(Braunschweig) Strip cropping is an innovative cultivation system, in which oilseed rape and wheat are grown in alternating strips on the same field. It aims to increase biodiversity and thus improve ecosystem services while minimising reductions in yield. In a four-year research project funded by Deutsche Rentenbank, researchers from Kiel University and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig investigated the ecological and economic effects of this diversified cultivation system on farms in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in comparison to pure oil seed rape and wheat fields. The results of the test cultivation were presented to practitioners and multipliers at a conference in Braunschweig in November (20 November) and at an online conference (26 November).

The use of strip cropping is facilitated by increasing digitalisation in agriculture, e.g. through GPS-supported lane assistance systems. The analysis of the data collected in 2022 and 2023 showed that strip cropping with wheat and oilseed rape promotes biodiversity in the agricultural landscape compared to pure oilseed rape and wheat fields. ‘Arable weeds, ground beetles and farmland birds in particular benefit from the additional boundary lines between the strips and the increased crop species diversity in the field,’ reports Dr Doreen Gabriel from the JKI. She and her colleague Michelle Grote also observed a tendency towards higher parasitation of aphids in the wheat strips. This effect was particularly observed in the insecticide-free trial variants.

Dr Gunnar Breustedt, the initiator of the project from the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, interviewed the participating farms about their yields and costs. The farmers reported slight yield reductions, on average less than 5 per cent for oilseed rape and wheat, as well as additional costs of around 250 euros/ha. ‘To make strip cropping economically attractive, it could make sense to subsidise it as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP),’ explains Breustedt. His conclusion: a premium of 1.50 euros per metre of strip length of the second crop would increase the acceptance of the cultivation system, because according to his survey, around half of the farmers surveyed would then be willing to establish strip cropping. The development of an eco-scheme based on the findings from the project could further increase acceptance among farms for this diversified cultivation system.

The researchers' conclusion is therefore positive. In their view, strip cropping with oilseed rape and wheat is a valuable addition in conventional agriculture that can promote biodiversity while ensuring high yields by utilising modern technologies. The research was supported by industry partner Cargill.

Scientific contacts at the JKI

Dr. Doreen Gabriel and Michelle Grote
Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen
Institut für Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde
Bundesallee 58, 38116 Braunschweig

doreen.gabriel@  julius-kuehn.  de and michelle.grote@  julius-kuehn.  de

Scientific contacts at Kiel University

Dr. Gunnar Breustedt
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Institut für Agrarökonomie/Landwirtschaftliche Betriebslehre und Produktionsökonomie
Wilhelm-Seelig-Platz 6, 24118 Kiel

GunnarBreustedt@  gmx.  de