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451 posts
Livestock density and nutrient balances in Asia
In response to the strong increase of the demand for animal protein, a rapid growth of intensive livestock production is under way in Asia. The often landless industrially organised production causes serious impacts to the environment. An international initiative prepares decision support tools and studies sustainable strategies to attack the problem. In this framework, the…
Bait test:Suitability and limits for faunistical assessments in the field
In different farming systems the activity of predatory arthropods was measured in the field with larvae of Galleria mellonella L., placed as baits on the soil. On average a slightly higher predation rate was determined in ecological systems than with more intensive cropping methods. However, the differences were small. In the trials Burgrain, Strickhof and…
Life cycle assessment of the extensive production of cereals and rape seed
The environmental impact of the extensive production of cereals and rape seed called «Extenso» was analysed by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). The extensification measure, that is the ban of fungicides, insecticides and growth regulators, resulted in a reduction of the quantity of pesticides applied by up to 50 % and a decrease of…
The earthworm populations in two soils
The relation between earthworm populations and site properties was studied in a gleyic and in a calcaric cambisol. In the wet gleyic cambisol the earthworm biomass was 54 % higher than in the drier calcaric cambisol. By increasing the aeration of the soil and a more intense mixing of organic and mineral soil constituents, earthworms…
Structure and costs of different protected areas
The Swiss National Park, Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch and Wetland Preserve Glaubenberg in the cantons Obwalden and Luzern are compared with regard to their administrative structure and their costs. It becomes clear that the National Park is administered with more staff than the other areas, as informational services are offered to a large extent. That implies…
Soil nitrogen dynamics in different maize cropping systems
For a better understanding of soil nitrogen dynamics in maize cropping systems, Nmin content of soil and soil water samples from 0 to 100 cm depth were measured periodically in a loamy Cambisol near Zurich, Switzerland, from 1998 to 2000. Maize was sown either with conventional tillage (CT), rotary band seeding (RBS), or no-tillage (NT)…
Ecological risks due to biological control of the European corn borer with Trichogramma
The exotic egg parasitoid Trichogramma brassicae, which originates from the northern part of the Black Sea area, is successfully used for biological control of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis). In a four years project, we evaluated if mass releases of the parasitic wasp may pose a risk to non-target insect populations, in particular to…
Ammonia exchange with grasslands
As it is generally known, plants can exchange ammonia (NH3) with the atmosphere. Yet, the actual NH3 exchange potential of crops, especially of grassland, has hardly been studied so far. The European project GRAMINAE focused on the influence of climate and management on NH3 exchange between grassland and the atmosphere on different sites throughout Europe.…
Nutrients and pollutants in sewage sludge from 1975 to 1999
The composition of sewage sludge is intensively monitored since 25 years in Switzerland. The nutrient contents have undergone only minor changes. Simultaneously to an increasing production of sewage sludge the nutrient loads have increased during the first 15 years and since remained stable. Except for copper, the load of most heavy metals continuously decreased after…
RISE – A tool for a holistic sustainability assessment at the farm level
Whereas the liberalisation of the world markets seems to exert today the greatest pressure on development, sustainable production is the most important leading principle. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the degree of sustainability on a national and local level and broadly accepted indicators have also been recommended. However, only little information for the…
Reflection on research for a sustainable agriculture
The concept of a sustainable development of agriculture tends to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It consists of a model for the balanced management of a system with five capital assets: financial capital, human capital, physical man-made capital, social capital and…
Ecological compensation measures and breeding birds
From 1997 to 1999, we studied the effects of small plots for ecological compensation on breeding birds in 23 areas of 5 to 10 km² in the Swiss lowlands (total area 169 km²). The territories of 39 indicator bird species were recorded by territory mapping. 29 of them occurred in at least one study area…
Ecological measures: Vegetation and breeding birds
In 1993, an agro-environmental programme was incorporated into the Swiss Agricultural legislation. One of the goals of this legislation was to conserve the natural biodiversity of Switzerland as well as to promote and encourage the spread of endangered species. Within the project «Evaluation of the Ecological Measures – Section Biodiversity» we check whether these goals…
