@article{RedlichMartinSteffan‐Dewenter2021,
  author    = {Redlich, Sarah and Martin, Emily A. and Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf},
  title     = {Sustainable landscape, soil and crop management practices enhance biodiversity and yield in conventional cereal systems},
  series = {Journal of Applied Ecology},
  volume    = {58},
  journal   = {Journal of Applied Ecology},
  number    = {3},
  doi       = {10.1111/1365-2664.13821},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228345},
  pages     = {507 -- 517},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Input-driven, modern agriculture is commonly associated with large-scale threats to biodiversity, the disruption of ecosystem services and long-term risks to food security and human health. A switch to more sustainable yet highly productive farming practices seems unavoidable. However, an integrative evaluation of targeted management schemes at field and landscape scales is currently lacking. Furthermore, the often-disproportionate influence of soil conditions and agrochemicals on yields may mask the benefits of biodiversity-driven ecosystem services. Here, we used a real-world ecosystem approach to identify sustainable management practices for enhanced functional biodiversity and yield on 28 temperate wheat fields. Using path analysis, we assessed direct and indirect links between soil, crop and landscape management with natural enemies and pests, as well as follow-on effects on yield quantity and quality. A paired-field design with a crossed insecticide-fertilizer experiment allowed us to control for the relative influence of soil characteristics and agrochemical inputs. We demonstrate that biodiversity-enhancing management options such as reduced tillage, crop rotation diversity and small field size can enhance natural enemies without relying on agrochemical inputs. Similarly, we show that in this system controlling pests and weeds by agrochemical means is less relevant than expected for final crop productivity. Synthesis and applications. Our study highlights soil, crop and landscape management practices that can enhance beneficial biodiversity while reducing agrochemical usage and negative environmental impacts of conventional agriculture. The diversification of cropping systems and conservation tillage are practical measures most farmers can implement without productivity losses. Combining local measures with improved landscape management may also strengthen the sustainability and resilience of cropping systems in light of future global change.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BoetzlSchueleKraussetal.2020,
  author    = {Boetzl, Fabian A. and Schuele, Maren and Krauss, Jochen and Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf},
  title     = {Pest control potential of adjacent agri-environment schemes varies with crop type and is shaped by landscape context and within-field position},
  series = {Journal of Applied Ecology},
  volume    = {57},
  journal   = {Journal of Applied Ecology},
  number    = {8},
  doi       = {10.1111/1365-2664.13653},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218265},
  pages     = {1482 -- 1493},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Increasing natural pest control in agricultural fields is an important aim of ecological intensification. Combined effects of landscape context and local placement of agri-environmental schemes (AES) on natural pest control and within-field distance functions of natural pest control agents have rarely been addressed but might affect the distribution of biocontrol providers. Importantly, it is currently unknown whether ecosystem services provided by adjacent AES are consistent for different crop types during crop rotation. In this study, we assessed whether crop rotation from oilseed rape to cereals altered within-field distance functions of ground-dwelling predators from adjacent agri-environmental fields along a gradient in landscape context. Additionally, we recorded crop pests, predation rates, parasitoids as well as crop yields on a total of 30 study sites. Distance functions varied between trophic levels: Carabid richness decreased while densities of carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles as well as crop yields increased towards the field centres. Distance functions of parasitoids and pests were modulated by the amount of semi-natural habitat in the surrounding landscape, while the effects of adjacent AES were limited. Distance decay functions found for ground-dwelling predators in oilseed rape in the previous year were not always present in cereals. Increasing distance to the field edge also increased effects of crop rotation on carabid beetle assemblages, indicating a source habitat function of field edges. Synthesis and applications. Distance functions of natural pest control are not universal and the effects of agri-environmental schemes (AES) in different adjacent crops during crop rotation vary and depend on ecological contrasts. A network of semi-natural habitats and spatially optimized AES habitats can benefit pest control in agricultural landscapes, but constraints as a result of crop type need to be addressed by annually targeted, spatially shifting agri-environment schemes for different crops.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MallLarsenMartin2018,
  author    = {Mall, David and Larsen, Ashley E. and Martin, Emily A.},
  title     = {Investigating the (mis)match between natural pest control knowledge and the intensity of pesticide use},
  series = {Insects},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Insects},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.3390/insects9010002},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158977},
  pages     = {2},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Transforming modern agriculture towards both higher yields and greater sustainability is critical for preserving biodiversity in an increasingly populous and variable world. However, the intensity of agricultural practices varies strongly between crop systems. Given limited research capacity, it is crucial to focus efforts to increase sustainability in the crop systems that need it most. In this study, we investigate the match (or mismatch) between the intensity of pesticide use and the availability of knowledge on the ecosystem service of natural pest control across various crop systems. Using a systematic literature search on pest control and publicly available pesticide data, we find that pest control literature is not more abundant in crops where insecticide input per hectare is highest. Instead, pest control literature is most abundant, with the highest number of studies published, in crops with comparatively low insecticide input per hectare but with high world harvested area. These results suggest that a major increase of interest in agroecological research towards crops with high insecticide input, particularly cotton and horticultural crops such as citrus and high value-added vegetables, would help meet knowledge needs for a timely ecointensification of agriculture.},
  language  = {en}
}