Faktoren für die Integration von Mischkulturen in die landwirtschaftliche Praxis

In diesem Beitrag präsentieren wir die ersten empirisch fundierten Hypothesen über die Faktoren, die den Einsatz von landwirtschaftlichen Mischkulturen (Gemengen) in der Praxis bedingen. Die wichtigsten ermittelten Faktoren sind: (1) psychosoziale Faktoren, (2) argrar-systemische Faktoren, ernährungs-systemische Faktoren, (3) technologische Faktoren und (4) bio-ökologische Faktoren. In geplanten zukünftigen Interview-Studien werden diese Faktoren validiert und weiter differenziert

Trennung von Weizen-Erbsen-Gemengen zur Erzeugung von ökologischem Backgetreide

Die Trennung von Weizen- und Erbsenmischungen wurde mit praxisüblicher Technik untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Trennungsaufwand nicht überschätzt werden sollte. In vielen Fällen die Vorreinigung aus, um den Fremdbesatz im Weizen unter den Standardgrenzwerten zu halten

Harnessing the biodiversity value of Central and Eastern European farmland

A large proportion of European biodiversity today depends on habitat provided by low-intensity farming practices, yet this resource is declining as European agriculture intensifies. Within the European Union, particularly the central and eastern new member states have retained relatively large areas of species-rich farmland, but despite increased investment in nature conservation here in recent years, farmland biodiversity trends appear to be worsening. Although the high biodiversity value of Central and Eastern European farmland has long been reported, the amount of research in the international literature focused on farmland biodiversity in this region remains comparatively tiny, and measures within the EU Common Agricultural Policy are relatively poorly adapted to support it. In this opinion study, we argue that, 10years after the accession of the first eastern EU new member states, the continued under-representation of the low-intensity farmland in Central and Eastern Europe in the international literature and EU policy is impeding the development of sound, evidence-based conservation interventions. The biodiversity benefits for Europe of existing low-intensity farmland, particularly in the central and eastern states, should be harnessed before they are lost. Instead of waiting for species-rich farmland to further decline, targeted research and monitoring to create locally appropriate conservation strategies for these habitats is needed now.Peer reviewe

Intercropping in practice: insufficient data and a positive trend in NRW (Germany)?

If you look at the world of science, mixed crops - also called intercrops - are one of the hot topics at the interface between agriculture and ecology. Great hopes are being placed in this cultivation system. The topic of intercrops has also made it into the top scientific journals, e.g. with an exciting study on yield performance in PNAS by a colleague from Wageningen University. But what is actually going on in agricultural practice? Is any of the hype in the scientific community actually ..

Species mixtures for lentil production in Germany (ReMIX Practice abstracts)

Outcome High-quality, ecologically, and efficiently produced lentils are a valuable local product and can be a second crop (cereals, false flax). Practical recommendations - Lentil production in Germany requires intercropping to reduce lodging, increase harvest efficiency and suppress weeds. - Possible crop partners are barley, oat and false flax. Short oat varieties avoid competition with the lentil. - A fine-grained seeding bed is required. - Sowing from the beginning to the end of April with 55 kg/ha of lentil and 35 kg/ha of oat at a sowing depth of 4 cm (optimal seeding depends on local conditions). - Five days after sowing, one pass of tine harrow to reduce weeds. Harvest after 120 days. - Technical separation of lentil and oat is critical and requires machinery at multiple steps: a cyclone, a cylinder separator, gravity separator and possibly an optical sorter. Sharing the machinery among farmers or producing the mixtures in large quantities will help reduce separation costs. Practical testing/ Farmers’ experiences The company Lauteracher Alb-Feld-Früchte organizes crop production, separation and marketing for 70 farmers. Products are marketed under the brand Alb-Leisa

Towards crop communities: exploring wheat diversity, wheat-pea species mixtures and farming practice in a food system context

Deutscher Titel: Auf dem Weg zu Kulturpflanzengemeinschaften: experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Weizenvielfalt, Weizen-Erbsen-Artenmischungen und ihre Nutzung in der landwirtschaftlichen Praxi