Research

We have been able to collect samples from all 13 Swedish sheep breeds. We are currently analysing the genetic variation and the relationships between breeds using these samples. The samples are also used to analyse genes for coat colour and fertility.

A collaboration focusing on Lake Mälaren, aimed at strengthening the exchange between research and societal interests, and improving monitoring methods.

To keep agriculture within planetary boundaries, cropping systems must be redesigned for multifunctionality—managing ecosystem functions for productivity, environmental protection, soil fertility, climate mitigation and adaptation, and farm economy while minimizing trade-offs.

Using high-resolution geographic data and a specially trained AI model, previously impossible maps have now become reality. PhD student Mariana Busarello at SLU in Umeå has mapped Sweden’s network of ditches and waterways at new levels of detail.

Animals that accompanied long sea voyages in the past offered far more than food – they provided comfort and helped create routines for sailors. Insects could play a similar role on future space missions.

The new EU Nature Restoration Law can be an important tool to form a coherent strategy on peatland restoration. A new SLU study shows that todays policies and regulations is fragmented and sometimes contradictory – something that makes it difficult to reach Swedish climate and conservation goals.

As milking robots become more common on Swedish farms, the way to detect mastitis is changing. Where daily contact between humans and animals was once relied on, monitoring is now done via sensors. An SLU study has investigated how farms with robots work with cows' udder health.

In 2023, Sweden was hit by its first outbreak of African swine fever, and local hunters played a key role in managing the outbreak. A new study from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) examines hunters’ experiences of working with the outbreak.

Letting trotting horses compete without shoes – so-called barefoot trotting – can make them faster, but also increase the risk of wear and tear and damage to the hooves. Now, a new Swedish study shows that differences in gene expression can determine which horses have naturally stronger hooves.