Plants

Measuring Pollination Deficits in Five Crops

Researchers examined pollination deficits in apple, cherry, oilseed rape, broad bean and raspberry crops in over a hundred locations in the main growing regions of Switzerland. They also measured the impact of the pollinator community on yield quantity and quality. On average, pollination deficits were low but detectable. The data confirm the agronomic importance of crop pollination by insects. Depending on the crop, honeybees, wild bees or a balanced mixture of different pollinators are ideal.

• Sustainable Pollination
• SRF16: Preserving and harnessing the species and habitat diversity of the agricultural landscape

 

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Divona, a New Disease-Resistant White Grape Variety

Christened in 2018, Divona is the result of a cross between the ‘Bronner’ and ‘Gamaret’ varieties. The best candidates were selected throughout an innovative process including, in particular, early disease-resistance tests and winemaking trials. Boasting good resistance to botrytis blight and high resistance to powdery mildew, Divona allows growers to reduce the use of plant-protection products. As for the wines produced from the Divona grape, they are very well noted during tastings: structured, with a fine, aromatic bouquet evoking notes of exotic fruits and citrus.

• Divona
• SRF03: Breeding and offering efficient and marketable plant varieties

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Increasing knowledge about Grass Growth and Quality

Managing grasslands means managing species communities. To make the best use of these communities, we must also know about grass growth and quality, and master grassland conservation. The ‘IntoGrass’ project aims to develop tools to facilitate grassland management, grass utilisation and grass quality assessment. Launched in 2018, this transdisciplinary project involves four Agroscope teams, and is based inter alia on a network of 32 grasslands distributed across Switzerland, which will help us better understand the impact of climatic conditions on grass growth and quality.

• Optimised Grassland Utilisation
• SRF01: Optimising and coordinating multifunctional grassland use and livestock husbandry

 

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Role of Viral Communities in Cultivated Plants

Deep-sequencing techniques have revealed the existence of numerous microorganisms in all of the planet’s ecosystems. In Switzerland, Agroscope’s Virology Research Group is utilising these techniques to check the state of health of crops. Our research has led to the detection of complex viral communities which sometimes contain unknown viruses. Whilst the majority of these viruses do not cause disease, our work shows that they interact with the agricultural ecosystem, and can influence the dynamics of disease transmission.

• Viruses, bacteria and phytoplasmas
• SRF05: Developing sustainable, low-risk plant protection

 

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