DIVERSify - Designing InnoVative plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and agricultural Sustainability

Society globally faces major challenges in producing sufficient nutritious food for human populations, while using natural resources sustainably, avoiding environmental degradation and further biodiversity losses, and coping with climate change. Agriculture plays a pivotal role in delivering these goals and must adapt.

The pressure on farmers to produce food sustainably with fewer agrochemicals poses a significant challenge for maximising yields and reducing losses, with no single solution. Crop scientists must devise novel crop systems for farmers to increase efficiency and reduce pollution, breeders need new knowledge and tools to develop crop varieties suitable for novel cropping methods, and agronomists need knowledge of managing these cropping systems. Scientists acknowledge that agriculture could learn from ecology: natural habitats with high levels of biodiversity often show increased productivity and resource efficiency and are less prone to environmental stresses. Ecological principles used to identify plant traits and mechanisms that enhance the functioning of biodiverse systems could be applied to optimise multi-species crops or ‘plant teams’.

Plant teams offer a promising solution to stagnating crop yields and inter-annual yield instability, particularly under a changing climate. Plant teams that can be grown with limited pesticide use will benefit society through fewer pesticide residues in the environment and crop products. Plant teams that are less dependent on agrochemical inputs will help farmers address challenges from pesticide withdrawals and the carbon cost of fertilisers. DIVERSify aims to promote more widespread growing of plant teams containing legume crops, increasing the availability of plant protein for healthy and nutritious diets.

The overarching goal of DIVERSify was to provide a novel system for sustainable crop production by developing arable and grassland 'plant teams' with improved productivity, pest and disease control and environmental benefits. The six objectives were: 1) identify current best practice for plant teams; 2) determine the mechanisms promoting positive crop-crop and crop-environment interactions; 3) devise improved plant teams and identify potential breeding targets for crops used in plant teams; 4) work with farmers to test plant teams and their management; 5) construct a decision aid for plant team selection and agronomy; and 6) work with stakeholders for participatory knowledge exchange.

To help farmers understand the benefits and necessity of making the transition to plant teams, the project developed several useful tools. For example, farmers can utilise the CropMIXER tool for advice on crop combinations, management and inputs, and the InfoHub guide for further technical information. The project has also facilitated a network where farmers and other stakeholders can share information and learn from each other.

DIVERSify’s work has shown that optimised plant team cropping diversifies the crop and the farming system, leading to increased productivity, greater agrobiodiversity, improved ecosystem services and, in some cases, reduced risks from environmental stress. It also provides an opportunity to diversify incomes by innovating with stakeholders along the value chain.

Although the DIVERSify project is now finished, researchers continue to build on its activities and results. Partners are currently researching plant team breeding and working with farmers to build value chains around plant team products.

For more information, please see the project’s external website.

Research Papers

Weih, M., Karley, A.J., Newton, A.C., Kiær, L.P., Scherber, C., Rubiales, D., Adam, E., Ajal, J., Brandmeier, J., Pappagallo, S., Villegas-Fernández, A., Reckling, M. & Tavoletti, S. (2021). Grain Yield Stability of Cereal-Legume Intercrops Is Greater Than Sole Crops in More Productive Conditions. Agriculture 11, 255. DOI: 10.3390/agriculture11030255.

Weih, M., Nordh, N.-E., Manzoni, S. & Hoeber, S. (2021). Functional traits of individual varieties as determinants of growth and nitrogen use patterns in mixed stands of willow (Salix spp.). Forest Ecology and Management 479, 118605. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118605.

Jäck, O., Ajal, J. & Weih, M. (2021). Altered Nitrogen Availability in Pea–Barley Sole- and Intercrops Changes Dominance of Two Nitrophilic Weed Species. Agronomy 11, 679. DOI: 10.3390/agronomy11040679.

Berghuijs, H.N.C., Weih, M., van der Werf, W., Karley, A.J., Adam, E., Villegas-Fernández, Á.M., Kiær, L.P., Newton, A.C., Scherber, C., Tavoletti, S. & Vico, G. (2021). Calibrating and testing APSIM for wheat-faba bean pure cultures and intercrops across Europe. Field Crops Research 264, 108088. DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2021.108088.

Weih, M., Mínguez, M.I. & Tavoletti, S. (2022). Intercropping Systems for Sustainable Agriculture. Agriculture 12, 291. DOI: 10.3390/agriculture12020291.

Weih, M., Adam, E., Vico, G. & Rubiales, D. (2022). Application of Crop Growth Models to Assist Breeding for Intercropping: Opportunities and Challenges. Frontiers in Plant Science 13. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.720486.

Rubiales, D., Enjalbert, J., Hohmann, P., Anten, N.P.R. & Weih, M. (2023). Editorial: Breeding for intercropping. Frontiers in Plant Science 14. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1143653.