Intercropping in high input agriculture supports arthropod diversity without risking significant yield losses

Summary

A three-year field experiment in Germany demonstrated that replacing 50% of wheat with faba beans in cereal-legume intercropping systems significantly increased abundance and diversity of arthropods, particularly pollinators and natural enemies, whilst maintaining competitive or superior total grain yields compared to monocultures. Lower management intensity (reduced fertiliser and herbicide inputs) further enhanced arthropod diversity benefits. The findings suggest that crop diversification can reconcile biodiversity conservation with productive agriculture at landscape scale, although trade-offs exist between arthropod diversity and individual wheat yield.

Regional applicability

The findings are directly applicable to United Kingdom arable farming, as cereal-legume intercropping systems and comparable temperate climates support similar arthropod communities and management practices. The demonstration that intercropping maintains competitive yields whilst supporting pollinators and natural enemies aligns with UK policy priorities for sustainable intensification and has potential to inform agri-environment schemes and farmer adoption of diversified cropping.

Key measures

Arthropod abundance and diversity by functional group (pollinators, natural enemies, herbivores); wheat yield; land equivalent ratio; management intensity (fertiliser and herbicide inputs)

Outcomes reported

The study measured arthropod abundance and diversity across functional groups (pollinators, natural enemies, herbivores) and crop yield in wheat-faba bean intercropping systems under varying management intensities over three years. Total grain yield (land equivalent ratio) and ecosystem service provision were compared between intercropped and monoculture systems.

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