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In 1995, an experiment was planted at Wädenswil for comparing organic and integrated apple production. The overall goal of this experiment was to develop a data set which allows for an objective overall comparison of the two production concepts. Horticultural, ecological and economical traits were looked at. In practical terms, the study should particularly clarify how suitable the two systems are for producing marketable fresh fruit under Swiss conditions. The approach of an on-station comparison with a split-plot design with 3 replicate blocks and the factors “production system” (1st factor) and “variety” (2nd factor) was chosen. Ninety-four percent of Swiss apple acreage is managed according to integrated production, and 5% according to organic guidelines 2001. Conventional production is therefore lacking practical relevance and was not included in this trial. Cultivars Boskoop, Pommes Cloche, Idared and Resi were planted on rootstock M9 at a 3.4 by 1.4m spacing. The crop management was dynamically adapted every year according to the most advanced crop management technology that is appropriate in the particular in situ situation of the trial and that is permitted by the most recent Swiss guidelines for each of the two production systems. In particular, parameters of tree growth, fruit growth, yield and fruit quality, crop protection, crop economy and crop ecology were assessed. In 2001, additional analytical fruit quality parameters were measured and extensive sensory tests were performed. This study provides the first scientific comparison of organic and integrated apple production under European conditions. The paper presents preliminary conclusions while the last cropping season of the experiment is still on-going and final data analyses will be possible in 2003.

The production of food is responsible for major environmental impacts. Bearing this in mind, it is even worse when food is lost rather than consumed. In Switzerland, 46% of all processing potatoes and 53% of all fresh potatoes are lost on their way from field to fork. Our study therefore compares the environmental impacts of losses of fresh potatoes with those of French fries. With the aid of a Life Cycle Assessment, we assessed the impact categories “demand for nonrenewable energy resources”, “global warming potential”, “human toxicity”, “terrestrial ecotoxicity” and “aquatic ecotoxicity”. Our results show that 1 kg of potatoes consumed as French fries causes 3–5 times more environmental impacts than the same quantity of fresh potatoes, but also that the proportion of impacts relating to losses is considerably lower for French fries (5%–10% vs. 23%–39%). The great majority of processing potato losses occur before the resource-intensive, emission-rich frying processes and therefore the environmental “backpack” carried by each lost potato is still relatively small. Nonetheless, appropriate loss treatment can substantially reduce the environmental impact of potato losses. In the case of French fries, the frying processes and frying oil are the main “hot spots” of environmental impacts, accounting for a considerably higher proportion of damage than potato losses; it is therefore also useful to look at these processes., Sustainability, 8 (12), ISSN:2071-1050