Swiss Agricultural Research – Archive of the Online Journal

Gilgen A., Felder R., Baumgartner S., Herzog F., Jeanneret P., Séchaud R., Paunovic S., Merbold L.

Agroscope researchers tested the FAO method for assessing the agroecological status of farms in Switzerland for the first time, demonstrating the advantages of a holistic evaluation as well as the limits of the tool.

Agroscope

Environment 02.11.23

Zorn A., Bütler A., Mathys P.

In wheat crops, pesticides can be used more sparingly without sacrificing cost-efficiency. With oilseed rape the situation is more difficult, since the reduced yields are not offset by higher revenues. These are the findings of the analysis of the first two harvest years of the PestiRed project.

Agroscope

Environment 09.10.23

Metzger K., Liebisch F., Herrera J. M., Guillaume T., Walder F., Bragazza L.

Soil samples can be measured directly in the field by means of spectroscopy. Agroscope researchers have tested mobile devices and shown how to make the best use of them.

Agroscope

Environment 05.10.23

Johannes A., Kellermann L.A., Weisskopf P.

Three widely used and newly revised approaches that optimally complement each other are available to practitioners, trainers and educators. Videos and apps have been designed to facilitate their use.

Agroscope, BFH-HAFL

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Agroscope

Environment 30.03.23

Wang Y., Finger R.

Pest prevention plays an important role in reducing pesticide use. Nevertheless, the use of such measures is below the social optimum. A generally cautious attitude towards risk and adoption of other risk management measures hinder farmers' prevention efforts.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Environment 23.03.23

Schleiffer M., Speiser B.

A review on the current scientific literature showed that pesticides are widely present in soils, water and air and have a potential to contaminate organic produce. These contamination pathways must be considered when findings of pesticide residues are investigated.

FiBL

Environment 20.03.23

Korkaric M., Lehto M., Poiger T., de Baan L., Mathis M., Ammann L., Hanke I., Balmer M., Blom J.F.

Agroscope has developed risk indicators which show the development of risks associated with the use of plant protection products for important environmental compartments, describe the risk potential of the active substances and take account of legal measures for risk mitigation.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 02.03.23

Pedolin D., Jan P., Roesch A., Six J., Nemecek T.

Do farmers who produce in environmentally friendly ways earn less income? As an Agroscope study shows, this needs not be the case, and farmers can actually generate more revenue by protecting the environment.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Environment 27.01.23

Schaub S., Elmiger N., Ghazoul J., Finger R

Those wishing to promote biodiversity in agriculture by means of result-based schemes need meaningful indicators. An overview of proposed and used indicators highlights developments and challenges.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Environment 20.01.23

Beal T., Gardner C.D., Herrero M., Iannotti L.L., Merbold L., Nordhagen S., Mottet A.

Foods of animal origin – friend or foe? It all depends on the needs of consumers and on local production conditions, as shown by a major review in which Agroscope took part.

Agroscope, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, University of California, Stanford University School of Medicine, Cornell University, Washington University, FAO

Environment 19.01.23

Spiess E., Humphrys C., Liebisch F., Prasuhn V., Neuweiler R.

In vegetable production it is usual to leave crop residues on the field. Measurements carried out by Agroscope researchers show that removing these residues significantly reduces nitrate leaching.

Agroscope

Environment 11.01.23

Zorn A., Clémence S.

Which measures are suitable for significantly reducing pesticide use in field crops? In the PestiRed project, farmers rate the implemented measures as largely positive; with a differentiated result for economic efficiency.

Agroscope

Environment 08.12.22

Diener M., Binder S., Plath M.

The reduction of environmental risks from plant protection products is to be monitored by the Confederation using a risk indicator. The indicator also takes into account the degree of implementation of risk reduction measures in practice. This degree of implementation was estimated by a study.

Agridea, Plattform Pflanzenschutzmittel und Gewässer (PPG)

Environment 06.12.22

van der Heijden M. G. A., Edlinger A., Riedo J., Walder F., Bucheli T. D. et al.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are important for healthy soils and crops. A pan-European study shows that plant-protection products adversely affect these fungi, reducing their ability to supply plants with phosphorus via their roots.