Wild flower strips and rotational fallow: experiences from the practice
Farmers from different cantons in Switzerland have been interviewed to obtain insight into their experiences made with wild flower strips and rotational fallow fields. Additionally, their fallow fields have been surveyed with respect to selected spontaneous and sown species. The interviews showed that most of the farmers estimate the management effort for fallow to be…
Botanical quality of extensively managed meadows
The plant composition of extensively managed hay meadows was investigated in a sample which is representative for the Swiss plateau. In 1401 relevés 511 species were recorded. 17 species figure in the national red list and 70 species have regional red list status. 25 % of meadows contain a minimum set of characteristic plants of…
Methods for the rapid assessment of ecological compensation areas
The quality of ecological compensation areas is decisive for the success of the measures of ecological compensation. Currently, there is no method that allows the rapid assessment of the biodiversity of a large number of ecological areas. Therefore, the FAL carried out methodical investigations in order to determine the suitability of various animal and plant…
Factors influencing the vegetation of extensively managed meadows
The territories of species breeding in hedges or in wet habitats were more often than expected close to sites for ecological compensation. By contrast, species breeding in open farmland were more distant from them than expected. The territories of species breeding in bushes or trees were preferentially in hedges or close to extensively farmed meadows…
Nitrate leaching in a crop rotation from 1981 to 2000
Using 12 lysimeters nitrate leaching was determined for the following crop rotation: Potato – winter wheat – sugar beet – spring wheat – corn – spring wheat – rape – winter wheat – gras-clover mixture (green manure before potato, corn and sugar beet). Under the climatic conditions of Zurich-Reckenholz (1000 mm annual precipitation, 400 mm…
Grasshopers need ecological compensation areas
To examine the effectiveness on biodiversity of the direct payments for ecological compensation areas we rely on grasshoppers both as indicators for landscape change and as a small and singing element of biodiversity, however threatened from extinction. To compare the situation before and after the introduction of the ecological compensation areas (ECA) a repeated survey…
Influences of soil management on nitrogen dynamics in the soil solution
“Time course of mineral nitrogen content in soil is very dynamic: The combination of several processes leads to quickly succeeding situations of surplusses and shortages for plants and soil organisms. By means of so called “”mineral nitrogen-profiles”” it is possible to identify the course of events and to get a rough idea of the interdependencies…
Sulfate leaching in a crop rotation – lysimeter results from 1991 to 2000
Sulfate leaching was determined with following crops: winter wheat, spring wheat, winter oak, rape, corn, potato, sugar beet and grass-clover mixture. Under the conditions of the lysimeter experiment at Zurich-Reckenholz (1000 mm annual precipitation, 400 mm from October to March), green manure before potato, corn and sugar beet – mineral sulphur fertilization and the crop…
DOC-trial: Phosphorus budget and availability over 21 years
The aim of this work was to assess the long term effect of organic and conventional farming on concentrations of total and available phosphorus (P) in cropped soils. Soil samples were taken from a field trial comparing a non-fertilised control (N), two organically cultivated treatments (D2, O2) and two conventionally cultivated treatments (M2, K2). Samples…
Influence of different crop rotations on nitrate leaching
The difference in the effects of six crop rotations, grass-clover ley, Miscanthus, and bare fallow on the amount of drainage runoff, nitrate concentration, and the amount of nitrate leached to groundwater was investigated during seven years (1993-1999) using lysimeters (1 m2 surface and 1.4 m usable depth, filled in 1982 with a low humus, loamy…
Is the wireworm problem a fungus problem?
Wireworms, the larvae of elaterid beetles, cause increasing problems in arable crops, especially in potatos. A possible cause for this situation is an insufficient natural control. To check this hypothesis and in regard of a possible biological control with entomopathogenic soil fungi, we sampled and tested soils from arable land and adjacent meadows at eight…
The significance of restored flower-rich hay meadows on set-aside land for butterflies and grasshoppers
“We analysed the faunistic significance of newly restored, flower-rich hay meadows (Arrhenatheretum, type of compensation area “”species rich grassland on arable set-aside land””) on behalf of the indicator species butterflies and grasshoppers. Altogether in 11 study areas, 27 butterfly species were found, 15 species being typical to extensively managed meadow habitats. Our results indicate butterfly…
