Archive

450 posts

Filter options
Reset filters
Environment

Defila C.

Phenological retrospective for the year 2000

L’anno 2000 è risultato da caldo a molto caldo. Temperature simili si verificarono solo nel 1947 e nel 1990, mentre che nel 1994 furono persino superiori. In Engadina, a sud delle Alpi e nel Goms fu decisamente troppo bagnato. Nel resto della Svizzera le quantità di precipitazione furono normali. Un soleggiamento nettamente sopra la media…
Environment

Schmid K., Kesper C., Caloz G.

Ecology at Swiss vegetables farms

The ecological compensatory areas were investigated at 14 Swiss farms with field grown vegetables in the frame work of the EU-project VEGINECO. From 1997 to 2000 the percentage of these areas were ca. 17% at organic farms and ca. 7% at integrated farms. According to the opinion of organic farmers the main advantage of ecological…
Environment

Winter W., Bänziger I., Rüegger A., Schachermayr G., Krebs H., Frei P., Gindrat D.

Skim milk powder and yellow mustard-meal treatment: Alternatives to the chemical seed-dressing for the control of common bunt in wheat

In 5-year field trials, the incidence of common bunt (Tilletia caries) in winter wheat was strongly reduced by a seed treatment with skim milk powder: on the average untreated seeds had 52 and treated seeds 3 diseased ears per m2. In 2-year field trials Tillecur (84.8 % yellow mustard-powder) was a very effectiv means of…
Environment

Tobias S.

Caution on wet soils: trafficking can cause persistent subsidences!

The revised Federal Act on Environment Protection prescribes soil protection from physical damage, such as compaction. However, practical implementation of physical soil protection provokes conflicts, particularly for agriculture where efficient, but heavy, machinery is used for the sake of economic management. Soil compaction is caused by irreversible compression and shearing, i.e. plastic deformation. This contribution…
Environment

Jossi W., Valenta A., Zihlmann U., Dubois D., Tschachtli R., Pfiffner L.

The influence of three different farming systems on the earthworm populations at Burgrain

Between 1997 – 1999, earthworm populations were investigated in a six years’ crop rotation with three different farming systems at Burgrain. The biomass was mainly influenced by the crop specific cultivation method. Especially negative for anectic groups of species were ploughing in autumn before winter wheat and ploughing in spring before maize (periods of main…
Environment

Braun M., Aschwanden N., Wüthrich-Steiner C.

Evaluation of ecological mesures: phosphorus losses by surface runoff

The effect of ecological measures in agriculture on the phosphorus contamination of waters caused in particular by surface runoff was investigated in the catchment area of the Lippenruti Brook in the canton of Lucerne. Within the scope of this investigation spanning 270 different fields, site, cultivation and dung spreading factors were examined and placed in…
Environment

Stauffer W

Percolation and yield of different crop rotations

During seven years (April 1993 – March 2000), the effect of different crop rotations, grass-clover mixture, Miscanthus, and lay, on the amount of percolate and nitrate leaching to groundwater was investigated in lysimeters (1 m2 surface, 1.4 m depth) filled with a weakly humic, loamy sand (ortic luvisol). The experimental layout, and data for yield,…
Environment

Zehnder H.-J., Kopp P., Riesen T.

Influence of potassium supply on the release radiocesium from the roots of vine plants

The foliar uptake of radioactive cesium (134Cs) by selected leaves of grape vine plants and the subsequent redistribution within the plants was examined under controlled conditions in a greenhouse. The radionuclide was applied as chloride. The plants were grown in glass containers with nutrient solution. Samples of plants and nutrient media were analyzed throughout the…
Environment

Graf B., Höhn H., Holliger E., Siegfried W., Höpli H.-U.

Current state and future development of a decision support system for pests and diseases in perennial fruit crops

For more than forty years the Swiss Federal Research Station in Wädenswil (FAW) has operated a warning service for pests and diseases in perennial fruit crops in order to support the endeavours of growers towards a more ecological production. Designed as a decision support system, it is based on a close collaboration between FAW, the…
Environment

Gulz P., Gupta S.-K.

Arsenic uptake by crops

Due to the lack of reliable data on arsenic in most environmental compartments in Switzerland a NSF funded project was carried out to investigate the ecotoxicological risks of arsenic. The aim is to acquire the scientific basis which is necessary to assess the arsenic risk for the plant-man, plant-animal-man pathway. Little is known about the…
Environment

Jäggi W., Weisskopf P., Oberholzer H.-R., Zihlmann U.

Microbial biomass in two arable soils

Over a two year period, changes in the microbiological properties of two arable soils were charted and compared with the site conditions. In the topsoil of a calcic cambisol, the content of microbial biomass was, on average, 42 % higher than in a gleyic cambisol. A higher pH and a looser strture favoured the development…
Environment

Pfiffner L., Luka H., Jeanneret P., Schüpbach B

Effects of different field margins on carabid beetles in two different landscapes

In a national evaluation program, the effects of different field margins on the carabid fauna were investigated by using funnel pitfall traps. 109 cultivated and non-cultivated (51 field margins) sites were chosen for a biodiversity evaluation, in which carabids were used as indicators. The data of the first investigation year shows that the abundance and…
Environment

Dreier S., Lips A., Volkart G., Schüpbach B., Bigler F.

Ecological compensatory areas in the mosaic of agricultural landscape

In three case studies, the spectrum of plant species was evaluated in ecological compensatory areas (extensively and less intensively cultivated meadows, flower strips, hedgerows), in the dominant cultures (winter wheat, intensively cultivated meadows, meadows in orchards) and in the edges of the forests. Habitat specificity, calculated on the base of plant composition in different types…
Environment

Hütter E., Bigler F., Fried P.M.

Planting transgenic pest resistant crops in Switzerland?

Transgenic insect-resistant crops have been commercially cultivated on a surface of around 9 mio. hectares worldwide in 1999. The main target of growing pest-resistant plants is to reduce crop losses due to insect pests and to reduce insecticide applications and thus to minimize negative impacts on the environment. Potentially negative effects are discussed for Bacillus…
Environment

Defila C

Phenological retrospective for the year 1999

L’anno 1999 è stato caratterzzato da eventi meteorologici estremi. Accanto a quantitativi record di precipitazioni, valanghe e allagamenti, bisogna pure annoverare violente tempeste invernali. In generale, l’anno è nuovamente risultato troppo caldo e a intervalli sono cadute precipitazioni molto forti. Lo sviluppo della egetazione si è però perlopiù svolto con le scadenza normali, anche se…
Environment

Schüpbach B., Gfeller M., Wachter U., Lips A., Harding J., Bigler F., Reisner Y., Volkart G.

Evaluation of ecological measures: the landscape of three regions in Switzerland

Biodiversity, the diversity of life at all scales, is a characteristic feature of our planet and a precondition for human life. However, only during the last two decades biodiversity has become an important research topic. Scientific projects deal with the measurement of biodiversity, the factors that affect biodiversity and with effects biodiversity itself has on…
Environment

Lips A., Harding J., Schüpbach B., Jeanneret P., Bigler F., Volkart G.

Evaluation of ecological measures: botanical diversity of meadows in three regions

In the framework of the evaluation of ecological measures promoted by the Swiss Government, a botanical survey was undertaken in three regions in 1997 or 1998. Plant species per 100 m2 were investigated in 88 meadows under different cultivation regimes (from extensively to intensively cultivated).<br>With mean of 15 to 27 spexies per region and type…
Environment

Jeanneret P., Schüpbach B., Steiger J., Waldburger M., Bigler F.

Evaluation of ecological measures: spiders and butterflies

To evaluate the impact of set aside land (ecological compensation areas) on biodiversity, spiders and butterflies were used as indicators in two regions in 1997 and 1998. The first results show that the impact of ecological compensation areas depend on the indicator and the type of area. In a typical region of arable crops, wildflower…
Environment

Candinas T., Golder E., Kupper T., Besson J.-M.

Nutrient and pollutant content of compost

The quantity of compost produced in Switzerland has been assessed, and the quality of individual composts has been determined and compared to the legal standards describing a minimal quality of compost. A last comparable study has been made in 1988. Today, more than 450’000 tons of fresh material are composted in more than 200 compost…
Environment

Bänziger I., Winter W., Rüegger A., Krebs H.

Control of seed-borne snow mould (Gerlachia nivalis) of winter wheat with warm water

Warm water treatment of seeds of winter wheat cv. Runal under practical conditions was compared with a laboratory warm water treatment, a chemical seed dressing, and an untreated control in field and laboratory experiments in 1997-1998. The treatment under practical conditions was performed as follows: seed lots (350 kg) were dipped into water (45°C) for…
Environment

Lips A., Jaberg C., Frei G., Dubois D.

Flora and Fauna in industrial crops

In a three year project segetal plants, ground beetles and spiders were studied for their presence in fields of industrial crops, fibre hemp, kenaf, oilseed rape, and miscanthus. To compare the results reference cultures (different meadow types on arable land, winter wheat and maize) were also integrated into the study. The aim of the project…

Project partners

  • Logo AGRIDEA
  • Logo Agroscope

© 2024 Agrarforschung Switzerland Terms and conditions