Diverse Plantings Research Articles

Contribution of species and functional richness to carbon storage in eucalypt woodland restoration

Biologically diverse forest and woodland restoration can mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. Understanding the trade-off between carbon storage and biodiversity is important to maximise the value of restoration opportunities. Ecological theory suggests biological diversity contributes positively to carbon storage until the relationship plateaus (i.e., species are added with no effect on carbon storage), and yet in practice, tree monocultures are perceived to sequester more carbon than diverse plantings. Here, we measured the contribution of plant diversity to carbon storage in trees and shrubs ten years after planting for yate (Eucalyptus occidentalis) woodland restoration. We found no evidence for a trade-off between carbon storage and plant diversity. We planted yate with mixes of yate woodland species including native grasses, shrubs, and trees. Ten years after planting, grass establishment was poor, and density of trees and shrubs was patchy. There was some unassisted recruitment of woody species. Diversity was measured as observed species richness and observed functional richness, which incorporated taxonomic diversity, structural diversity, and presence/absence of nitrogen-fixing legumes. Carbon stocks measured were above and belowground tree and shrub biomass, leaf and twig litter biomass, and organic carbon (%) in the topsoil. Across all three carbon stocks diverse yate plantings sequestered as much carbon as yate monocultures. Observed species richness had a weak negative effect on tree and shrub biomass in the best linear mixed model but this effect diminished with the removal of an outlier. Tree density had a positive effect on tree and shrub biomass in models with and without the outlier. There was no effect of diversity on litter biomass and soil organic carbon. Instead, linear mixed models of these stocks showed the influence of soil properties. Litter biomass increased with soil potassium and decreased with soil pH. Soil organic carbon increased with initial soil organic carbon and soil nitrogen. There are potential additional biodiversity benefits of diverse plantings that we did not measure (e.g., soil erosion control, wildlife habitat). We call for more field experiments to explore these potential benefits and to generate the ecological knowledge needed to improve the quality of global forest and woodland restoration efforts.

Improving the sustainability of cropping systems via diversified planting in arid irrigation areas

Improving the sustainability of cropping systems via diversified planting in arid irrigation areas

Compost addition, but not tillage, affects establishment of urban highway plantings

Establishment of roadside plantings is often limited by adverse site conditions, particularly poor soil physical and chemical properties. We compared plant establishment of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and grasses in response to addition of compost and/or tillage before planting in replicated plots at two locations along an interstate highway near Detroit, MI, USA. Plots at each location received one of four site preparation treatments: control (no treatment), compost only (top-dressed with 8 cm of municipal compost), tillage only (soil tilled to 20 cm) or compost + tillage (8 cm of compost added and tilled to 20 cm). Within each site preparation plot, we established sub-plots of 16 selections of shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses. Compost addition, plant selection, and location affected (P ≤ 0.05) plant survival, height growth, and % plant cover two years after planting. Tillage did not affect (P > 0.05) plant establishment. Similarly, the interaction of tillage × compost was not significant, indicating that surface application of compost was as effective as tilling compost into the soil. Improved plant establishment with the addition of compost was associated with improved soil and plant nutrition and reduced soil pH and soil bulk density. Within each plant group (i.e., shrubs, perennials, grasses) plant establishment varied widely. Overall, the results indicate that compost addition can improve establishment of diverse roadside plantings, which was associated with improved soil fertility. In contrast, tillage provided comparatively little benefit to plant performance in this trial.

