

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

Delaying the timing of the first hedge trimming is of limited technical value in vineyard canopy management. Its impact on lateral shoot growth and must composition is minimal.

Food 26.03.24

Balmer M.E., Schaller U., Krauss J., Geiser H.C., Poiger T.

Plant protection products contain active substances and co-formulants. Agroscope studied the residues of co-formulants on treated plants for the first time, thereby furnishing the basis for assessing risks posed to consumers.

Agroscope, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO)

Plant production 19.03.24

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

The effectiveness of an application of foliar nitrogen at veraison depends on the initial level of vine nitrogen deficiency, an Agroscope study has shown. The threshold levels of assimilable nitrogen deficiency in the grape must are validated for Chardonnay but still need to be confirmed for Sauvignon Blanc.

Food 20.02.24

von Ah U., Freimoser F.

Metschnikowia pulcherrima is a naturally occurring yeast with applications in agriculture, the food industry and biotechnology. Agroscope is investigating this yeast in particular with regard to biocontrol applications in plant protection.

Plant production 14.02.24

Zufferey V., Delabays N., Verdenal T., Reynard J.- S., Dienes A., Belcher S., Lorenzini F., Bieri S., Blackford M., Bourdin G., Spangenberg J.-E., Carlen C., Spring J.-L.

Soil management lies at the heart of major global warming and sustainable viticulture issues. In this context, inter-row plant cover in vineyards comes with its share of benefits and drawbacks.

Plant production 11.01.24

Reynard J.- S., Spring J.-L., Verdenal T., Zufferey V., Bourdin G., Bieri S., Carlen C., Crettenand F., Favre G.

A programme has been launched for safeguarding the genetic diversity of Arvine, a grape variety formerly cultivated in Valais. Directed selection would make it possible to exploit this variety's biodiversity and to meet the ecological and economic challenges of the future.

Agroscope, Kanton Wallis, Amt für Rebbau und Wein

Plant production 16.11.23

Stucky T., Hochstrasser M., Meyer S., Segessemann T., Ruthes A. C., Ahrens C. H., Dahlin P., Pelludat C.

The root knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita causes damage in field and greenhouse crops. Agroscope researchers have developed a new screening test to identify bacteria that antagonise this agricultural pest.

Plant production 04.10.23

Bernert G., Spiess E., Liebisch^,F.

With CULTAN fertilisation, nitrogen is injected into the soil as an ammonium solution. Multi-year trials conducted by Agroscope show that this method reduces nitrogen leaching by an average 38% without negatively affecting yields.

Agroscope, Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Plant production 24.04.23

Perich G., Turkoglu M. O., Graf L. V., Wegner J. D., Aasen H., Walter A., Liebisch F.

With the help of satellite data, yields can be estimated both over a wide area and at individual field level. This is also possible in small-scale Swiss agriculture, as shown by a team consisting of ETH Zürich, the University of Zurich and Agroscope.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich

Plant production 19.04.23

Bütikofer N., Vonlanthen T., Hiltbrunner J., Holzkämper A. und Calanca P.

Suitable both as food for humans and as livestock feed, sorghum thrives even in an increasingly dry climate. Agroscope has developed maps showing the potential growing areas for silage- and grain sorghum.

Plant production 12.04.23

Camp C., Tran D., Farinet R.

The energy expenditure for staggered greenhouse tomato production would be twice as high as that of the current means of production with no appreciable increase in yield. Even so, the current means of production might benefit from LED lighting.