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Plant production

Schaller U., Patrian B., Bächli A., Streit U., Balmer M.

Market control – quality of plant protection products in Switzerland

In Switzerland, the market control of plant protection products is organized in a close collaboration of the cantonal laboratories, the registration authority and Agroscope. From 2008 to 2012, five campaigns with a total of 106 plant protection products were performed. The quality of the active ingredient and the most important physico-chemical properties of the samples…
Plant production

Mouron P., Calabrese Ch., Breitenmoser S., Spycher S., Baur R.

Sustainability assessment of insecticides in Swiss grain and potato production

As part of the Proof of Ecological Performance (PEP), Switzerland requires special permits to be obtained for the use in cereals and potato production of authorised insecticides which have a potential to impact beneficial arthropods. In order to test the impact of this PEP requirement, a reference variant illustrating the current PEP requirements was compared…
Animal production

Wyss U., Arrigo Y.

Influence of the maize variety and the stage of development on the aerobic stability

In the years 2008 and 2010, the two maize varieties Amadeo and LG 32.52 were harvested in the milk ripeness, in the early and late dough stage and ensiled in 700 l containers. After opening the container, samples were taken to determine the fermentation quality and the aerobic stability with temperature measurements. With increasing development…
Plant production

Suter D., Hirschi H., Frick R., Aebi Ph.

Cocksfoot: test results of 31 varieties

From 2010 to 2012, the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART and Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW research stations tested 31 varieties of cocksfoot in the field at seven sites for their suitability for cultivation. In addition to the 17 new varieties, the previously-recommended varieties were re-tested. The characteristics evaluated were yield, vigour, juvenile development, competitive ability, persistence, winter-hardiness, resistance…
Plant production

Brabant C., Schwaerzel R., Augsburger B., Jaquet H., Bitz Jean-Jacques, Claeyman N., Dossenbach A.

Baking quality of rye in Switzerland

This paper aims to better understand the milling and baking quality of rye varieties in Switzerland, in order to better meet the needs of users for rye. A quality scheme is proposed to determine the quality of rye grown in Switzerland. The analyzes measuring the flour yield (PHL, ash content) and the starch quality (falling…
Plant production

Frick R., Mosimann E., Suter D., Hirschi H.

Berseem clover and Crimson clover variety trials (2010-2012)

From 2010 through 2012, the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART and Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW research stations tested in total eight varieties of Berseem clover and three varieties of Crimson clover in comparative variety trials at seven experimental sites. All varieties were grown in pure stands and in mixture with grasses. The parameters assessed were dry matter yield,…
Plant production

Gerardin D., Rouffiange J., Kellenberger I., Schaerer S., Dupuis B.

Potato susceptibility to soft rot caused by Dickeya spp.

Soft rot on potato tubers is caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Pectobacterium and Dickeya. The most often detected species in rotting tubers or plants sampled from Swiss potato lots are Dickeya dianthicola and Dickeya solani. Laboratory tests on tuber slices were set up to determine differences in cultivar susceptibility and isolate aggressiveness. Among…
Environment

Schüpbach B., Walter Th., Hofer G., Herzog F.

Modelled forest regrowth in 2021 and biodiversity in alpine summer pastures

The influence of forest regrowth on biodiversity in alpine summer pastures was investigated as part of the joint research project AlpFUTUR. An evaluation of the target and indicator species of the agriculture- related environmental objectives (AEO species) for the alpine summer pastures shows that all regions of the Jura and the Alps are of equal…
Animal production

Besier J., Strickler B., von Niederhäusern R., Wyss U.

Hay or haylage for horses: a comparison

In horse diets, hay is getting more and more replaced by haylage. In 2011, hay and haylage were produced in Avenches VD from an Italian ryegrass as well as from a mixture, which contained ten grasses and alfalfa. The conservation properties, the nutritional values and the microbiological quality of the feed were evaluated with regard…
Other

Junge X., Hunziker M.