Labor Structure, Land Fragmentation, and Land-Use Efficiency from the Perspective of Mediation Effect: Based on a Survey of Garlic Growers in Lanling, China

In the context of China’s agricultural labor shortage and the pressure of aging, this paper uses the land fragmentation index and the intermediary efficiency model to measure the degree of land fragmentation based on farmer-level data from the main garlic producing area in Lanling County in Shandong Province in 2020. The direct effect of labor structure on land-use efficiency and the mediating effect through land fragmentation are analyzed. The research results show that: (1) the average land-use efficiency of the sample farmers is relatively low; (2) the change in labor structure has an “inverted U”-shaped direct effect on land-use efficiency; and (3) the change in land fragmentation in the labor structure has a direct effect on land-use efficiency. The influence of land-use efficiency played a nonlinear mediating effect. The change in labor structure with the degree of land fragmentation showed an “inverted U”-shaped relationship, and the degree of land fragmentation and land-use efficiency had a “U”-shaped relationship. In order to improve land-use efficiency, two aspects of policy support should be increased: encouraging farmers to integrate land and supporting specialized and diversified planting.

Diverse Planting Density-Driven Nutrient and Yield Enhancement of Sweet Corn by Zinc and Selenium Foliar Application

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the major cereal crops cultivated worldwide. Zinc and selenium are important nutrients for humans and plants, and their deficiency is a cause for concern in most developing countries. Sweet corn fertilized with zinc and selenium can mitigate this problem. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of fertilization with Zn and Se on the yield and quality of sweet corn varieties under different planting densities. The experimental design used was a split-plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Compared to the control, significant differences were recorded in grain yield, leaf area index, and plant height (i.e., Zn/Se + density + variety) treatments. Non-significant differences in the number of kernels per cob, sugar content and crude protein were recorded under different treatments. Significant differences in grain yield, water-soluble sugar, and zinc and selenium content in grain were recorded. Grain yield was higher in Selenium than in Zinc treatments, with a mean difference of 0.05 t ha−1. We conclude that grain yield and selenium content in grain were influenced by selenium foliar application, while water-soluble sugar and zinc content in grain were influenced by foliar zinc application.

Bird Community Composition and Current Status in and Around Selected Wetlands of District Sirsa, Haryana (India)

District Sirsa endows with diverse plantations, agricultural fields and several water bodies that serve as foraging, roosting, nesting and breeding sites for avian species. Field surveys were conducted for a period of one year from October 2019 to September 2020, with the help of Scan sampling, Line transect and Point count method. During the entire study period, a total of 129 species comprising 99 genera, 50 families and 18 orders were recorded at selected wetlands. Among these species, 82 species were Residents, 35 species were winter migrants and 12 species were summer migrants. Order Passeriformes was the dominated taxa consisting 48 species in 21 families, whereas families Anatidae and Scolopacidae were highly diversified (12 species each) possessing high RDi value (9.30 each) in relation to other families. Of the total 129 species, six species were observed as Nearthreatened and single species was vulnerable as per IUCN; three species listed under Schedule-I, single species under Schedule-V and remaining 125 species under Schedule-IV of IWPA, 1972, whereas six species under appendices of CITES, 2012. The selected wetlands serve as most suitable habitat for both residential and migratory species and could establish as breeding ground as well as protected sites for avian communities.

Response of heat-stress tolerant and susceptible wheat lines in diverse planting environments by using parametric stability models

In Pakistan, wheat planting is delayed because of dawn sowing, which reduces yield due to terminal heat stress. This effect can be alleviated by changing sowing times. Therefore, parametric stability analysis was carried out with eight different sowing dates (environments), namely, early, normal, late, and very late, with 10-day intervals in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 at the Wheat Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Significant heat stress responses were observed at the latter two sowing dates. The genetic and phenotypic relationship among the traits revealed that the normalized vegetation index (NI) had a positive correlation with grain yield (kg ha−1) (Yi) and 1000-grain weight (g) (GrWt). However, canopy temperature (CaTe) had a negative correlation with Yi, GrWt, and NI. For Yi and GrWt, the linear environmental response (α) and deviation from linear response (λ) were observed as transformed forms of regression coefficient (bi) and deviation from regression (S2d). Planting dates, i.e., E1, E6, and E7, had slight effects on Yi, and E6, E7, E2, and E8 had slight effects on GrWt. Meanwhile, E3, E4, E5, E1, E3, and E4 exerted a strong effect on the genotype by environment interactions for Yi and GrWt. For Yi, lines G23, G20, and G21 were adapted to E8; G9 and G19 were adapted to E1; and G15, G17, and G22 were adapted to E5. For GrWt, G13, G20, G3, G11, G21, and G15 were adapted to E8 and E4; G10, G7, G8, and G5 were adapted to E5; G4, G22, and G17 were adapted to E6 and E4; and G24 and G2 were adapted to E2 and E3. The candidate wheat lines with enhanced GrWt and Yi were found in E5 and E6 (late sowing) and E7 and E8 (very late) and presented tolerance to terminal heat stress.

