15.07.
Promoting biodiversity in maize cultivation: Options to combine production and nature conservation
Prof. Dr. Maria Müller-Lindenlauf, HfWU Nürtingen
Maize is one of the most important crops worldwide. In Germany, maize is grown on 21 % of arable land. From an ecological point of view, maize is viewed critically: Maize fields have a high risk of erosion due to late sowing and wide row spacing. Due to intensive weed control, maize fields offer little habitat for wild insects. The HfWU has been researching options for promoting biodiversity on maize fields since 2018: Initially on maize-bean-intercropping, since 2021 on undersowing with species-rich flower mixtures. The impact on insects (wild bees, hoverflies, ground beetles, rove beetles) as well as agronomic parameters (yield, costs) were investigated. The lecture presents key results of the research and discusses the tension between production and biodiversity promotion.
As usual, we will also broadcast via zoom for those who can not join in person: https://zoom.us/j/94510498226