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Environment

Daniel O., Gandolfi M., Aldrich A., Baumann H., Büchi R.

Ecotoxicological risk management of plant protection products

For certain plant protection products (PPP) there are environmental risks depending on application, local situation and technology used. If the risk is not acceptable for all organisms, i.e. if areas of concern exist, standard phrases to address special risks have to be defined when a PPP is authorized. Standard phrases to address special risks should…
Environment

Daniel O., Gandolfi M., Aldrich A., Baumann H., Büchi R.

Ecotoxicological risk analysis of plant protection products

Environmental risks have to be assessed before a plant protection product (PPP) is used. The ecotoxicity of the PPP for different organisms (birds, mammals, fish, aquatic invertebrates and plants, arthropods including bees, earthworms and micro-organisms), is compared with the expected exposure of organisms to the PPP through water, soil, air or food. For unproblematic substances…
Environment

Jacot K., Beerli C., Eggenschwiler L.

Improved field margins and the effects on voles and moles

In the regions where agriculture covers most of the landscape, species rich field margins have an important role in the preservation of biodiversity, plants and fauna. Considering this, the Swiss Confederation plans to introduce «field margins» as new type of ecological compensation area. It is a perennial and linear structure sown with a mixture of…
Environment

Schwarz R., Chervet A., Hofer P., Sturny W.G., Zuber M

The canton of Berne promotes conservation of natural resources

Since the late 1950s agricultural production on arable land has been strongly intensified. As a consequence of primarily physical soil stress brought about by tillage operations, the fertility of arable soils is at risk. A strategy of action introducing a practicable cropping system, which combines the conservation of natural resources with economical benefits, was required.…
Environment

Prasuhn V., Liniger H., Hurni H., Friedli S.

Map of soil erosion risk in Switzerland

The Soil Erosion Risk Map gives a national overview on the erosion risk of Swiss soils, particularly for arable land. With the help of an adapted version of the empirical erosion model USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation), the long-term soil erosion risk was calculated all over the country in a hectare grid. The Soil Erosion…
Environment

Walter Th., Schneider K., Gonseth Y.

The mowing date of ecological compensation areas: influence on the fauna

The earliest cut of meadows, which are implemented as ecological compensation areas, nowadays is June 15th, first July or July 15th depending on the agricultural zone. An earlier cut is only possible with the permission of the cantonal authorities of nature conservation. Within the process of the agricultural law revision a liberalisation of these earliest…
Environment

Jossi W., Zihlmann U., Dubois D., Pfiffner L.

DOC Trial: effects of the farming systems on the earthworms

The DOC long-term trial in Therwil has been comparing two organic farming systems, with one another since 1978: two conventional systems and one unfertilized control system. Earthworm surveys from 2001 to 2005 revealed no statistically significant differences between the farming systems D2, O2 and K2, which were fertilized with solid and liquid manure, either in…
Environment

Hartmann M., Kölliker R., Enkerli J., Dubois D., Widmer F., Fliessbach A.

Farming systems influence soil bacteria

Soil microorganisms are known to influence nutrient cycling and transformation processes in soil. They are involved in maintaining soil quality and therefore in production of agricultural products of high quality. These communities may respond in a highly sensitive way to different environmental influences. High biodiversity may represent the ability of a soil to maintain functioning…
Environment

Stünzi H.

The soil P extraction with ammonium acetate EDTA (AAE10)

A prerequisite for the application of phosphorous values resulting from soil analysis methods is the comprehension of the chemical processes in the soil extraction. These processes were examined for the ammonium acetate EDTA extraction (AAE10-P) and compared with the extractions with CO2-saturated water (CO2-P) and pure water (H2O10-P). The average P-concentrations in the AAE10 extract…
Environment

Schaller B., Nemecek Th., Streit B., Zihlmann U., Chervet A., Sturny W. G.

Life cycle assessment of a system under no-tillage and ploughing

No-tillage and conventional plough tillage have been compared on a soil of medium heavy texture in a crop rotation without fallow period at the Inforama Ruetti in Zollikofen (Berne) since 1994. For the crop rotation period from 1999 to 2005 the environmental impact of both systems was calculated via life cycle assessment. With regard to…
Environment

Peter S.

Swiss nitrogen-cycle – expected deployment by 2013

The «Nitrogen-Project» has been mandated by the Swiss Federal Office of Agriculture and was elaborated at the Institute for Agricultural Economics at ETH Zurich. In the framework of this research project a recursive-dynamic agricultural allocation model has been used to anticipate the development of nitrogen emissions from agriculture on the sectoral level. This article provides…
Environment

Spirig Ch., Neftel A.

Agricultural amonia emmissions and particulate matter

In the atmosphere, ammonia reacts with nitric and sulphuric acid and produces low volatile salts. These can significantly contribute to particulate mass by either partitioning onto existing particles or building new particles. The acids are mainly produced from precursors arising from traffic, industry and households. In contrast, ammonia originates by about 90 % from agricultural…
Environment

Luka H., Uehlinger G., Pfiffner L., Mühlethaler R., Blick Th.