Diversity, composition, and freedom to choose drive the effects of St. Augustinegrass cultivar blends on an herbivorous insect

AbstractWarm‐season turfgrasses are conventionally produced and maintained as cultivar monocultures, which leaves them less resilient to pest attack than more diverse plantings. Recent evidence has indicated that mixing St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze] cultivars can provide pest management benefits compared with cultivar monocultures. Research in other systems has shown that the effects of plant diversity on herbivores often depends on the number and identity of plant species present. Host plant diversity can affect herbivore fitness via postconsumptive physiological effects or before consumption by influencing herbivore behavior or plant defenses. To investigate the mechanisms by which St. Augustinegrass cultivar diversity and composition affect an insect herbivore, six cultivars were mixed to create two levels of cultivar diversity, and fall armyworm life history traits were tracked under no‐choice diet mixing conditions and conditions where the larvae could forage among mixed cultivars. These experiments demonstrated that specific cultivar blends can reduce herbivore fitness and herbivory, and that the effects on fall armyworm fitness are likely driven by insect–plant interactions rather than postconsumptive physiological effects. The results will inform pest management strategies in warm‐season turfgrass production and management, adding to the literature focused on the effects of intraspecific plant diversity.

Interspecific Neighbor Stimulates Peanut Growth Through Modulating Root Endophytic Microbial Community Construction.

Plants have evolved the capability to respond to interspecific neighbors by changing morphological performance and reshaping belowground microbiota. However, whether neighboring plants influence the microbial colonization of the host’s root and further affect host performance is less understood. In this study, using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) roots from over 5 years of mono- and intercropping field systems, we found that neighbor maize can alter the peanut root microbial composition and re-shape microbial community assembly. Interspecific maize coexistence increased the colonization of genera Bradyrhizobium and Streptomyces in intercropped peanut roots. Through endophytic bacterial isolation and isolate back inoculation experiments, we demonstrated that the functional potentials of available nutrient accumulation and phytohormones production from Bradyrhizobium and Streptomyces endowed them with the ability to act as keystones in the microbial network to benefit peanut growth and production with neighbor competition. Our results support the idea that plants establish a plant-endophytic microbial holobiont through root selective filtration to enhance host competitive dominance, and provide a promising direction to develop modern diversified planting for harnessing crop microbiomes for the promotion of crop growth and productivity in sustainable agriculture.

Selecting and Assessing Underutilized Trees for Diverse Urban Forests: A Participatory Research Approach

Urban forests provide critical environmental benefits, but the resilience of these socio-ecological systems to stresses like pest and disease outbreaks relies on tree health and diversity. Despite this, low species diversity continues to be a challenge in urban forest management. Using a participatory research approach in central Florida (United States), we selected and tested underutilized native tree species (Celtis laevigata Willd., Ilex vomitoria Aiton, Taxodium ascendens Brongn., Ulmus alata Michx., and Viburnum obovatum Walter) in two urban settings (streetscape and park) in four communities (total n = 200). Our collaborative process was organized into five steps, including a 2-year monitoring period to assess mortality and health through establishment. At the end of the trial, 156 trees survived with annual mortality rates differing by species and plot type. Taxodium ascendens had the highest annual mortality of the five species trialed. Overall, U. alata and V. obovatum showed the greatest potential in central Florida urban settings. Our tree selection process can guide others who want to create forward-thinking and diverse planting lists. Furthermore, this project demonstrates that co-production of knowledge involving members of local municipalities, practitioners, and researchers can be an effective strategy for selecting and testing underutilized tree species.

