Improving biodiversity and maintaining yields at the same time? For many, this sounds like a contradiction in terms.
Improving biodiversity and maintaining yields at the same time? For many, this sounds like a contradiction in terms. However, a new study by the University of Würzburg shows that both are possible under the right conditions.
For their study, researchers from the University of Würzburg (JMU), together with the Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture, analysed 29 sunflower fields in northern Bavaria – 15 organically and 14 conventionally farmed. They wanted to know which factors influence wild pollinators and how this affects agricultural yields. They took into account both the conditions in individual fields and the structure of the surrounding landscape.
To determine the contribution of insects, they used a simple experiment: some sunflower heads were protected from pollinators with fine nets, others were left open. The result: On average, freely pollinated sunflowers achieved around 25 per cent higher yields - regardless of whether they were grown on organically or conventionally farmed fields.
Read More: University of Würzburg
Image: An earth bumblebee, a stone bumblebee and a honeybee in one of the sunflower fields investigated as part of the study. (Credit: Image: Valentina Vey)
