40% drop in yields: Does this spell the end for turnip lanterns?
The traditional Räbeliechtli (turnip lantern) parades are taking place again in November. However, according to the “Aargauer Zeitung”, farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to produce the turnips. As key plant protection products are being taken off the market, the turnips are less and less well protected against pests and diseases.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Räbeliechtli parades will soon be taking place all over German-speaking Switzerland. Once again, shouts of “Räbeliechtli, Räbeliechtli…” will echo through the streets during the parade, which is considered to be the counterpart to Halloween in the United States and dates back to the 1860s. The traditional fall turnips are hollowed out by children and decorations are carved into the skin. The addition of a lit candle inside the turnip turns the vegetable into a wonderful lantern to be carried through the streets.
Quality is key for the turnips
Christoph Hagenbuch, a farmer and President of the Aargau Farmers’ Association, grows 1.5 hectares of fall turnips or “Räben”. The quality of the turnips must be right for the Räbeliechtli parades. “The bottom needs to be beautifully white and the top purple. It is these bright colors that create the contrast when a candle is flickering in the ‘lantern’,” explains Hagenbuch to the “Aargauer Zeitung”. However, children are not keen on damaged turnips.
Too much heat and warmth can affect the quality of the turnips. For that reason, Hagenbuch had to re-sow in the hot summer of 2022. The soil must have sufficient fine substrate and moisture. Care must also be taken to ensure that the fall turnips are always planted in a different position, otherwise, any surviving pests from the previous year can immediately reinfect the new seed. Therefore, adherence to crop rotation is crucial, as is good fertilization and good plant protection.
Lack of plant protection products increases crop failures
But this is what is lacking. Cabbage flies and wireworms are making farmers’ lives increasingly difficult – and not just for fall turnips, but for other crops too, such as Brussels sprouts and onions. The problem with turnips is that “the approvals for pesticides expired in 2017 and 2019,” explains Hagenbuch. We only have a few fungicides – i.e. agents that prevent fungal attack – that can be used. As approval has been lost for so many plant protection products, Hagenbuch has had to increase the area set aside for turnips by 30 to 40% to compensate for crop losses.
The disappearance of so many plant protection products automatically leads to greater crop losses and therefore to food waste: “In principle, it is good to use fewer plant protection products. Unfortunately, fewer plant protection products always means a higher risk of crop failure,” says Hagenbuch. This leads to higher prices for regional produce. Farmers need to cultivate larger areas to harvest the same number of crops. The alternative is an increase in food imports. The high standards of consumers are complicating matters. This is also true for turnip lanterns: According to Hagenbuch, some children are disgusted by evidence of pest activity. However, many products with slight damage can be safely consumed.
Photo: Wikipedia. Micha L. Rieser.
Related articles
Unwanted Invaders: Why Pesticides Are Essential in the Fight Against Invasive Species
They are small, highly mobile and extremely persistent: invasive species are spreading increasingly across Switzerland. Whether it is the Japanese beetle, the Asian hornet or newly discovered ant species, these unwelcome guests threaten not only native ecosystems, but also agriculture and residential areas. There is an urgent need for pesticides – including biocides and plant protection products – to combat these pests effectively.
Gene Drive Against Malaria: Blessing or Ecological Gamble?
Diseases such as malaria claim hundreds of thousands of lives every year. With so-called gene drive technology, scientists now have a tool that could theoretically eradicate the mosquitoes that spread these diseases. Yet the approach raises profound ethical and ecological questions.
The bottleneck of hunger: How the crisis in the Gulf is shaking global markets
While heating oil prices in Switzerland are on a rollercoaster, a far greater catastrophe is looming elsewhere. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is not only cutting off oil supplies, but also disrupting the global lifeline for fertilizers – with devastating consequences for global food security.
New genomic techniques in plants: what gene editing can do – and what it (still) cannot do
With CRISPR/Cas technology, genetic material can now be modified more precisely and efficiently than ever before. In plant breeding in particular, these “gene scissors” raise high hopes: crops that are resistant to diseases and pests, can withstand drought, and at the same time deliver higher yields. But how realistic are these expectations? What can genome editing actually achieve today – and what progress can we expect in the near future?