Effect of the roadside tree canopy structure and the surrounding on the daytime urban air temperature in summer

As an important component of urban forests, roadside trees provide cooling and humidification effects, thereby improving the microclimate and human thermal comfort during hot summer weather by blocking, reflecting and absorbing solar radiation. However, the complex three-dimensional (3D) structure of roadside trees, diverse planting types and complex landscape heterogeneity complicate efforts to quantify the effects of these factors on above-road air temperatures. In this study, a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) is used to accurately estimate roadside tree morphological parameters, such as the tree height (TH) and the diameter at breast height (DBH), and canopy structural parameters, such as the canopy thickness (CT), the canopy cover above the road (CCAD), canopy volume over the road (CVAD) and the leaf area index (LAI), to evaluate different 3D canopy geometries (pyramidal, spherical, pileate and cylindrical). A moving meteorological station was used to continuously obtain the horizontal air temperature (AT) distribution to investigate the effects of the canopy structural parameters, the planting types and the land cover types on the above-road AT. The value of ΔAT was positively correlated with TH, CVAD, LAI and CCAD. These structural variables were most significantly correlated with ΔAT under the pileate canopy shape. However, there were no significant correlations between these factors under the cylindrical canopy shape. The physiological equivalent temperature (ΔPET) reached 7.4, 15.8, 4.5 and 17 °C under the cylindrical, spherical, pyramidal and pileate shapes, respectively. The ΔAT of a two-sided planting was approximately 1.7 times greater than that of a one-sided planting; the ΔRH showed a similar trend. Within 230 m of a lake, the ΔAT exhibited a logarithmic relationship with the distance from a given point to the lake. Our study quantifies the influence of the roadside tree structure on the thermal environment, which can serve as a meaningful reference for urban tree species selection and arrangement.

Maize/peanut intercropping improves nutrient uptake of side-row maize and system microbial community diversity

BackgroundIntercropping, a diversified planting pattern, increases land use efficiency and farmland ecological diversity. We explored the changes in soil physicochemical properties, nutrient uptake and utilization, and microbial community composition in wide-strip intercropping of maize and peanut.ResultsThe results from three treatments, sole maize, sole peanut and intercropping of maize and peanut, showed that intercropped maize had a marginal advantage and that the nutrient content of roots, stems and grains in side-row maize was better than that in the middle row of intercropped maize and sole maize. The yield of intercropped maize was higher than that of sole cropping. The interaction between crops significantly increased soil peroxidase activity, and significantly decreased protease and dehydrogenase activities in intercropped maize and intercropped peanut. The diversity and richness of bacteria and fungi decreased in intercropped maize rhizosphere soil, whereas the richness of fungi increased intercropped peanut. RB41, Candidatus-udaeobacter, Stropharia, Fusarium and Penicillium were positively correlated with soil peroxidase activity, and negatively correlated with soil protease and dehydrogenase activities. In addition, intercropping enriched the functional diversity of the bacterial community and reduced pathogenic fungi.ConclusionIntercropping changed the composition and diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities in rhizosphere soil, enriched beneficial microbes, increased the nitrogen content of intercropped maize and provided a scientific basis for promoting intercropping in northeastern China.

