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    Crop rotations and biodiversity

Benefits of biodiversity in farming

The requirements and benefit awareness for environmental and species protection in agriculture are increasing.

The increasing internationalization of the agricultural markets in recent years has also increased the economic pressure on farms. To achieve the right balancing between ecology and economy is currently a major challenge for agriculture.

It is important to note: In organic farming the use of extended crop rotation to reduce diseases, pests and weed pressure due to the lack of their host plants has been common practice for a long time. Here, cultivating protein crops to extend rotations is an interesting option with increasingly good prospects. Protein crops do contribute to bioversity and recent societal trends towards more protein-based food increase future demands.

What is more: Often it’s the beneficial species that live and prosper in biodiverse landscapes that give something back with various advantages for farming:

  • Pest control

    Greater biodiversity tends to be home to many beneficial species that natural enemies to various pests and keep their spread under control.

  • Host reduction

    Certain pests need specific plants to survive – e.g. the rape seed beetle lays eggs in the bud of rape. Less oilseed rape limit the beetles spread over time.

  • Improved pollination

    Many beneficial insects that come with greater biodiversity are useful helpers by pollinating crops

  • Erosion control

    Landscapes with high biodiversity are rather resistant to erosion whereas less diverse areas tend to struggle with erosion

  • Increased soil fertility

    In addition to earthworms, higher microbial activity and its nutrients from organic matter/dead plant material are released more quickly

Diverse crop rotations enrich the landscape. With their different sowing and harvesting times and the associated staggered growth processes, they make a contribution to biodiversity.

Supporting biodiversity

The interaction of winter and summer as well as the alternation of stalk and leaf crops in the crop rotation is also an important component.

Also, catch crops can make an important contribution here. The contribution of cover crop mixtures to the soil fauna is therefore of great importance for the entire arable habitat. The nutrient base increases for many living beings.

In addition to the cultivation of catch crops, there are other measures that have been taken in agriculture in recent years to promote biodiversity – for example: Flower strips or strips of water at the edge of the water create an additional food supply for insects and bees.

How species give back

A well-developed cover crop in an otherwise poorly vegetated period - and beyond - is like a bulging pantry for life in the soil. With this food supply, farmers can create the conditions for handing over 'work' to others, such as earthworms. They can take over important parts of the tillage and improve the air, water and nutrient balance. The well-supplied soil life in turn contributes to the supply of the main crop.

The anectic earthworm (deep digger) comes to the surface to search for food, pulls dead plant residues into the soil and uses them next to the soil for food processing. At the same time, the excretions of this earthworm contain five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus and eleven times more potassium than the surrounding earth.

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ENRICHED CROP ROTATIONS

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