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Environment

Hediger W., Peter S., Hartmann M., Weber M., Lehmann B.

The reduction of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions

A recent study at the ETH Zurich shows that the development of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Switzerland will, also in the near future, mainly depend on the development of livestock populations. Current GHG reduction measures may only play a marginal role, given their relatively high cost. Furthermore, the results indicate that the target…
Environment

Ammann C., Neftel A., Spirig C., Leitfeld J., Fuhrer J.

Nitrogen balance of hay meadows with and without fertilization

In a paired field experiment in Oensingen (Switzerland), a fertilised and an unfertilised meadow had been established in 2001 after conversion from arable rotation. Beside the carbon budget, also the entire nitrogen budget of the two grassland fields with all input and output processes have been measured since 2006. Although the nitrogen input to the…
Environment

Bachmann H.J., Buschmann J., Mayer J., Bürge D., Annen D.

Soil analysis with X-ray fluorescence spectometry

The aim of this study was to characterize a field of Agroscope Reckenholz research station regarding its soil constituents with X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and other analytical methods. In addition, criteria for homogeneity were to be determined in order to assign homogeneous lots for long-term agricultural experiments. In the first part, a method was developed…
Environment

Dux D., Alig M., Herzog D.

Environmental impact of agricultural buildings

Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) are based on numerous databases in the energy, transport, waste disposal, chemicals, agricultural processes and facilities spheres. Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ART has expanded the data specifically pertaining to agriculture in the ‘buildings’ sphere. The comparison of four different dairy barns shows that by opting for a multi-building loose-housing system in a…
Environment

Meyer M.

Rapeseed oil fuel – the crisis-proof home made eco-fuel

End of 2008 the CTI-project �Vegetable Oil Combined Heat and Power Unit� – completed by Agricultural Machinery department of SCA in close cooperation with its governmental funding and private industry partners – could successfully be completed. With the supply of locally produced Renewable Resources Rape Seed Oil and its conversion to power and heat, the…
Environment

Lüscher G., Walter T.

Indicators for ecological quality in alpine pastures

Vascular plants are helpful indicators for the ecological quality. In the context of the Ecological Quality Ordinance they are already used in the utilized agricultural area. Recently, criteria to assess the ecological quality of summer pastures have been discussed. ART has identified the vascular plant taxa, which best represent species richness, the occurrence of Red…
Environment

Peter M., Lüscher A.

Floristic evolution of nutrient-poor grasslands in the Alps

The nutrient-poor, semi-natural grasslands of the Swiss Alps are amongst the most species-rich habitats in Europe. To investigate changes over 25 years in the diversity and floristic composition of these plant communities, we repeated a total of 151 phytosociological relevés, originally recorded between 1975 and 1985 in Château-d’Oex, Grindelwald, Tujetsch und Sent. In this second…
Environment

Ramseier L., Chervet A., Sturny W. G., Weisskopf P., Sommer M.

Soil damage by tractor pulling

Between 2002 and 2006, tractor pulling events were carried out once a year on a deep luvisol on arable farm land in Niederbipp (BE). Since severe mechanical stress was anticipated particularly within the track area, the authorization of the event was subject to conditions stipulated by the cantonal soil protection service with the aim of…
Environment

Pellet D., Baux A., Grosjean Y., Hebeisen T., Hiltbrunner J., Hunziker H.

Temperature and nutritional quality of rapsed oil

In 2007, newspapers reported a decrease in oilseed rape Omega-3 fatty acid content, which was related to the breeding of modern varieties. The goal of the present paper was to evaluate this hypothesis and to document the role of temperature in the observed phenomenon. At Changins research Station, a significant decrease in alpha-linolenic acid content…
Environment

Ledermann T., Schneider F.

The spread of no-till farming in Switzerland

No-tillage, which has diverse ecological and economic advantages, is an effective measure for protecting against erosion that has become more important in Switzerland in recent years. Since the mid-1980s, the amount of land on which this method is used increased from a few hectares to about 12,000 hectares by 2006. Although this is still quite…
Environment

Meyer M.

From oats for horses to vegetable oil for farm machines

The Rapeseed Oil Combined Heat and Power Unit’ project is a public-private partnership. Its main success is the showcase presentation of the extraction of fuel-quality rapeseed oil and its failure-free application in diesel engines. Significant progress, recognised across Europe, has been made in the field of cold pressing with the setting up of the research…
Environment

Tobias S., Stettler M, Haberecht M., Meyer M., Ingensand H.