Farmers’ Willingness to Pay a High Premium for Different Types of Agricultural Insurance: Evidence from Inner Mongolia, China

The productivity of the agricultural sector depends on natural resources, and farmers are vulnerable to substantial weather risks globally. For many years, different insurance products have been promoted in China to manage the negative impact and risk associated with unpredictable natural events. Generally, different insurance products correspond to the various premium levels, and farmers are unaware of the insurance policies and premium calculations. This study focuses on farmers’ preferences toward the insurance of corn crop, one of China’s largest grain crop productions. This study uses Heckman’s two‐stage model to focus on the farmers’ willingness to pay for multiple weather‐based insurances, who suffered severe disasters. The contingent valuation method was used to collect the data about farmers’ willingness to pay and preferences from 252 households across three cities of Inner Mongolia, China. The result of empirical estimation indicates that farmers with less experience and high income tend to choose “60% of full‐cost insurance product.” Farmers with a lack of specialization and lower diversified planting tend to choose “full‐cost insurance product.” In contrast, farmers with higher education prefer “output value insurance product.” The empirical result indicates that the promotion of various agricultural insurance could be a valuable strategy to improve protection levels and manage the risk adjustment input in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this study provides insights into risk reduction design that suggests adopting and encouraging different agricultural insurance products.

Nitrate-N removal rate variabilities in floating treatment wetland mesocosms with diverse planting and carbon amendment designs

Floating treatment wetlands are an innovative wetland design to passively improve water quality and remove pollutants from reservoirs with limited infrastructure modification or construction as compared to traditional treatment wetlands. However, design recommendations remain limited. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1. Determine nitrate-N removal rates in two floating treatment wetland vegetation designs entering a second growing season and 2. Evaluate nitrate-N removal performance in floating treatment wetland designs following the addition of two carbon amendments during the growing season. Three floating treatment wetland mesocosm experiments were conducted during the summer of 2019, where nitrate-N removal was evaluated. Two floating treatment wetland plant designs (Rush species and Diverse species) and three carbon conditions (no amendment, spent coffee grounds, and barley straw) were assessed in replicates of three. Floating treatment wetland vegetation design (Rush versus Diverse) was found to have significant (P < 0.05) effects on nitrate-N removal performance with Diverse floating treatment wetlands removing nitrate-N at more than twice the rate of Rush floating treatment wetlands (491 to 695 mg N m−2 d−1 and 1547 to 1937 mg N m−2 d−1, respectively). However, impacts of nitrate-N removal following carbon amendments were insignificant compared to no amendment Controls. Diverse wetland species should be considered in floating treatment wetland design while alternative methods to add carbon amendments to floating treatment wetland mats should be further explored.

Biological and economic efficacy of cowpea-radish association fertilized with organic manure in diverse planting arrangements

Green manuring and the spatial arrangement of planting intercropped crops are manageable factors to increase the bioeconomic effectiveness of intercropped systems. Therefore, the object of this study was to work out the bio-economic efficacy in cowpea-radish association under diverse Calotropis procera biomass amounts and planting arrangements in two cultivation seasons through biological and economic indices. The research was conducted in a design of randomized complete blocks with four repetitions. The treatments were made of combination of four C. procera biomass amounts placed into the soil (20, 35, 50 and 65 t ha-1) with three cowpea-radish planting arrangements (2:2, 3:3 and 4:4). The biological indices, land equivalent ratio (LER), area-time equivalency ratio (ATER), actual yield loss (AYL), and system productivity index (SPI) and the economic indicators gross revenue (GR), net revenue (NR), rate of return (RR) and profit margin (PM) were evaluated to express the bio-economic efficacy of the cowpea-radish association. The greatest biological efficiencies of the cowpea-radish association were attained with LER and ATER of 1.75 and 1.25; AYL and SPI of 1.48 and 13.15 t ha-1, respectively, in the amount of 62 t ha-1 of C. procera biomass in the planting arrangements 2: 2 and 3: 3. The largest net economic revenue (NR) of 16,382.85 R$ ha-1 was attained in the amount of 52 t ha-1 of C. procera in the planting arrangement 3: 3.

