Archive
2,595 posts
Sample effect – how conclusive is a comparison with the previous year?
In 2009, the Farm Accountancy Data Network collected accountancy data for just under 3400 reference farms. Comparison with the previous year’s results is extremely important when analysing data, although the present study shows that percentage changes compared to the previous year can depend considerably on the particular composition of the sample. For example, in 2009,…
Crop rotation, soil tillage, variety and fungicide protection in cereal production
Within the framework of long-term experiment devoted to cereal production, the factors variety and fungicide protection were added during three years (2006, 2008 and 2010) to the factors crop rotation and soil tillage already studied since 1967. By this complement, the aim was to evaluate to what extent variety disease tolerance and fungicide protection may…
Phenological retrospective 2010
In 2010, the temperatures were only slightly above the norm; therefore, 2010 was an average phenological year. The spring however started late at the time of coltsfoot flowering, because of the cold temperatures registered until mid March. The following spring phenological phases were observed on average dates. The phenological summer 2010 can be considered as…
Wet gluten of wheat varieties cultivated under extenso and PER conditions
The users of the Swiss wheat harvest noted a decrease in the wet gluten content over the past years. To assure a good level of wet gluten, the branch organization swiss granum introduced thresholds for each wheat quality class. These thresholds are for the Top class 31 %, for the class I 29 % and…
Which cow for pasture-based production systems?: Problematics and experimental design
Switzerland is a country of grasslands. The effective use of this resource is essential for the Swiss dairy industry. To ensure this, efficient milk production systems and cows suited to these systems are necessary. The existence of interactions between genotype and environment when comparing contrasting conditions of production raises the question of the suitability of…
Housing systems and a concept to measure ammonia emissions in case of natural ventilation
The relevant housing systems and a suitable measuring concept have to be defined in order to improve the data base for ammonia emissions (NH3) from cattle farming. Statistics and an expert survey show that the proportion of loose housing facilities and outdoor exercise areas in Switzerland increased from 5 % in 1990 to around 40…
Development of agricultural nitrogen emission until 2020
Agriculture is the main emitter of three reactive nitrogen (N) compounds: ammonia, nitrate and nitrous oxide. Therefore, the agricultural sector is especially in charge for contributing to the mitigation of environmentally harmful N emissions. This is even accentuated by the fact that considerable gaps can be observed between the long term goals stated by law…
Identification of critical source areas for diffuse water pollution
Input into streams due to erosion and runoff of pesticides and nutrients from agricultural fields pose a threat to our water bodies. Field studies indicate that these losses originate from limited parts of a given catchment. This holds especially for fine sediments, pesticides and phosphorus, which are mainly transported by fast flow processes that are…
Advanced training for caring services at the farm
For more than ten years some regional agricultural training and extension centers in cooperation with a college of social studies offer an advanced training on «green care» (caring services at the farm). The regional trainings differ in their duration and in the orientation to one or several focus groups of people to be taken care…
Reference evaporation and its application in agrometeorology
Climate change places the agriculture in front of new challenges. An assessment of the water requirement of grassland, pasture and arable land on the basis of the evapotranspiration potential plays a central role in the planning of adaptation measures. The reference evaporation, a concept introduced in the 1990’s by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)…
Erosion risk map in a 2×2-meter grid (ERM2)
The high-resolution erosion risk map (ERM2) of Switzerland’s utilised agricultural area shows potential erosion risk based on the locational factors of relief, soil and precipitation – irrespective of particular land use (arable land, permanent grassland or vines) or crop management. Areas at high risk of erosion within a plot or on a hillside, such as…
Soil fertility and crop productivity: medium-term effect of organic inputs and simplified cultivation techniques
The combined effects of the nature of fertilizers (NPK, manure + NPK and liquid manure + NPK), fractionation of the manure inputs (every year or every three years) and tillage (plowing and reduced-tillage) associated with two nitrogen rates (100 or 60 % of the optimal dose) on soil fertility and dry matter production of different…
Odour concentration and emission from dairy cattle housing with an exercise yard
Local authorities, government agencies and courts are increasingly faced with complaints and lawsuits relating to odour annoyance from livestock housing systems. Odour concentration and emission from five naturally ventilated dairy cattle sheds were compared in two seasons and at two times of day. A newly developed tracer ratio method was used for these cowsheds with…
Genetic diversity of the Eringer breed
The Eringer cattle breed is a local breed of Swiss origin. The goal objective of this study was to analyse the development of genetic diversity from 1993 to 2007 using pedigree information. In addition, 128 Eringer cows were genotyped for through the Illumina 50k Illumina beadchip method and, using this genome-wide marker information, the genetic…
Agroforestry in Switzerland
Trees in agricultural landscapes provide important benefits for the environment. Nevertheless, they are disappearing from cultivated land due to economic and operational reasons. In modern agroforestry systems, trees are planted in rows on agricultural land in order to facilitate the mechanical processing.The economic and ecological potential of modern agroforestry systems in Switzerland were examined. Productivity…
Invasive plants – what else?
