[PCA] Article: WHY PLANTING WILDFLOWERS COULD HELP FEED THE WORLD

[Lindsey Riibe]

WHY PLANTING WILDFLOWERS COULD HELP FEED THE WORLD!
<http://conservationmagazine.org/2016/02/planting-wildflowers-could-help-feed-world/?utm_source=Conservation+Magazine&utm_campaign=e9f0ca80b9-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d0cc46f2ab-e9f0ca80b9-294198301>
(Link
to UW article)

•Sown wildflower strips strongly reduced cereal leaf beetle numbers in
nearby crops.
•This resulted in a 40% reduction of pest-induced crop damage near
wildflower strips.
•Moreover, crop yield was increased by 10% in fields next to wildflower
strips.
•Broadleaved cover, flower density and diversity were positive predictors
of yield.

Many studies have shown that planting strips of wildflowers amidst
croplands can help replace some of the biodiversity that is lost in the
quest to feed a growing, global population. More recently, studies have
demonstrated that the increased biodiversity found in these strips includes
species of insects and birds that act as an all-natural pest control,
reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides.

How these strips affect crop yields, however, has been largely unexplored.
That’s the topic researchers tackled in a study published recently in the
journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. They found that the
presence of nearby perennial, species-rich wildflower strips increased
winter wheat production by 10 percent as compared to control fields.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880916300032

Tschumi, M. et al. (2016) *Perennial, species-rich wildflower strips
enhance pest control and crop yield*. Agriculture, Ecosystems and
Environment (220)

-- 
Lindsey Riibe
Conservation and Land Management Intern
Bureau of Land Management
Washington Office, DC
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