{"id":1963,"date":"2022-09-02T17:17:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T16:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/?p=1963"},"modified":"2023-02-28T15:25:27","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:25:27","slug":"why-hedgerows-role-in-pest-control-may-be-not-all-it-seems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/why-hedgerows-role-in-pest-control-may-be-not-all-it-seems\/","title":{"rendered":"Why hedgerows\u2019 role in pest control may be not all it seems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The positive impact of hedgerows in providing ecosystem services on farmland has been widely documented \u2013 but `research from Belgium suggests that their effects may be more nuanced in regard to pest control<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work explored the impact of numerous landscape features around 80 winter wheat crop fields over two years. In particular, focus was on the impact of hedgerows and grassy strips on populations of key crop pests \u2013 aphids and slugs \u2013 as well as three types of natural enemies of such pests: spiders, ground beetles and parasitoid wasps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In results described as \u201cquite unexpected,\u201d hedgerows and wooded areas at field boundaries were linked with increases in pests and reduced numbers of natural enemies, while greater numbers of natural enemies and lower were seen in grassy strips.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contentious findings?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings <\/a>were highlighted as potentially controversial by the scientists involved, though they stressed that despite the study\u2019s data suggesting an at-best mixed role for hedgerows and woods in reducing crop pests, they are necessary to promote broader biodiversity in agroecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as serving as dispersal corridors for species and overwintering habitat, they said, these habitats also provide other valuable services to farmers, such as windbreak effect, soil stabilisation and carbon storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food for thought<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the findings, more care should be taken in making decisions on the structure of agricultural ecosystems, they suggested. A combination of woody and grassy habitats could provide a broader range of features than simply considering hedgerows and woods \u201cunique cornerstones of agro-ecological landscape design strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, there is no \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 answer to the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes,\u201d the authors concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinding the \u2018ideal landscape\u2019 will require consideration of the best agriculture-biodiversity and services-disservices trade-offs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read the full study in Science of the Total Environment<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The positive impact of hedgerows in providing ecosystem services on farmland has been widely documented \u2013 but `research from Belgium suggests that their effects may be more nuanced in regard to pest control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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