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Retrospettiva fenologica dell`anno 2003
Dopo che nel dicembre 2002 e nel gennaio 2003 dominarono temperature miti, il tempo freddo invernale si manifestò solo in febbraio. Già la primavera risultò però nettamente troppo mite e l’estate fu eccezionalmente calda. A Grono (Mesolcina), con 41.5 °C venne stabilito il nuovo record di temperatura massima della Svizzera. Relativamente mite fu pure l’autunno.…
Cut seed tubers – benefits and constraints
The influence of seed cutting of over-size seed tubers was examined in field and on farm experiments. Agria, the most important variety of Switzerland was used. Whole tubers of the same origin served as control. Compared to whole tubers seed weight of cut pieces declined on average by 52 % to 54 g. This leads…
Project Opti-Milk: economic results
In the framework of the project Opti-Milk two groups of nine pioneer farms each were coached on different ways towards the common goal of a sustainable and competitive dairy production. The two groups followed different strategies: the high yield strategy (HL) and the low cost strategy (VW). At the start of the project, the pioneer…
Ecology and profitability in Milk production
An in-depth economic comparison was carried out with different housing systems for dairy cows. Differences between the systems in terms of animal health, work quality, environmental impacts and product quality were also taken into account. The comparison involved tie-stall systems and cubicle housing systems.The results of the economic comparison show that average milk production is…
The influence of three different farming systems on the epigeic arthropods
The fauna of beneficial epigeic arthropods (carabids, staphylinids and spiders) was compared in three different farming systems (integrated intensive, integrated extensive and biological systems) at Burgrain during 1997 to 2002. The predatory insects and spiders were captured with Barber traps. Between the tree investigated cultures – summer barley, winter wheat and maize – the number…
Entomopathogenic soil fungus in Swiss potato fields
Wireworms, the larvae of elaterid beetles, belong to the most important pests of the Swiss potato production. Chemical control is much contested. Therefore, it is strongly desired to develop a biological control method. The entomopathogenic soil fungus Metarhizium anisopliae seems to be a good candidate. In order to get information on the distribution of this…
Effects of phosphorus fertilization on a low input meadow
We assessed the evolution of the yield, the nutritive value of the herbage and the botanical composition of a low input permanent meadow that received different amounts of mineral fertilizer during 11 years. In the long run, a negative effect on the yield and the P content of the herbage was observed when the level…
Project Opti-Milk: Aims and basic information
Swiss milk producers must drastically reduce their production costs. To achieve this, they need user-orientated practical recommendations and planning aids. At present the high yield strategy (HL) and the full grazing or low-cost strategy appear most promising. In the framework of the project “Opti-Milk”, each of these two strategies was consistently optimised and implemented on…
Formation of conjugated linoleic acids through starter cultures
The conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) contained in milk fat have a high health amelioration potential. The capacity of different starter cultures to form CLA from linoleic acid could be used to increase the CLA level in fermented dairy products. In a medium supplemented with linoleic acid, some strains of lactobacilli, lactococci and streptococci as well…
Were fruits more nutritious in former times?
The headline “fruits and vegetables diminished in their nutritional quality” appeared in recent years in the media. The claimed quality loss was supposedly related to changes in agricultural practice. The comparison of contents of nine minerals and eleven vitamins of the five most important locally produced fruits as published in three different food composition databases…
Nutritive value of grassland plants: content and prediction of gross energy
The gross energy content (GE) was determined by calorimetry in 439 samples of 10 main grassland plants. It is mainly influenced by the content of crude protein (R2 = 0.31) and organic matter (R2 = 0.26). The effect of these components is greater in herbs than within legumes and grasses. The stage of development and…
Agriculture and rural areas
The Swiss constitution prescribes that agriculture has to contribute to an even population in the rural countryside. This paper examines by the means of a regression analysis to which extent enterprises in the three economic sectors contribute to population dynamics in rural communities. Although agricultural enterprises have much less employees than enterprises in the industry…
Were vegetables more nutritious in former times?
The headline “fruits and vegetables diminished in their nutritional quality” appeared in recent years in the media. The claimed quality loss was supposedly related to changes in agricultural practice and depletion of the soil. The comparison of contents of nine minerals and eleven vitamins of the 7 most important vegetables as published in three different…
Nutritive value of grassland plants: Amino acid composition
n order to complete the published data on the nutritive value of 10 main grassland plants their amino acid content was analysed in 70 of 555 available samples. The species as well as the age of the plant has only a limited influence on the in the intestine digestible amino acid content (IDAA). Cocksfoot and…
Environmental Monitoring of Genetically Modified Plants in Switzerland: Development of a conceptual Framework
Besides two field trials in 1991 and 1992, no deliberate releases of genetically modified plants (GMP) have yet been conducted in Switzerland. The use of GM crops in Swiss agriculture is discussed controversially and in contrast to the European Union, commercial cultivation seems unlikely in the near future. Nevertheless, cultivation can not be excluded for…
The Radar Project – An in-depth look at the situation concerning agricultural research
The Radar Project describes the development of conditions surrounding agricultural research. On the political side, the importance of the state with regard to funding is decreasing. The technological aspect is progressing, as can be seen from the growth in the worldwide cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for example. From an economic point of view,…
