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Supporting flower visiting insects by diversification in organic leys
Project
Project code: 2819OE157
Contract period: 02.08.2021
- 31.12.2024
Budget: 211,045 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: crop production, agricultural biodiversity, grasses, grassland, clover, climate (climate relevance, climate protection, climate change), crop production, other animal species, organic farming
The aim of this project is to develop organic production systems which substantially support bees and other pollinators and are also economically and agronomically sustainable and attractive for practitioners. The grass-clover phase in organic rotation offers the possibility of increasing flower resources by adapting management. Here we will investigate how two approaches of ley management can be combined to increase resource supply for flower visiting insects. The first of this approach consists of diversification, i.e. more crop plant species are grown to extend flower period and to support differently specialized insect species. The second approach is a less intensive management by combining lower utilisation frequency with a temporal shift in the timing of utilisation in order to minimize trade-offs between agronomic and ecological criteria. This type of management is mainly interesting for organic farms which are stockless or have a low stocking rate but do have a ley phase in their rotations. Currently, their relatively high flexibility with regard to the timing of cutting is not fully exploited. This project will investigate the potential trade-offs and will suggest forms of ley management to reduce conflicts between agronomic and ecological perspectives, thereby building on the strengths of organic farming systems to support and protect pollinators. This includes the validation of project results by on-farm trials to identify possible constraints and limitations in implementing the approaches on organic farms.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Production
- Agroecology
- Organic Farming
Framework programme
Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN)