Measuring soil displacement due to passing over restored soils

The improved techniques of land restoration provide loose soils that have subsequently to be treated with extensive agricultural management for several years. We investigated the influence of the age of restored soils on their mechanical bearing capacity and their potential to recover from mechanical impacts. For this, we accomplished wheeling experiments with a tractor and…
Environment

Fuchs T., Berner A., Mayer J., Schleiss K.

Influence of composts and digestats on soil fertility

In order to estimate the potential of Swiss composts to influence soil fertility and plant health, one hundred composts representative of the different composting systems and qualities available on the market were analyzed. The nutrient content of the composts was predominantly influenced by the materials of origin. The organic matter content, respiration rate and enzyme…
Environment

Kupper T., Brändli R., Pohl M., Bucheli T., Becker-van Slooten K.

Organic pollutants in compost and digestate of Switzerland

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), dioxin-like PCBs, polybrominated flame retardants, perfluorinated alkyl substances, chlorinated paraffins and phthalates were found in compost, digestate and presswater originating from 39 composting and digestion plants. The concentrations were mostly in the range of μg/kg dry weight (dw) but above background contents of…
Environment

Jossi W., Schweizer C., Keller S.

Click-beetle species and biological control of wireworms

Wireworms, the larval stages of click beetles, cause feeding damage to a number of crops. With potatoes the tuber quality is frequently impaired, leading to downgrading losses. In Switzerland damage north of the Alps is primarily caused by the Agriotes obscurus, A. lineatus and A. sputator species. All three species have a very similar cycle…
Environment

Stämpfli A.

The sustainability evaluation RISE of mountain farms

The Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation (RISE) summarizes, based on twelve indicators ecological, economical and social aspect of agricultural production at the farm level. Within the Mountain Dairy Project RISE was used to assess the overall goals of the individual farm strategies. Although an improvement on the economic indicators can be seen, an overall sustainable situation on…
Environment

Kägi T., Freiermuth Knuchel R., Nemecek T., Gaillard G.

Life cycle assessment of energy crops

The environmental impact of bioenergy production from biomass strongly depends on the crop cultivation. This study looks into the ecological optimisation of biomass cultivation answering following three questions: What is the environmental advantage of organic over integrated farming? Which crops are suited for biomass production? What other key factors have to be considered for a…
Environment

Bohren Ch., Mermillod G., Delabays N.

Noxious weeds in set-aside areas: results of a nationwide observation network

Fallow land sown with a wildflower seed mixture is one of the major set-aside areas promoted by the Swiss legislation in order to enhance biodiversity in the landscape. Still, the installation of such areas on arable land raises concerns about their potential to contribute to the dissemination of noxious weeds. In order to gather information…
Environment

Hausheer R. M., Brack E., Flisch R.

Effects of suboptimal fertilization on arable crops

The production of high yields and adequate product quality requires a sufficient and balanced supply of the soil with nutrients. The field trial, conducted since 1989 for purpose of demonstration, shows the impact of different fertilizer forms (organic and mineral fertilizer) on the one hand and the effects of an unbalanced fertilization on the other…
Environment

Müller M., Schafflützel R., Chervet A., Sturny W. G., Zihlmann U., Weisskopf P.

Soil organic matter content after eleven years of no-till and plough

The organic matter content of the soil was analyzed on a medium textured slightly humic soil at the Inforama Rütti in Zollikofen which had been cultivated either with no-till or plough over eleven years. In several soil layers down to 40 cm the organic matter content as well as bulk density were analyzed. Due to…
Environment

Stünzi H.

Comparison of soil analyis methods for K, Mg and Ca

For the analysis of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) in soils different methods are used in Switzerland: Extraction with pure water (H2O10), with CO2 saturated water (CO2), with ammonium acetate and EDTA (AAE10) or with calcium chloride (CC). During the extraction, water-soluble compounds are dissolved, lime is decomposed by acids, cations are liberated…
Environment

Sturny W. G., Chervet A., Maurer-Troxler C., Ramseier L., Müller M., Schafflützel R., Richner W., Streit B., Weisskopf P., Zihlmann U.

Comparison of no-tillage and conventional plough tillage – a synthesis

No-tillage and conventional plough tillage have been compared in a crop rotation without fallow period and application of mineral fertilizer only, in the long-term field trial “Oberacker” at the Inforama Ruetti in Zollikofen (Berne) since 1994. The slightly humic sandy loam is a deep and nutrient-rich soil. The results obtained so far show continuous no-tillage…
Environment

Patrian B., Bächli A., Müller M.D.

Market control measures of isoproturon herbicides

Plant Protection Products are biologically active and potentially toxic preparations, which are regulated under a series of laws and ordinances in Switzerland. In order to protect man and environment against harmful effects of pesticides, market control measures are in force to support the regulations. Whereas several Federal Government authorities are responsible for registration, the market…

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