Agroscope

Environment 22.11.22

Argento F., Liebisch F., Anken T., El Benni N.

A comparison of different methods of winter-wheat fertilisation with nitrogen showed that nitrogen surpluses can be significantly reduced by means of site-specific variable-rate nitrogen fertilisation.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Environment 10.11.22

Fabian Y., Roberti G., Jacot K., Gramlich A., Benz R., Szerencsits E., Churko G., Prasuhn V., Leifeld J., Zorn A., Walter T. (ꝉ), Herzog F.

Many tile drainage systems on arable land are in need of renewal. Cantons and stakeholders will now be given a decision-making tool enabling them to assess such areas in detail and to find sustainable solutions.

Agroscope

Environment 08.11.22

Kupper T., Häni, C., Bretscher D., Zaucker F.

Ammonia emissions from the Swiss farming sector have scarcely declined over the past 20 years. This is because the factors leading to either an increase or decrease in emissions have for the most part cancelled each other out between 2000 and 2020.

BFH-HAFL, Agroscope, OETIKER+PARTNER AG

Environment 24.10.22

Meier E., Lüscher G., Knop E.

Agroscope has highlighted for the first time the factors that are key for the targeted, large-scaled promotion of biodiversity in agriculture. Focusing on agriculture as a whole is especially important.

Agroscope

Environment 22.09.22

Verena Säle, Muris Korkaric, Reto Neuweiler, Laura de Baan

Agroscope has developed a scoring system for plant protection in vegetable crops. The system enables the creation of incentives for reducing the use and environmental risks of plant-protection products and promoting preventive and non-chemical measures.

Agroscope, IP-SUISSE

Environment 31.08.22

Hilber I., Blum F., Schmidt H.-P., Bucheli T.D.

Many consumer goods contain activated carbon, which can be contaminated with pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Agroscope showed that current analytical methods and legal bases used to address PAH content are incomplete.

Agroscope

Environment 24.08.22

Calanca P., Wüst-Galley C., Giuliani S. and Erdin D.

Dry summers can see a loss of up to 25% of total Swiss roughage production. This is because grassland yields are strongly correlated with summer drought, as shown by a new analysis conducted by Agroscope and the Swiss Farmers’ Union.

Agroscope, Swiss Farmer’s Union SFU

Archive

How Can We Assess the Agroecological Status of Swiss Farms?

Is a Significant Reduction in Pesticides in Wheat and Oilseed Rape Crops Cost-Efficient?

Measuring Soil Fertility Directly in the Field

Will we in Switzerland be reaching for the spade once again to assess soil structure?

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

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

A Method for Recycling Calcium Phosphite into Phosphate Fertiliser

How Do Different Arable Crops Affect Erosion Risk?

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

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

Controlling Plant Growth in the Track Area with Hot Water

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

Sorghum: Where Can This Drought-Tolerant Grain Be Cultivated in Switzerland?

Risk-taking Farmers Are More Likely to Apply Pest Prevention

What impact has environmental pesticide contamination on the organic food chain?

Risk Indicators for Plant Protection Products: Further Analyses for Calculation

Great potential for environmentally friendly and profitable production

Biodiversity Indicators for Result-based Agri-environmental Schemes: an Overview

How Foods of Animal Origin Can Contribute to a Healthy, Sustainable Diet

Vegetable Production: Striking Reduction in Nitrate Leaching without Crop Residues

Plant-Protection Products in Field Crops: Which Alternatives Have Potential?

The practice increasingly implements risk reduction measures in the application of PPPs

Beneficial Soil Fungi for Sustainable Plant Production

Effectively Reducing Nitrogen Surpluses

Rethinking the Use of Waterlogged Wet Arable Land

Ammonia Emissions from Agriculture in Switzerland for 1990 to 2020

Biodiversity in Agriculture: Understanding it Better and Promoting it More Systematically

Scoring Points with Plant Protection in Vegetable Crops

Pollutants in Products Containing Activated Carbon: Improving Detection Methods and Legal Bases

Average Grassland Yields in Switzerland Shaped by Summer Drought