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Diversity in the field: Insights into the impact of alternative cropping systems on natural pest management

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​​​​​​​​08.01.2025​

In the trial, soybean and wheat were grown in parallel strips 14 or 24 metres wide

In a two-year field study, scientists from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) investigated the extent to which alternative cropping systems (strip, relay and patch intercropping) in wheat and soya favor beneficial insects. The targeted promotion of beneficial insects such as ground beetles or spiders is a promising alternative to the use of pesticides. They protect field crops by eating plant pests such as aphids. Using pesticides is problematic because they not only reduce pest populations, but also those of other insects. This is not only a conservation issue, but also has implications for agriculture itself, for example if there are fewer pollinating insects.

The idea behind alternating and combining different crop species on a field is to create habitats for natural enemies, thereby enhancing pest control without relying on pesticides. In this study researchers compared three alternative cropping systems - strip, relay and patch intercropping - against conventional sole crops to determine their ability to promote natural pest control while maintaining high yields of wheat and soybean. 

Field experiments were conducted in 2021 and 2022 on sites in eastern Brandenburg. The researchers monitored the abundance and diversity of natural enemies such as beetles and spiders, as well as the number of aphids on the crops. Aphids are common insects in cropping systems that can significantly damage plants by feeding on their sap and transmitting plant diseases. Wheat and soybean yield data were collected each year as a measure of the productivity of the systems. ​

What happened when crops were arranged differently? 

The cropping systems involved more diverse spatial arrangements of crops within the field: 

  • Strip Intercropping: Different crops, such as soybean and wheat, are grown in parallel strips that are 12 or 24 m wide. The study found that this method was particularly effective at supporting higher abundances of natural enemies of pests. Results: Aphid predation rates were up to 51% higher compared to other systems, and yields were often comparable to or even higher than those of conventional sole crops. 
  • Relay Intercropping: Crops are sown sequentially in alternating rows in the same field, with one crop harvested while the other is still growing. Although this system has potential, it failed in both years of the study due to drought, which hindered the development of the second crop. This highlights the importance of site-specific adaptations for the success of such systems. 
  • Patch Intercropping: Small fields are arranged in a mosaic pattern within a larger field to make better use of soil variability. This system was tested on the experimental site of the ZALF patchCROP project at the Komturei Lietzen. During the experiment, the researchers observed lower abundances of natural enemies. However, the specific reasons for this outcome remain unclear and require further investigation. 

Practical Implications and outlook 

The study provides initial insights into how crop diversity could reduce the need for chemical pesticides without compromising yields. Strip intercropping emerged as the most promising system in this context. 

The results suggest that cropping systems promoting natural pest regulation have the potential to serve as an alternative to chemical pesticides. This would be a crucial step towards achieving the EU's target of reducing chemical pesticide use by 50% by 2030. The results, however, were derived from experiments conducted on a single farm for only two years. Although these findings are promising, they represent a first step and require further validation under a range of environmental conditions and farming practices.​

Project partners:

  • Humboldt University of Berlin
  • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
  • University of Bonn 

Funding: 

This research was supported by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) through the integrated priority project “Cropping system diversification to increase the resilience of farming systems (divCROP)” 2021–2024 and by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the Junior Research Group SoilRob, project ID 031B1391. ​

Text disclaimer: 

This summary was created with the help of artificial intelligence based on the original publication: Thompson, J. B., et al. (2024). Spatial arrangement of intercropping impacts natural enemy abundance and aphid predation in an intensive farming system. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 378, 109324. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2024.109324. Published Open Access under the CC BY 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/​. ​

The text was carefully reviewed and edited in accordance with ZALF's AI regulations.

 

Further Information:

 

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In the trial, soybean and wheat were grown in parallel strips 14 or 24 metres wide. The researchers observed more beneficial insects compared to other field arrangements, while yields were comparable to those of sole crops. | Source: © Christoph Möller / ZALF.
In the trial, soybean and wheat were grown in parallel strips 14 or 24 metres wide. The researchers observed more beneficial insects compared to other field arrangements, while yields were comparable to those of sole crops. | Source: © Christoph Möller / ZALF.
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