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Functional agrobiodiversity research in Switzerland

Functional agrobiodiversity research in Switzerland. Oliver Balmer Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) Frick, Switzerland. Welcome!. Bus 14:25. We are here. For questions:. Oliver Balmer. Anne Merz. FiBL: sustainable fruit system. FiBL: cabbage pests.

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Functional agrobiodiversity research in Switzerland

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  1. Functional agrobiodiversity research in Switzerland Oliver Balmer Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) Frick, Switzerland

  2. Welcome! Bus 14:25 We are here For questions: Oliver Balmer Anne Merz

  3. FiBL: sustainable fruit system FiBL: cabbage pests FAB projects in Switzerland FiBL: DOK trial (soil) Agroscope: cereal University of Bern: wheat not very much in Switzerland, but diverse FiBL prominent

  4. Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (ART) • Project: Conservation biocontrol in cereal crops with flowering habitats • Katja Jacot and Lisa Eggenschwiler • Background • General promotion of biodiversity not sufficient to reach an effective pest regulation. • A tailored "functional biodiversity" is essential to site- and crop-specifically promote the target organisms (in our case: aphid antagonists). • Sub-goals • Provision of optimal conditions to attract, build up and preserve the antagonist populations • a) Plant species selection, combinations, hibernation, management b) Optimal spatial arrangement of the plants • Dispersion of the antagonists into the crop • Reduction of aphid infestation in cereal crops (damage threshold) through the antagonists • Project period • 2009-2014 • Partners • In discussion

  5. Martin H. Schmidt-Entling University of Bern Project: Effects of sown wildflower areas on spider fauna of winter wheat fields Results: Fields next to sown wildflower areas have higher spider densities, but not higher diversity Schmidt-Entling & Döbeli (2009) AGEE 133

  6. FAB related research at FiBL

  7. Soil under biodynamic - organic - conventional treatment DOK long-term system comparison (1978- ) Higher biodiversity at several trophic levels in organic systems Higher nutrient and energy efficiency in organic systems Mäder et al. (2002) Science 296 Birkhofer et al. (2008) Soil Bio Bioch 40 Paul Mäder Key compartment FAB potentially very important Andreas Fliessbach Isabell Hildermann

  8. Release of biocontrol organisms Diverse Interlines Flowering tree lines Resistant varieties Hedges Release of biocontrol organisms Nest boxes Piles of stones Wildflower Strips Sustainable Fruit System Pesticide-free apple production based on system design and biocontrol

  9. Sustainable Fruit System Franco Weibel Claudia Daniel Lukas Pfiffner Eric Wyss

  10. Biological control through functional biodiversity in cabbage crops Since 2004 New research focus at FiBL Currently 3 researchers, 2 PhD students, master students, 1-2 interns Céline Géneau Henryk Luka Lukas Pfiffner Oliver Balmer Elodie Belz

  11. Food (nectar) necessary for many natural enemies but not available in monocultures Limited movement of natural enemies from wildflower strips The problems Winkler et al. (2006) Basic Appl Ecology Lavandero et al. (2005) Biological Control

  12. Can we reduce pest burden in cabbage fields by adding selected plant species that specifically benefit parasitoids of cabbage pests? What plant species are most efficient? Does planting the flowers inside the field as ‘companion plants’ increase the efficiency compared to flower strips? (novel) Questions Motivation Reduction of pesticide need Increase of biodiversity in crop fields

  13. Advantage Problem How to provide nectar sources Wildflower strip Overwintering habitat (Pfiffner & Luka (2000) AGEE 78) Connection lost after crop rotation No movement into field (Pfiffner et al. (2009) AGEE 129) ‘Loss’ of cultivated land Companion plants Direct contact Short-term, flexible No overwintering

  14. Our study system Parasitoids Microplitis mediator Trichogrammaevanescens Cotesia rubecula Cotesia glomerata Diadegma semiclausum Pests Mamestra brassicae Pieris rapae Plutella xylostella Larval parasitoid Egg parasitoid Cabbage

  15. Attractive odour: (behavioural choice experiments) Increase parasitoid, not pest survival: (cage experiments) Increase parasitoid fecundity: (cage experiments) No competition with cabbage: (field experiment) Choice of plants n = 378, p = 0.81 M. brassicae survival(hrs) Honey I. amara Water

  16. Field experiment 2009 n = 8 fields Investigated: Pest abundances over time Natural parasitation rates Parasitation rates on provided M. brassicae eggs Efficiency of released T. brassicae over 1 week Insect diversity

  17. Field experiment 2010 Effects of companion plants and strips on: (1) parasitoid dispersal, (2) parasitoid population, (3) pest control, (4) plant damage, (5) biodiversity

  18. SFS DOK FiBL Andreas Fliessbach Franco Weibel Lukas Pfiffner Isabell Hildermann Paul Mäder Claudia Daniel Administration Eric Wyss Functional biodiversity Anne Merz Henryk Luka Céline Géneau Lukas Pfiffner Elodie Belz Oliver Balmer

  19. Soil properties DOK experiment Mäder et al. (2002) Science 296

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