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2023

20.09.2023

Cheese Varieties: Volatile Carboxylic Acids Contribute to their Unmistakeable Character
Cheese varieties from Switzerland are characterised according to various criteria. Agroscope analysed the free volatile carboxylic acids in ten cheese varieties and demonstrated that the latter are suitable for characterisation and differentiation.

19.09.2023

Ground-Nesting Bees as Soil Ecosystem «Engineers»
Scientists from Agroscope and two partner universities used X-ray imaging to provide new insights into the underground life of ground-nesting bees. The results highlight the locally important role of ground-nesting bees as soil ecosystem “engineers” improving soil health.

14.09.2023

How Much Nitrogen from the Air Enters the Soil through Legumes?
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by bacteria in the soil coexisting with legumes leads to reduced fertiliser requirement. It is not easy to measure this variable on farms, however. Now researchers from Agroscope have developed a method for estimating nitrogen input via symbiotic fixation at farm level.

12.09.2023

How Resilient Were Swiss Agri-Food Importing Firms to COVID-19?
The agricultural sector as an aggregate proved resilient to the COVID-19 shock. But how did it impact agribusiness firms within the sector? Using the Swiss case, we provide the first set of evidence on how agri-food importing firms survived the pandemic economically.

07.09.2023

Discover the latest issue of agroscope Magazine
Agroscope researches for an agricultural sector that is adapted to climate change. Discover articles on invasive species (neobiota), drought-resistant plants and heat stress in dairy cows in the September issue of agroscope Magazine.

04.09.2023

First Experimental Release of Parasitic Asian Wasp to Control Spotted-Wing Drosophila
The invasive spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) is a devastating pest in berry, stone fruit and grape crops. A natural antagonist from the fruit fly’s area of origin in East Asia is now due to be released in Switzerland for the first time by Agroscope and CABI.

31.08.2023

Joël Bérard to Be President of the EAAP from 2024
At its 74th Annual Meeting, the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) elected the Head of the ‘Animal Production Systems and Animal Health’ Research Division of Agroscope as its new President.

29.08.2023

Variability and Clonal Selection of Muscats in the Valais
Safeguarding the clonal diversity of Muscats in the Valais has enabled the characterisation of 42 Muscat à petits grains and 36 Moscato Giallo clones. The characteristics of the two are quite distinct, particularly their aromatic potential. The best clones will be included in the Swiss certification scheme.

28.08.2023

Agroscope and ecoinvent Renew Partnership
Agroscope and ecoinvent are committed to advancing sustainable practices in the agriculture and food sectors through their collaboration.

23.08.2023

A New Tool to Help Practitioners in the Integrated Control of a Major Tomato Pest
Tuta absoluta is one of the most destructive pests of solanaceous crops. Agroscope has developed a statistical model to study the population dynamics of the pest and its parasitoids and allows interventions to be optimally planned.

21.08.2023

Bark Diseases
This year’s Güttingen information day focused on fruit tree canker and bark blight, two tree diseases that are especially prevalent in rainy weather.

10.08.2023

The Role of Agricultural Economics Research in Policymaking
Agricultural economics research uses a multitude of methods and approaches to assess existing and new policy measures. This is the basis for agricultural policy that demonstrably makes a difference, i.e. is evidence-based.

08.08.2023

Species Diversity in Soil Much Higher than Expected
The soil is one of the most species-rich habitats on Earth. This is the conclusion reached by a survey study conducted by a Swiss research team comprising Agroscope, WSL and the University of Zurich.

08.08.2023

European Red Clover Exhibits High Diversity and Local Adaptation
Red clover is one of the most important legumes in European forage production. In a multi-year field trial, researchers tested Europe’s largest collection of different red clover accessions at five European locations.

07.08.2023

1st European Healthy Soils Conference
The 1st European Healthy Soils Conference on soil fertility will take place in Muttenz from 13 to 15 September 2023. The deadline for registration is 8 September.

04.08.2023

Reducing Methane Emissions from Swiss Rice Fields
Agroscope researches rice production in Switzerland – but what is the greenhouse-gas balance of this crop like?

03.08.2023

Grapevine Nitrogen Nutrition: Measures and Interpretations
Grapevine nitrogen nutrition is a key parameter for achieving production targets in terms of yield and wine quality. Here we set out the current assessment methods and their interpretation thresholds for sustainable management.

31.07.2023

Bacteria welcome!
Our gut microbiota is important for our health. The more diverse the microbial composition, the better. The Polyfermenthealth project aims to find new bacteria for yogurt production in order to bring more bacterial and nutrient diversity back into the diet.

19.07.2023

Mechanised Pre-flowering Grapevine Leaf Removal: Benefits and Risks
Pre-flowering leaf removal is a recent practice in viticulture. As well as reducing fungal disease pressure, it limits yield and improves grape composition. An Agroscope study shows that mechanising pre-flowering leaf removal saves effort but also involves risks.

18.07.2023

Climate change leads to longer growing seasons and favours farmland at higher altitude
With increasing global and regional temperatures, even in Switzerland the growing season has lengthened considerably. Using data from the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, Agroscope has traced the development of the growing season since the start of the previous century.

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