A new version of this entry is available:
Loading...
Article
2024
Mineral-ecological cropping systems mitigate biodiversity-productivity trade-offs of the organic vs. conventional farming dichotomy
Mineral-ecological cropping systems mitigate biodiversity-productivity trade-offs of the organic vs. conventional farming dichotomy
Kasten, Marit Kinga Witte, Felix Sponagel, Christian Bahrs, Enno Köhler, Thomas Morinière, Jérôme Grass, Ingo
Abstract (English)
Conventional agriculture significantly reduces biodiversity, while organic farming promotes it, but often yields half as much. Addressing this biodiversity-productivity trade-off is crucial for future agriculture. Mineral-ecological cropping systems (MECS) have been suggested as an alternative, blending organic and conventional methods by avoiding chemical-synthetic pesticides and using mineral fertilizers. In a German experiment with 168 parcels, we compared MECS, conventional, and organic systems in terms of ecological and economic performance. Arthropod diversity was measured through standardized species collections and DNA-metabarcoding. Productivity was assessed via yields and economic profits. MECS showed similar arthropod diversity to other farming systems, achieved 90% of conventional crop yields, and produced 1.8 times of the organic yield. Profits from MECS were on average 37% higher than the conventional system with a short wheat-maize-soy crop rotation. Further farm-level studies are needed, but MECS could be a reasonable alternative to both organic and conventional farming and can mitigate biodiversity-productivity trade-offs.
File is subject to an embargo until
This is a correction to:
A correction to this entry is available:
This is a new version of:
Other version
Notes
Publication license
Publication series
Published in
npj sustainable agriculture, 2 (2024), 29.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-024-00034-0.
ISSN: 2731-9202
London : Nature Publishing Group UK
Other version
Faculty
Institute
Examination date
Supervisor
Cite this publication
Kasten, M. K., Witte, F., Sponagel, C., Bahrs, E., Köhler, T., Morinière, J., & Grass, I. (2024). Mineral-ecological cropping systems mitigate biodiversity-productivity trade-offs of the organic vs. conventional farming dichotomy. npj sustainable agriculture, 2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-024-00034-0
Edition / version
Citation
DOI
ISSN
ISBN
Language
English
Publisher
Publisher place
Classification (DDC)
630 Agriculture
Original object
University bibliography
Free keywords
Standardized keywords (GND)
Sustainable Development Goals
BibTeX
@article{Kasten2024,
doi = {10.1038/s44264-024-00034-0},
author = {Kasten, Marit Kinga and Witte, Felix and Sponagel, Christian et al.},
title = {Mineral-ecological cropping systems mitigate biodiversity-productivity trade-offs of the organic vs. conventional farming dichotomy},
journal = {npj Sustainable Agriculture},
year = {2024},
volume = {2},
number = {1},
}