New atlas shows distribution of chemical elements in Swiss soils
Published: Wednesday, Dec 20th 2023, 12:01
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The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Agroscope research institute have published the first Geochemical Soil Atlas of Switzerland. This provides an overview of the distribution of 20 chemical elements in Swiss soils, as Agroscope announced on Wednesday.
According to the press release, the soil atlas is intended to help the cantonal soil protection agencies to assess soil pollution and take measures if necessary. The atlas lists chemical elements that are important for soil fertility as well as those that can be harmful in excessive concentrations. These include copper and zinc, for example.
According to the press release, the concentrations measured at the majority of the sites examined are within a harmless range.
Soils on the Central Plateau, on the other hand, have low element contents in some cases, Agroscope continues. This is particularly true of sulphur, which is considered an essential element. Sulphur is necessary for agricultural production, for example for rapeseed. It is therefore possible that more sulphur should be fertilized on the Central Plateau in the future, Agroscope said in the press release. However, further studies are required for this.
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