Archive
2,599 posts
Abolishment of the Swiss Raw Milk Quota
The abolishment of the swiss raw milk quota is analyzed. While the raw milk production increases by 14 % the price for raw milk producers is remarkably sinking. Taking the bilateral contracts between Switzerland and the European Union into consideration only a small raise of the raw milk quantity results. The analysis is carried out…
The intensity of grassland management influences the mineral contents of the grass
The influence of different cutting frequencies and fertilization levels on mineral contents of meadow grass was investigated from 1994 to 1999. The following four variants were compared: 5 cuts and 300 kg nitrogen(N) per ha, 5 cuts and 150 kg N per ha, 3 cuts and 150 kg N per ha, 2 cuts and no…
The intensity of grassland management influences the nutrient contents of the grass
The influence of different cutting frequencies and fertilization levels on dry matter (DM) yield, botanical composition and nutrient contents of meadow grass was investigated from 1993 to 1999. The following four variants were compared: 5 cuts and 300 kg N per ha, 5 cuts and 150 kg N per ha, 3 cuts and 150 kg…
Ammonia exchange with grasslands
As it is generally known, plants can exchange ammonia (NH3) with the atmosphere. Yet, the actual NH3 exchange potential of crops, especially of grassland, has hardly been studied so far. The European project GRAMINAE focused on the influence of climate and management on NH3 exchange between grassland and the atmosphere on different sites throughout Europe.…
Site-specific influences on diffusion of odours released by animal housing systems
The Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL) commissioned the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agricultural Economics and Engineering (FAT) in Tänikon to revise the FAT report no. 476 on minimal distances of animal housing systems (Richner, Schmidlin, 1995). In general, the existing guideline proved to be useful for closed houses with forced…
Oryx and Rangifer: two new cultivars of Italian ryegrass
Our new cultivars Oryx and Rangifer increase the range of diploid Italian ryegrass cultivars suitable for cultivation in Switzerland. These cultivars were bred using new germplasm which is not represented in our older cultivars. As compared to the well-known Swiss cultivar Axis, annual dry matter yield of the new cultivars was increased by 4 to…
Fattening performance of steers of six beef breeds
The fattening performance of 138 steers of the beef breeds Angus (AN), Simmental (SI), Charolais (CH), Limousin (LI), Blonde d’Aquitaine (BL) and Piemontese (PI) was investigated over two series. The basic ration fed ad libitum consisted of grass and maize silage in a proportion of 1:2 in the dry matter, which was supplemented with concentrate.…
Identification of cereal varieties by means of electrophoresis
The identification of varieties on a seed-material basis is impossible. In addition the differentiation between the cereal Triticale and wheat is often difficult. Due to the high variability of the gliadins the electrophoretic separation of these storage proteins results in variety- and/or species-specific banding pattern. In this study we investigated the gliadin-banding pattern of the…
Exopolysaccharide-producing microorganisms and cheese fabrication
Several microorganisms are able to produce exopolysaccharides. Such slime-producing lactic acid bacteria strains are used for the fabrication of Scandinavian sour milk products. In cheese fabrication, particularly in fat-reduced mozzarella cheese, their use leads to a higher moisture content and therefore to an increased meltability
Chemical structure and composition of fatty acids in milk fat
Milk fat contains approximately 400 different fatty acids. They can originate directly from the fat of the foodstuffs or the animal tissue, formed either by biohydrogenation in the rumen of the cow or synthesised in the mammary gland. At the present time, the official methods for the determination of fatty acid composition in milk fat…
Development of fennel and bolting
“Fennel is recognised as a long-day plant which develops inflorescence (bolting) at day lengths greater than 14 hours. From the day of planting until bolting the development of the swollen leaf base, “”bulb””, lasts approximately 50 to 65 days, dependent on the variety. The development of the bulb until bolting of different varieties and planting…
PhytoPRE+2000: a plot specific decision support system on the Internet
Since May 2001, Swiss potato growers are supported by the new internet-based decision support system (DSS) PhytoPRE+2000 to control potato late blight (www.phytopre.ch). Core parameters of this DSS are 1st the actual occurrence of the late blight on national and regional level and 2nd historical (recent) and forecasted weather data to recognise main infection- and…
Nutrients and pollutants in sewage sludge from 1975 to 1999
The composition of sewage sludge is intensively monitored since 25 years in Switzerland. The nutrient contents have undergone only minor changes. Simultaneously to an increasing production of sewage sludge the nutrient loads have increased during the first 15 years and since remained stable. Except for copper, the load of most heavy metals continuously decreased after…
RISE – A tool for a holistic sustainability assessment at the farm level
Whereas the liberalisation of the world markets seems to exert today the greatest pressure on development, sustainable production is the most important leading principle. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the degree of sustainability on a national and local level and broadly accepted indicators have also been recommended. However, only little information for the…
Reflection on research for a sustainable agriculture
The concept of a sustainable development of agriculture tends to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It consists of a model for the balanced management of a system with five capital assets: financial capital, human capital, physical man-made capital, social capital and…
Glycolytic potential of the muscle – effect on pork quality
Color and water holding capacity are important quality parameters of pork. They are in part affected by the glycolytic potential (GP) of the muscle tissue. This trait refers to the intra vitam glycogen content of muscle and is defined as the potential of lactate production during post mortem glycolysis. Muscle GP depends on the muscle…
DOC-trial: farming system and silage quality
Between 1996 and 1998 we investigated the influence of a bio-dynamic, a bio-organic and a conventional farming system on grass silage quality. For all treatments the same grass-clover-mixture was sown at the same place, the plots were fertilized differently depending on the farming system. Two different fertilizer levels per system were applied. The plots were…
Ecological compensation measures and breeding birds
From 1997 to 1999, we studied the effects of small plots for ecological compensation on breeding birds in 23 areas of 5 to 10 km² in the Swiss lowlands (total area 169 km²). The territories of 39 indicator bird species were recorded by territory mapping. 29 of them occurred in at least one study area…