The migration of plants around the globe is essential for our life. Globalization of human activities disturb normal plant migration. Plants and other live forms from other continents do adapt to their new environments. If they do not find enemies there, they might become invasive and disturb the balance of the biodiversity. Plant invasions often…
Liste der empfohlenen Sojasorten für die Ernte 2011
Die Liste der empfohlenen Sojasorten für die Ernte 2011 enthält acht Sorten in drei verschiedenen Reifegruppen. In der frühreifen Gruppe sind die Sorten Merlin, Gallec und Aveline klassiert. Die mittelfrühe Reifegruppe beinhaltet Opaline und die mittelspäte Reifegruppe die Sorten Amphor, London, Protéix und Essor.
Liste der empfohlenen Eiweisserbsensorten für die Ernte 2011
Die Liste der Eiweisserbsen 2011 bleibt im Vergleich zur letztjährigen unverändert. Die Liste der empfohlenen Sommer-Eiweisserbsensorten enthält die Sorten Hardy, Starter, Mascara, Gregor und Alvesta. Bei den Winter-Eiweisserbsen werden weiterhin die Sorten Isard, Cartouche und Enduro empfohlen.
Liste der empfohlenen Sonnenblumensorten für die Ernte 2011
Für den Anbau 2011 stehen drei Normal- und drei ölsäurereiche Sorten zur Verfügung. LG5525 ist eine neue Eintragung in den Normalsorten. Die Vertragsmengen betragen 18`000 Tonnen, wovon maximal 12`000 Tonnen ölsäurereiche Sorten sind.
Gesamtmelioration: multifunktional und nachhaltig
Boswil ist eine kleine Gemeinde im aargauischen Freiamt. Eine Gesamtmelioration berücksichtigt die verschiedenen Interessen von Raumplanung, Ökologie und Landwirtschaft.
Consumer acceptance of new apple varieties in the German-speaking and in the French-speaking part of Switzerland
For a long time, the research station Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW has been breeding new apple varieties. High quality varieties are developed which are resistant and tolerant to diseases and which need a minimum of plant protection. Two new selections, ACW 6375 and ACW 11907, are candidates for being introduced on the market. Therefore, two consumer…
ENDURE – a European Network for the Durable Exploitation of Crop Protection Strategies
The EU ENDURE Project (European Network for the Durable Exploitation of Crop Protection Strategies) was concluded at the end of 2010. The four-year project saw the development of a centre of excellence, the long-term aim of which was to serve as a point of contact and platform for issues of sustainable plant protection in the…
Alternative control of snow mold (Microdochium nivale) in organic wheat
In the certification of organic wheat seed, the required germination capacity is often not achieved. This is frequently due to excessively high infestation with the snow mould pathogen Microdochium nivale. A warm-water treatment effectively controlled infestation on the seed. Owing to the high expenditure of energy for redrying, however, this method has not caught on…
