2 research outputs found
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Enhancing soil organic matter as a route to the ecological intensification of European arable systems
Soil organic matter (SOM) is declining in most agricultural ecosystems, impacting on multiple ecosystem services including erosion and flood prevention, climate and greenhouse gas regulation as well as other services which underpin crop production, such as nutrient cycling and pest control. Ecological intensification aims to enhance crop productivity, by including regulating and supporting ecosystem services management into agricultural practices. We investigate the potential for increased SOM to support the ecological intensification of arable systems by reducing the need for nitrogen fertiliser application and pest control. Using a large-scale European field trial implemented across 84 fields in 5 countries we tested whether increased SOM (using soil organic carbon as a proxy) helps recover yield in the absence of conventional nitrogen fertiliser and whether this also supports crops less favourable to key aphid pests. Greater SOM increased yield by 10%, but did not offset nitrogen fertiliser application entirely, which improved yield by 30%. Crop pest responses depended on species: Metopolophium dirhodum were more abundant in fertilised plots with high crop biomass, and although population growth rates of Sitobion avenae were enhanced by nitrogen fertiliser application in a cage trial, field populations were not affected. We conclude that under increased SOM and reduced fertilizer application, pest pressure can be reduced, while partially compensating for yield deficits linked to fertiliser reduction. If the benefits of reduced fertiliser application and increased SOM are considered in a wider environmental context, then a yield cost may become acceptable. Maintaining or increasing SOM is critical for achieving ecological intensification of European cereal production
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Combined effects of agrochemicals and ecosystem services on crop yield across Europe
Simultaneously enhancing ecosystem services provided by biodiversity below and above ground is recommended to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and mineral fertilizers in agriculture. However, consequences for crop yield have been poorly evaluated. Above ground, increased landscape complexity is assumed to enhance biological pest control, whereas below ground, soil organic carbon (SOC) is a proxy for several yield-supporting services. In a field experiment replicated in 114 fields across Europe, we found that fertilization had the strongest positive effect on yield, but hindered simultaneous harnessing of below- and above-ground ecosystem services. We furthermore show that enhancing natural enemies and pest control through increasing landscape complexity can prove disappointing in fields with low soil services or in intensively cropped regions. Thus, understanding ecological interdependences between land-use, ecosystem services and yield is necessary to promote more environmentally friendly farming by identifying situations where ecosystem services are maximized and agrochemical inputs can be reduced