Organic Eprints
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Soil health with local recirculation and local amendments ensuring organic cucumber cultivation in Norway
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The new European organic regulation claims that cultivation must occur directly in soil in greenhouses. Cultivation practices in accordance with organic principles require the use of sustainable growing media and the addition of compost for soil improvement, preferably local resources. Soil improvement aims to achieve good soil health, including biological soil activity, nutrient availability, and favourable physical properties. However, only a few studies have been conducted on biological soil health in greenhouses. Biological soil activity was monitored in a greenhouse cucumber experiment on organic soil enriched with biochar and supplemented with local 1) compost, 2) solid digestate from biogas production, or 3) imported peat. The effects of silage mulching were also tested. Biological activity was measured in the soil using different indicators, while plant growth was monitored above soil. Results indicated that the mixture with compost contained more organic matter than other mixtures. Biological activity in the compost mixture was lower and started later than in the other mixtures. Silage mulch increased biological activity in all mixtures. Respiration rates and fungi content classified all three mixtures as stable growing media. At the start of the experiment, nitrogen content and pH levels in all three mixtures were similar. The peat mixture required the most mineral amendments, phosphorous content was highest in solid digestate and lowest in peat. Plant nutrient turnover to the plants was appropriate, although a lack of micronutrients was observed. Yields performed well. Our results show that biological activity in compost starts later in compost compared to the other mixtures. Anyhow compost is considered a key component of soil health. Fungi:bacteria balance was similar and comparable to measurements in Norwegian organically managed soil. Indicators were useful at farm level; they could be diversified further. Local compost and digestate performed as good as peat
Podcast: Blauzungenkrankheit – Gefahr für Rindvieh und Schafe | FiBL Focus
No full textDie Tierseuche «Blauzungenkrankheit» breitet sich in der Schweiz aus und stellt Landwirt*innen vor grosse wirtschaftliche Herausforderungen. Seit Ende August 2024 sind bereits über 2200 Betriebe betroffen. Doch was bedeutet das konkret für Tierhalter*innen
Podcast: Was bringt Bio wirklich? Ein Blick in über 500 Studien | FiBL Focus
No full textIn dieser Folge von FiBL Focus ist Dr. Jürn Sanders zu Gast. Er ist Agrarökonom, Politik- und Wirtschaftswissenschaftler sowie Vorsitzender der Geschäftsleitung am FiBL Schweiz. Gemeinsam mit einem interdisziplinären Forschungsteam hat er eine der bislang umfassendsten Metastudien zum biologischen Landbau in gemäßigten Klimazonen veröffentlicht
Kompost zeigt pflanzenstärkende Wirkung bei Koriander
No full textIm Kräuteranbau können bodenbürtige Schaderreger (Pilze und Bakterien) aufgrund der zum Teil intensiven Bewirtschaftung eine Herausforderung darstellen, insbesondere wenn in der Fruchtfolge mehrere Kulturarten derselben Pflanzenfamilie vertreten sind. Eine mögliche vorbeugende Massnahme ist der Komposteinsatz, der dem Boden antagonistische Mikroorganismen zuführt, welche Schaderreger wie zum Beispiel Pythium und Rhizoctonia unterdrücken können
Quand la vigne pousse sous des bouleaux
No full textLes bouleaux qui poussent dans les vignes offrent différents avantages – aussi bien écologiques qu’économiques. Surtout en Europe centrale, les bouleaux madrés atteignent des prix élevés pour leur bois, ce qui les rend encore plus attractifs pour les vigneron·ne·s
Hvordan kan husdyrene få det bedre? Her er ekspertenes 12 løsninger
No full text– Det finnes ingen enkeltstående faktor som ved et trylleslag kan løse utfordringene med dyrevelferd, sier rådgiver Vegard Botterli fra forskningssenteret Norsøk.