Functions of alpine farming from the perspective of the Swiss public

Alpine summer farming shapes the cultural landscape in the Alps. Since this form of agriculture still has a very traditional appearance, a high cultural value and identityforming aspects are attributed to alpine farming. To investigate which functions of alpine farming are valued by different stakeholders and to what extent alpine farming is identity-forming, questionnaire surveys…
Animal production

Schneider M. K., Homburger H., Scherer-Lorenzen M., Lüscher A.

Grazing intensity and ecosystem services in the alpine region

In the alpine summer-grazing area, grazing intensity is one of the most important management variables controlling vegetation and ecosystem services. In spite of this, grazing intensity is difficult to quantify on large, heterogeneous alpine pastures. For this reason, local grazing intensity on two alpine summer dairy farms in the canton of Obwalden and in the…
Plant production

Krebs H., Musa T., Vogelgsang S., Forrer H.-R.

Copper free control of potato late blight in organic potato production?

Copper is used in organic potato production to control the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. A disadvantage of copper is, that it accumulates in the soil and damages soil organisms. In Switzerland, the application of 4 kg of copper per hectare and year is allowed. In a six year crop rotation, the ecotoxicologically acceptable amount…
Animal production

Sutter M., Nemecek T., Thomet P.

Life cycle assessment of intensive and pasture-based dairy production systems

Swiss dairy farms must increasingly cope with climate protection, environmental conservation and the use of limited resources. In the context of the Hohenrain comparison of dairy production systems, a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts was conducted using the Swiss Agricultural Life Cycle Assessment method. The environmental strengths and weaknesses of seasonal full-pasture and indoor…
Animal production

Schmid D., Lanz S.

Feed-ration composition on Swiss dairy farms

As part of the 2014-2017 agricultural policy, the Swiss Federal Council is proposing a contribution for grasslandbased milk and meat production in the form of the socalled «production-system contributions». With a view to the structuring of this new instrument and its future evaluation, the current situation as regards the feeding of ruminants in Switzerland is…
Environment

Koch B., Schmid S.

Valuable biodiversity in grassland areas of encroached alpine pastures

Europe has a long tradition of alpine grazing. Alpine pastures shape the cultivated landscape supporting a high biodiversity. However, more and more alpine pastures are abandoned and affected by shrub encroachment, leading to the disappearance of plant and animal biodiversity. As part of the «AlpFutur» collaborative project, the aim of this study was to highlight…
Plant production

Spycher S., Badertscher R., Daniel O.

Indicators for pesticide usage in Switzerland

Since 2009 agricultural data are collected within the framework of the project Farm Accountancy Data Network Agro-Environmental Indicators (AEI FADN). The indicator «pesticide usage» consists of key figures characterizing the practice of chemical plant protection. The crop specific number of spray rounds quantifies both the total number of times a crop has been treated, and…
Environment

Mann S., Ferjani A., Zimmermann A., Mack G., Möhring A.

What would an organic Switzerland look like?

Switzerland‘s high purchasing power, natural site conditions, small-scale agricultural structure and political independence arguably make it more suitable than any other country for a conversion of entire regions to organic farming. The SWISSland forecast model is used to simulate a complete changeover to organic farming for the time period 2018–20, and to compare this with…
Agricultural economics

Lauber S., Furrer B.

Infrastructure for alpine summer farming: historical witnesses and spatial planning

Traditional buildings are an important part of the cultural landscape in alpine pasturing areas, serving as historico-cultural witnesses. They are, however, under pressure from structural change in agriculture and often require renovation. To assess their historico-cultural quality, a list of criteria has been drawn up which provides a basis for their agro-touristic development, i.e. for…
Plant production

Nucera E., Boccardo L., Garzoli D., D'Adda G., Bertossa M.

PRAMIG: a development project to enhance grassland management in the Swiss Southern Alps

Meadows and pastures play a vital economic role for both agriculture and tourism along the Southern side Alps. The main objective of the PRAMIG (Miglioramento dei prati a Sud delle Alpi) project was to promote sustainable management methods for farms located in the Southern side Alps, by means of a fodder production system adapted to…

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