SCOPE
The Group of Plant Nutrition (ETHZ) invites you to a symposium with national and
international experts discussing current knowledge and challenges on nitrogen (N) use
and cycling in agro-ecosystems. The symposium is part of a seminar organized by the
Group of Plant Nutrition (Emmanuel Frossard, Astrid Oberson) for the MSc students in
Agricultural Sciences at ETH Zurich. The talks will encompass different components and
scales of the N cycle, including animal and crop production, different N sources, their use
efficiency and N losses to the environment. Management options and policies on how to
mitigate harmful N losses to the environment will be discussed. The symposium will also
be complemented by a visit to the lysimeter facilities at Agroscope Reckenholz. Finally,
we will meet in thematic groups to discuss the outcomes of the symposium.
REGISTRATION
email to: [email protected]
NITROGEN IN AGRICULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT:
FACTS AND PERSPECTIVES
Places are limited. Please indicate on which days you would like to attend and whether
SYMPOSIUM ON CURRENT TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN NITROGEN RESEARCH
Registration is open until Monday, December 12th, 2016. Please register by sending an
you would like to participate in the excursion.
PARTICIPATION FEES
1 day
CHF
100.- (ETH employees CHF 50.-)
2 days CHF
150.- (ETH employees CHF 75.-)
Participation fees include coffee breaks, lunch, documentation and excursion bus
:: Nitrogen at global and national scales
:: Nitrogen cycle in the agro-ecosystem
:: Loss processes and mitigation
transfer. Registration is required for all participants. Please note that the participation
:: From research to policies
fees will be collected in cash on the day of the symposium.
:: Excursion to lysimeter facilities of Agroscope Reckenholz
LOCATION
:: Round table discussion
ETH Zürich
Room ML E12
Sonneggstrasse 3
ETH Zurich | Room ML E 12
Thursday | January 12th, 2017 | 08:45-16:50
8092 Zurich
Sonneggstrasse 3 | 8006 Zurich
Friday
| January 13th, 2017 | 08:15-16:30
THURSDAY | JANUARY 12TH | 2017
08:15-08:30
Astrid Oberson - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich
FRIDAY | JANUARY 13TH | 2017
08:15-08:55
Introduction for students
08:45-09:00
Emmanuel Frossard - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich
Frank Liebisch - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich
Phenotyping and precision agriculture for more efficient nitrogen use
SESSION 3
LOSS PROCESSES AND MITIGATION
Introduction
08:55-09:35
SESSION 1
09:00-09:40
NITROGEN AT GLOBAL AND NATIONAL SCALES
Nicolas Gruber - Institute of Biochemistry and Pollutant dynamics, ETH Zurich
Connecting the gears - on the role of nitrogen-carbon interactions for the Earth System
09:40-10:00
COFFEE BREAK
10:00-10:40
Andreas Pacholski - EuroChem Agro, Mannheim, Germany
Land use and hydrogeologic controls on nitrate concentrations in groundwater
09:35-9:50
COFFEE BREAK
09:50-10:30
Christof Ammann - Agroscope, Reckenholz
Ammonia emissions: measurements, estimation of nitrogen losses, and mitigation options
10:30-11:10
Global and European mineral nitrogen fertilizer market: production, distribution and
perspectives
10:40-11:20
Harald Menzi - Agroscope, Posieux
Development of livestock production and implications for the nitrogen household
11:20-12:00
12:00-13:15
SESSION 2
13:15-13:55
SESSION 4
11:10-11:30
FROM RESEARCH TO POLICIES
Richard Ballaman - Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), Bern
Objectives and commitments to abate ammonia emissions
11:30-11:50
Christine Zundel - Federal Office of Agriculture (BLW), Bern
Reduction of nitrogen surplus in Swiss agriculture
LUNCH BREAK - SANDWICH LUNCH AT THE "LICHTHOF" OF LFW
NITROGEN CYCLE IN THE AGRO-ECOSYSTEM
Sylvie Recous - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Reims, France
Nitrogen cycling in soils: Interactions with the carbon cycle, processes and drivers, role of
the soil microorganisms
13:55-14:35
Charlotte Decock - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich
Sources, quantification and mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions from soil
Gaston Theis - Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), Bern
Emissions of reactive nitrogen compounds in Switzerland and their effects on the
environment
Daniel Hunkeler - Centre d'hydrogéologie et géothermie, University of Neuchâtel
11:50-11:55
Closing remarks on plenary session
11:55-13:00
LUNCH BREAK - SANDWICH LUNCH AT THE "LICHTHOF" OF LFW
SESSION 5
EXCURSION TO LYSIMETER FACILITIES OF AGROSCOPE
13:00
BUS TRANSFER TO AGROSCOPE RECKENHOLZ
13:30-14:30
Walter Richner, Ernst Spiess - Agroscope, Reckenholz
Andreas Lüscher - Agroscope, Reckenholz
Lysimeters to study nitrogen leaching: visit of facilities and results
Significance of symbiotically fixed nitrogen in grassland
14:35-15:15
Michael Kreuzer - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich
SESSION 6
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
(ENGLISH AND GERMAN SPEAKING GROUPS)
Plant nitrogen in animal nutrition
15:15-15:30
COFFEE BREAK
15:30-16:10
Jochen Mayer - Agroscope, Reckenholz
16:10-16:50
14:30-15:30
Emmanuel Frossard, Astrid Oberson - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich
Overall topic: what does ecological intensification mean for nitrogen use in
agriculture?
Nitrogen in animal manure/in organic nitrogen fertilizers: forms and nitrogen use efficiency by
crops
15:30-16:30
Presentation of results and overall discussion
Joelle Fustec - Ecole Supérieure d'Agriculture (ESA), Angers, France
16:30
Closing remarks
Nitrogen in soil-crop system: how can we improve the nitrogen use efficiency of cropping
systems?
END OF SYMPOSIUM AT AGROSCOPE RECKENHOLZ