Agroscope is the Swiss centre of excellence for agricultural research, and is affiliated with the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Agroscope makes an important contribution to a sustainable agriculture and food sector as well as to an intact environment, thereby contributing to an improved quality of life.

Agroscope researches along the entire value chain of the agriculture and the food sector. Its goals are a competitive and multifunctional agricultural sector, high-quality food for a healthy diet, and an intact environment. In pursuing these aims, the research institute gears itself to the needs of its service recipients.

Switzerland was appointed a Case Study Region in RustWatch and Agroscopes role is to coordinate and carry out activities in the region aiming at facilitating the interaction between stakeholders in the region and RustWatch acivities.

One major activity is to host and coordinate a yearly Case Study Region workshop and to organise open field days and other activities that promote the project, demonstrate outputs from the RustWatch project. Secondly to identify needs and ideas from stakeholders in the region that will feed directly into the activities and developments in RustWatch. 

In RustWatch we will facilitate the exchange of ideas, knowledge and technologies  between the 5 selected case study regions. Workpackage 3 will also accomplish a comparable case study describing and comparing innovative IPM strategies in each region. 

Contact Person: Fabio Mascher, Agroscope e-mail: fabio.mascher@agroscope.admin.ch

Case Study Region Workshop, 2019. Presentations from the meeting

Time: 30 April 2019

Place:  Peasant House in Lausanne

The first Swiss RustWatch workshop was held at the Peasant House in Lausanne on April 30, 2019. RustWatch case coordinators (Fabio Mascher, Jessica Joaquim) introduced the RustWatch project, case study and new web tools and smartphones applications developed by RustWatch. Then followed several presentations by regional stakeholders related to the problem of wheat rust. Fabio Mascher (Agroscope) presented the progress of scientific research on rust in Switzerland and around the world, Annelie Holzkämper (Agroscope) the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture and crop diseases, Lilia Levy (Agroscope) the choice of cultivars and resistance of wheat in Switzerland and Pierre-Yves Jaquiery (DGAV, cantonal phytosanitary service) gave a practical point of view on the follow-up of the evolution of rusts in French-speaking Switzerland. A discussion and a general debate was then opened to discuss participants' experiences with the outbreaks of wheat rust in Switzerland (moderation by Numa Courvoisier, RustWatch and Agridea). The topics "cultivar choice and economic impacts", "disease management" as well as "tools and monitoring" were discussed.

Participants
Participants included RustWatch case study coordinators (3), agronomy researchers (4), agricultural advisers (3), seed and plant breeders (2), agri-chemistry consultants (2), association of the cereal branch (1), extensionist (1).

• Programme

• Introduction au projet RustWatch / Fabio Mascher & Jessica Joaquim (Agroscope, RustWatch)

• Outils informatiques et applications RustWatch / Fabio Mascher

• Coordination des études de cas et buts de la journée /  Jessica Joaquim

• Recherche sur les rouilles / Fabio Mascher (Agroscope Changins)

• Changements climatiques et maladies / Annelie Holzkämper (Agroscope Reckenholz) et Fabio Mascher (Agroscope Changins)

• Choix variétal et résistances / Lilia Levy (Agroscope, Changins)

• Protection des plantes / Pierre-Yves Jaquiéry (DGAV)

• Minute from the meeting

In Switzerland the open field day was organised by Agroscope on the 20th June

• Invitation and program
• presentation about RustWatch

Time: 28 May 2020

Place: Online meeting via Zoom

Topics and presenters: Einladung

Public material from the meeting. Some material are in local language.

• Situation der Weizenrostein der Schweiz und in Europa /

• Die RustWatch Internet plattform zum Monitoring und zur Überwachung der Weizenroste /

• Die Fallstudienregionen von RustWatch und erste Ergebnisse

• Offene Fragen und Diskussionen

• Minute from the meeting

• Roadmap including goals, timeplan, activities and responsibilities until next year workshop 

Media: