Intercropping is a promising approach for low input agricultural systems such as organic farming. In central Italy, the use of intercropping is well known amongst organic farms combining crop and animal production. As part of DIVERSify, we worked with two organic farms as well as conducting our own plot and field scale trials at the […]
As the busy field season has come to a close, we’ve embraced the task of processing the dried samples and sorting through the big mound of collected field data. This slightly less manic time means that we have time catch our breaths and to look back and see how the season has gone. Firstly, who […]
Saatzucht Gleisdorf GmbH (SZG) is a small private breeding company located in Styria (South-eastern Austria) with a long tradition in pumpkin, legume and corn breeding. In the Diversify project we are organizing national stakeholder workshops and knowledge exchange with stakeholders. We perform field trials and data collection for trait assessment of the currently used plant […]
The purpose of cultivating plant teams could be to optimise a growing system in one way or another…Improve yields, weed suppression, exploitation of nutrients and improving soil structure could be examples of a starting point for farmers to consider using mixed crops. The overall framework of our work is to be able to develop a […]
Pete Iannetta and colleagues based at the Agroecology Group of the James Hutton Institute discuss their experiences in research on ‘plant teams’ and why they think this approach holds huge potential for the sustainable intensification of agriculture… The concept of growing two or more crops together, in the same space and time, is termed […]
Often research projects set off with their scientific objectives and think about how the work may be applied somewhere down the line. DIVERSify is all about engaging with people involved in testing and using plant teams from the beginning. These may be scientists but also farmers, agronomists, breeders and advisors. At the Organic Research Centre […]
Stockbridge Technology Centre Research Foundation (STCRF) have been working for many years on the benefits of introducing increased plant diversity onto farms. Much of this work focused initially on making better use of non-cropped areas to provide resources for beneficial insects, for example in the form of flowering field margins. With the creation of STCRF’s […]
Last week, we (the James Hutton Institute) welcomed to Scotland representatives of 23 partner organisations to initiate the DIVERSify project. The Royal Society of Edinburgh provided a distinguished venue in the heart of the city for our kick-off meeting, held on the 26th and 27th April 2017. This inaugural meeting of the project brought together […]
Our H2020 project on ‘plant teams’ will start in 3 days time. The multi-actor international team will meet for the first time at the end of April in Edinburgh to kick the project off. Keep checking back here and on our social media pages for regular up-dates and news. | AUTHOR: Bruce Pearce |