In 2024, cereal fields and adjacent field edge vegetation - hedges, field margins and combination of these with flower strips - were intensively studied for their impact on biodiversity and natural pest control. The participating farmers and researchers from Lower Franconia recently met at the University of Würzburg to share their experiences and first results.
Experiences:
The flower strips started well and almost all flowered beautifully by June, which was also appreciated by pedestrians.
There were occasional problems with grassy weeds, and solutions were discussed. Sowing the flower strips in spring rather than autumn might have prevented grassy weeds, as they could have been mechanically controlled after emergence in spring. However, there may be other difficulties with spring sown flower strips, such as a greater reliance on rain in spring for good development. Overall, the autumn sown flower strips performed well, so the decision to use spring or autumn sowing would ideally be based on local conditions such as water availability and weed pressure.
The flower strips were not mown or mulched in the first year, which is expected to suppress the annuals, including most of the weeds, and encourage the perennials in the flower mix. The seeds of the annuals will remain on the “sealed” soil surface where they will not find good conditions for germination and will be exposed to animal removal, whereas the perennials will benefit from not being accidentally damaged by management.
First results:
The flower strips were well received by small six-legged creatures and the like.
About 20% of the wild bee species were observed exclusively in the flower strips. The more different flowers there were in the flower strips - but also in the field margins - the more different species of wild bees were found, highlighting the importance of promoting high floral diversity.
The most species-rich group (compared to wild bees, hoverflies, butterflies, spiders, mammals and birds) were ground beetles. Here too, the respective field edge elements showed advantages for various species.
Flower strips next to hedges did not show any major advantages at first glance, but neither did they show any disadvantages in terms of pests such as aphids. Mammals are an exception. Deer and other wildlife seem to benefit from the combination of hedges and flower strips.
In addition to analysing the data, further field research will be carried out this year. We are looking forward to it and will keep you updated! Never miss an update – follow us on LinkedIn!
ConservES project in brief
The ConservES project aims to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes across Europe, focusing on the combination of hedgerows and flower strips. One of the questions being addressed is whether the establishment of flower strips alongside hedgerows provides additional benefits for biodiversity and natural pest control services in adjacent crop fields. To realise this project, Living Labs have been established in France, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic, as part of which farmers, local representatives and scientists discuss the implementation and management of flower strips, experiences and results to find viable solutions for both crop production and biodiversity.