Thomas Wanger (group leader)
Juan Herrera (scientist)
Lilia Levy Häner (scientist)
Alice Baux (scientist)
Brice Dupuis (scientist)
Nathalie Wuyts (scientist, coordinator a.i. of the SPPN)
Agroscope Changins, Nyon
Our work focuses on agricultural systems, the effects of diversification and emerging technologies for automating agricultural monitoring. We test new varieties of arable crops in field trials using plant phenotyping technology.
Plant Production Systems (department)
Production Technology and Diversified Cropping Systems (research group)
Our group has been mandated by the Federal Office for Agriculture to conduct variety testing trials (VSCU, value for sustainable cultivation and use) for field crops in Switzerland, including cereals, potatoes, rapeseed, and sunflowers. A further legal task is seed potato certification. We collaborate with relevant breeders, including the cereal and soybean breeding group at Agroscope.
In addition to variety testing, we conduct research projects investigating how these and other crops respond to abiotic and biotic stress in field conditions. We also develop and test digital phenotyping solutions for variety testing, breeding, and agricultural applications. For this, we utilise the multi-environment trial networks for the various crops in a lean field phenotyping context. We make use of UAVs equipped with RGB, multispectral and thermal imaging, as well as various ground-based measurement devices. We are continuing to expand our knowledge base on phenotyping and envirotyping, as well as the respective data processing and the translation into stakeholder applications. On the EU-level, we participate in the Phenet project and deliver services in the AgroServ project.
Our research further focuses on agricultural systems and the impact of diversification. To this end, we generate large datasets from field trials and literature reviews to evaluate the impact of cropping systems and diversification on the economic, social and environmental aspects of our crops. We also examine the impact of emerging pollutants, such as nano- and microplastics, on staple foods.
Translating our results into practice is a priority. To this end, we work closely with farmers and those involved in the respective value chains to identify and address their needs.
In collaboration with the Crop Science group at ETH Zurich, we initiated the Swiss Plant Phenotyping Network (SPPN) to promote the development and application of plant phenotyping infrastructure, technology, and services in Switzerland, as well as to become the Swiss national node of EMPHASIS ERIC. Agroscope is the host institute of the SPPN, with our group providing national coordination.