Archive

498 posts

Categories
Select one or more categories (Optional.)
Reset
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…
Environment

Candinas T., Chassot G.M., Kupper T., Menzi H., Spiess E., Besson J.-M.

Contamination of soil by sewage sludge and other fertilisers

The heavy metal load to Swiss soils decreased significantly in past years. Nevertheless, the input still is considerably higher than crop uptake. Fertilisers contribute around 50 % to the load of most metals, except for chromium and zinc with 90 % and 80 % respectively. Sewage sludge contributes 42 % of the lead, 26 %…
Environment

Wiedemeier P., Duelli P.

Ecological compensation areas to enhance beneficial arthropods

Ecological compensation areas in agriculture not only have to enhance biodiversity of rare and threatend species, but also support biological control of agricultural pests by increasing the diversity and abundance of beneficial arthropods. This is of particularly importance for integrated production (IP) and biological farming. Our investigations show that almost all spiders and predatory beetles…
Environment

Spiess E.

Nitrogen and phosphorus balances of Swiss agriculture between 1975 and 1995 Are outdoor pigs a groundwater hazard?

The nutrient balances of the Swiss agriculture were calculated for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for all the years between 1975 and 1995 on the basis of the farmgate balance, a comparison between nutrient input into agriculture and output from agriculture. Nitrogen surplus amounted to about 124‘000 t N and 116 kg N/ha agricultural used…
Environment

Weisskopf P., Zihlmann U., Wiermann C., Horn R., Anken T., Diserens E.

Influences of ploughing on soil structure

“In a field trial it was investigated whether soil can be tilled more considerate with onland ploughing (all four wheels of the tractor run on the untilled soil surface) than with conventional ploughing (two wheels of the tractor run in the furrow). As expected conventional ploughing caused the highest soil stress at 35 cm depth,…
Environment

Zihlmann U., Weisskopf P., Dubois D., Tschachtli R.

Soil structure of an integrated, a conventional and a low input farming system

The objective of the long-term project of Burgrain, on a mixed farm near Lucerne (Switzerand), is to compare integrated, conventional and low input farming systems taking agronomical, economical and ecological characteristics into consideration. Since 1992 soil tilth has been characterized every year by spade diagnostics and measurements of aggregate stability. The quality of the soil…
Environment

Ballmer T., Hebeisen T., Winiger F.A.

Control of seed-borne snow mould (Gerlachia nivalis) of winter wheat with warm wate Use of oil for reducing virus Y infection in seed potatoes

In 3-year plot and field experiments, the effect of Telmion, a canola oil, on the PVY-transmission by aphids was investigated. Telmion applications all 10 days reduced PVY infections between 30 and 60 %, independent of aphid density and weather conditions. The oil-treated plants of seed potatoes showed a slight yield reduction of 3 to 10…
Environment

Rüegg K., Lüscher A., Hartwig U.A., Nösberger J., Rüegger A.

Elevated atmospheric CO2 affects seed production of grassland species

Seed yield and quality of pure stands of five perennial grassland species were tested at elevated atmospheric CO2 (60 Pa) in a three year field experiment. Four species showed a trend to increased seed production, while Plantago lanceolata L. produced a reduced number of seeds. Tests on seed quality revealed that the germination rate was…
Environment

Candinas T., Chassot G.M., Besson J.-M.

Swiss sewage sludge quality has improved

The sewage sludge quality is intensively monitored since 20 years in Switzerland. The nutrient content did not change much. However, nutrient loads increased with increasing sewage sludge production. The content of heavy metals decreased considerably. For most metals the load decreased too. The knowledge about content and loads of organic pollutants is still inadequate.
Environment

Bienz U., Menzi H., Frossard E.

Production and composition of horse manure

The production and composition of horse manure was studied with on farm experiments as well as balance calculations. The results should provide the basis of the revision of the corresponding guide values. Balance calculations were done for riding horses, mares and colts of different age. Animal weight, amount of straw used for litter and hours…

Project partners

  • Logo AGRIDEA
  • Logo Agroscope
  • Logo ETH Zürich
  • Logo ZHAW

© 2026 Agrarforschung Switzerland Terms and conditions