Så hvilke tiltak skal til? Her er svarene fra 15 forskere og eksperter som har blitt intervjuet i forskning.nos serie om dyrevelferd
What Breeding Goal Should Organic Dairy Farmers Pursue? Results from a Willingness-To-Pay Study Among Consumers in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden
No full textThere is a growing public focus on negative consequences of dairy production, including carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and limited welfare for production animals. Many of these concerns can be significantly mitigated through innovation, such as enhancing traits in breeding goals. However, enhancing traits to address one issue may compromise the ability to effectively tackle other problems. For example, there may be a negative correlation between traits that help to limit carbon emission per kg milk and those that improve animal welfare. The organic dairy sector, in particular, is at a strategic crossroads, needing to identify the most important potential breeding goals to implement. This study aims to determine what organic consumers in three European countries—Denmark, Germany, and Sweden—are willing to pay (WTP) for four specific breeding goals. Questionnaire data were collected by Norstat using their consumer panels (appr n=1500 in all three countries). To match population censuses, sample quotas were set for gender, age, and regions. WTP was studied for two products: organic cheese and organic milk. The four traits in the breeding goals were: Lower carbon emission (CARBON), Better animal welfare (WELFARE), Higher milk yield (YIELD), Healthier dairy products (HEALTH). Respondents’ WTP for the different attributes were estimated in random parameters logit models using the software NLOGIT 6. In all countries, and for both products, WELFARE, turned out to be the goal consumers were willing to pay the most for. HEALTH and CARBON had the second highest WTP while the WTP for YIELD was very limited. In Denmark and Germany, we found a positive relation between organic consumption and WTP for WELFARE and CARBON. In Sweden, a similar relation was not identified. Our results leave no doubt that, when innovating through breeding, organic dairy breeders and farmers should prioritize traits that enhance the ability of dairy animals to experience good welfare in organic production systems
Étudier la relation entre l’éleveur et le bétail pour améliorer le bien-être
Get PDFAvec le projet HARC, le FiBL se penche sur la question de ce
qui lie intrinsèquement le bétail de rente aux éleveurs. C’est un nouveau champ inexploré qui s’ouvre, tant pour la recherche que la pratique
Riconoscere e prevenire
No full textIl problema delle neofite invasive è ormai di dominio pubblico. Ciononstante, la prevenzione viene trascurata – mentre in agricoltura varrebbe la pena intervenire precocemente
UniPhen "PIWI" -high-resolution simulation of the phenological development of 13 fungus-tolerant cultivars based on broad observation data set from Central Europe
Get PDFDue to their high potential for fungicide reduction, fungus-tolerant “PIWI” cultivars are increasingly gaining interest in European viticulture. This investigation aimed (i) to obtain phenological observation datasets of PIWI cultivars across a broad set of European locations, (ii) to apply the temperature sum based “UniPhen” model allowing for a precise simulation of the phenological development at all BCCH stages between bud swelling and berries ripe for
harvest and (iii) to discuss the potential implementations in applied viticulture as well as in viticultural climate change impact research.
Four consecutive years of complete data sets of phenological observations originating from eight locations in Central Europe for 13 PIWI and 3 traditional cultivars were used to apply the UniPhen model using a cumulative degree day approach with three temperature thresholds (lower threshold: 10 °C; upper threshold: 20 °C; heat threshold: 30 °C). Muscaris showed the thermal-temporally earliest budburst, while Solaris was earliest in beginning of flowering and harvest ripeness. The latest budburst and the latest beginning of flowering in PIWI cultivars were observed in Pinotin, while harvest ripeness was reached latest by Calardis blanc. The average normalised standard deviation (SD15 °C) over all stages, locations and cultivars was 5.5, corresponding to 5.5 days at 15 °C, with the lowest SD15 °C values around budburst and flowering stages. The highest SD15 °C values were observed in the bunch closure and post-veraison stages.
UniPhen “PIWI” enables a precise simulation of all 31 BBCH stages between the beginning of the bud swell (01) and berries being ripe for harvest (89) for 13 fungus-tolerant cultivars and can be extended to additional cultivars. The model can be applied (i) as a bioclimatic indicator describing the suitability of a location/region for the cultivation of specific cultivars under present and future climate conditions, (ii) for the simulation of cultivar-specific phases of highest susceptibility for fungal diseases and, indirectly, the timing of fungicide treatments as well as (iii) for the classification of the relative late frost risk depending on the thermal-temporal precocity of budburst. This knowledge helps to lower the barrier to growing PIWI cultivars and helps to pave the way for a more sustainable, climate change-resilient viticulture