Extented field margins – a new element of ecological compensation in farmed landscapes – deliver positive impacts for Articulata

The sub-project “Effects of newly established extended field margins upon ground beetles and spiders” examined the influence of extended field margins (Säume) upon epigeal arthropods, especially ground beetles and spiders. Surveys were conducted in the Klettgau area in Schaffhausen canton, Switzerland, and in Litzibuch in Aargau canton. In each of the two areas, two extended…
Environment

Jeangros B., Troxler J.

Nutrients balance on a mountain dairy farm

From 1994 to 2003 three methods to measure the nutrients balance were compared on the dairy farm La Frêtaz (VD). Since 1994 no mineral fertilisers were applied on permanent grassland. At the whole farm level the difference between nutrients inputs and outputs was null or positive for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium.…
Environment

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

Dynamics of nitrogen in the soil under no-tillage and ploughing

Over a period of several years, the mineral nitrogen contents of a loamy cambisol at the Inforama Rütti in Zollikofen, Switzerland, were compared within an arable crop rotation without fallow periods using the two cropping systems of «no-tillage» (NT) and «ploughing» (P). In both systems, the plants received the same amount of mineral nitrogen, but…
Environment

Chervet A., Ramseier L., Sturny W. G.

Soil water under no-tillage and ploughing

In the long-term field trial “Oberacker” at the Inforama Ruetti in Zollikofen (Switzerland), no-tillage and conventional plough tillage have been compared on a light to medium textured gleyic cambisol since 1994. The soil physical analyses carried out within the cantonal soil monitoring program (KABO) between 1999 and 2004 provide information on structure, stability and water…
Environment

Weyermann I., Kampmann D., Peter M., Herzog F., Lüscher A.

Mountain meadows have a high ecological quality

In 20 municipalities of the Northern and Central Eastern Alps of Switzerland grasslands of the three management types extensive ecological compensation area (ECA), low intensive ECA and conventional meadows were investigated. Based on botanical relevés, the ecological quality of each meadow was assessed according to the Environmental Quality Ordinance (EQO). We found that the ecological…
Environment

Hausheer R. M., Conradin H., Flisch R.

Phosphorus losses in the drainage water of wet soils used as grassland

Nutrient losses from agricultural systems should be avoided for ecological and economical reasons. The leaching of phosphorus into the drainage water was investigated in a catchment area of about 10 ha used as grassland in the village of Reichenburg (SZ, Linthebene). The main factors that affect phosphorus leaching into the drainage water are precipitation, soil…
Environment

Eggenschwiler L., Iseli R., Nievergelt J., Conradin H., Keller S., Schweizer Ch.

Does the soil bebefit wildflower strips?

Several plant and animal species are promoted by wildflower strips. So far, potential benefits of this ecological compensation element to the soil have not yet been examined. Therefore, in the cantons Aargau and Basel-Land two soil aspects have been studied: five or six years old wildflower strips were compared to cereal fields and permanent meadows…
Environment

Kampmann D., Herzog F., Konold W.

Eco-meadows maintain species richness in the Alps

In municipalities of the Swiss Alpine regions the share of ecological compensation areas (ECAs) ranges from 2 % to over 40 % of the used agricultural area. How do climatic, agronomic, or socio-economic conditions explain these variations and how does the amount of ECAs influence the success of the ecological compensation programme? As part of…
Environment

Spiess E., Prasuhn V.

Less nitrate in groundwater due to ecological measures

The impact of agricultural management on the nitrate content of groundwater in the canton of Berne was investigated with the substance flow model MODIFFUS. The nitrate content decreased on average by 12 % between 1990 and 1999, varying widely between regions. The results partly were in line with a dataset of measured values from groundwater wells.…
Environment

Flury Ch.

Agricultural ecology and animal welfare 1994 to 2005

Evaluation of the ecological measures and animal welfare programmes shows that there has been an increase in the positive environmental effects of agriculture and a reduction in negative externalities since the programmes were introduced in 1993. The proof of ecological performance and the ecological measures have contributed to a measurable reduction in pollution and the…
Environment

van der Veer S., Meyer M., Chervet A., Sturny W.G., Weisskopf P.

Physical impacts on soil structure during sugar beet harvest

In Switzerland sugar beet are harvested primarily by two-row hauled or six-row self propelled vehicles. Time and again the multiple passes in the same wheel track caused by the hauled vehicles, the more than 10 tonnes wheel loads of the self-propelled harvesters and the generally unfavourable conditions with wet soils during the harvest campaign in…
Environment

Dietschi S., Gehrig Schmidt S., Schwank O., Killer V., Holderegger R.

Quality of mountain meadow types

Plant species richness, plant assemblages, red list plants and the fulfilment of quality requirements with respect to ecological quality payment system (ÖQV) were investigated for different mountain meadow types in the Swiss Alps. The overall quality of extensively managed meadows was slightly but not significantly higher than that of low-intensive meadows. Only intensively managed meadows…
Environment

Maurer-Troxler C., Chervet A., Ramseier L., Sturny W.G., Oberholzer H.R.

Soil biology after ten years of no- and conventional tillage

Over the last ten years, conventional plow tillage has been compared to no-tillage in the long-term field trial “Oberacker” at the Inforama Ruetti in Zollikofen. Earthworm populations, microbial biomass and soil respiration have been monitored since 1998-99. The average earthworm biomass is 94 g/m2 on conventionally tilled plots and 190 g/m2 on no-tilled plots. Deep-burrowers,…

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