Policy-oriented versus market-induced: Factors influencing crop diversity across China

Crop diversity is crucial for sustainable farmland ecosystems and global sustainability, and thus is a popular subject of research in ecological economics, agricultural science, and geography. Many studies have revealed the individual impacts of government policies or market changes on crop diversity. However, research on the combined effects of both government policy interventions and market-induced substitutions on changing crop diversity remains limited. This study clarifies the underlying mechanisms leading to changes in crop diversity in light of the joint effects of policies on grain subsidy implemented by the government to encourage monocropping as well as the market-induced forces that stimulate diversified planting. We used Hubei Province, one of the main grain-producing areas in Central China, as a case study. The foremost contribution of this study is its exploration of a global understanding of policy-oriented versus market-induced forces in driving changes in crop diversity at the regional level. Policy-oriented forces played a leading role in the past decline in diversity by restraining an increase in market-induced crop diversity. This leading role was reliant on encouraging certain crops through grain subsidies provided according to the farmers' targeted land use to maximize labor productivity. On the whole, strong implementation of policies on grain subsidy have challenged sustainable farmland ecosystems because of the resulting reduction in crop diversity. We argue that the relationship between top-down food security-oriented policies and bottom-up market-induced crop substitutions for a sustainable farmland ecosystem should be immediately and completely coordinated, while regionally differentiated cropping regulations should also be considered.

Evidence for local‐scale community assembly processes from long‐term observations of biodiversity in a grassland chronosequence

AbstractQuestionsHabitat restorations offer the opportunity to observe community development over time to infer processes that drive assembly. We used long‐term data from diverse prairie plantings to test predictions of alternate models of community assembly.LocationPrairie plantings in former agricultural fields in Northfield, MN, USA.MethodsWe studied the plant community in adjacent prairie plantings across a 13‐year chronosequence. Permanent plots were surveyed repeatedly over a 16‐year period when the prairies were from 5 to 21 years old.ResultsMarked differences in plant composition and diversity among planting blocks obscured temporal inferences across the chronosequence; we found no age effect on any biodiversity parameter within the same sample year. However, strong age effects were evident when longitudinal changes were examined within planting blocks. Changes in local‐scale species richness and Shannon diversity were highly dependent on initial conditions. Low‐diversity plots gained species and high‐diversity plots lost species, resulting in convergence of taxonomic diversity. Phylogenetic diversity increased significantly with age. Processes that could reduce coexistence of related species include competitive exclusion and shared enemies. The species that gained or lost abundance were randomly distributed across the phylogeny overall. Legume species (Fabaceae) consistently increased over time, but grasses (Poaceae) and composites (Asteraceae) had a mix of species that increased or decreased. The species that increased were more likely to be late‐successional prairie specialists; declining species were more likely to be habitat generalists.ConclusionsOur results show that the trajectory of plant community succession in prairie plantings is highly variable, and depends on initial species diversity and phylogenetic relatedness. Such variation weakens the space‐for‐time substitution assumption in chronosequence studies; caution is necessary in interpreting chronosequence data from a single time sample. Restoration plantings over multiple sites and years are necessary to maximize landscape‐level diversity.

Reasonable Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Improves Rice Yield and Quality under a Rapeseed/Wheat–Rice Rotation System

To determine the influence of N fertilizer management on rice yield and rice quality under diversified rotations and establish a high-yield, high-quality, and environmentally friendly diversified planting technology, a rapeseed/wheat–rice rotation system for 2 successive years was implemented. In those rotation systems, a conventional N rate (Nc; 180 kg/hm2 N in rape season, 150 kg/hm2 N in wheat season) and a reduced N rate (Nr; 150 kg/hm2 N in rape season, 120 kg/hm2 N in wheat season) were applied. Based on an application rate of 150 kg/hm2 N in the rice season, three N management models were applied, in which the application ratio of base:tiller:panicle fertilizer was 20%:20%:60% in treatment M1, 30%:30%:40% in treatment M2, and 40%:40%:20% in treatment M3. Zero N was used as the control (M0). The results showed that, under Nc and Nr in the rape season, M3 management produced an increase in rice yield. The average rice yields in 2018 and 2019 were 9.41 t/hm2 and 9.54 t/hm2, respectively. An increase in rice peak viscosity, hot viscosity, break disintegration, and chalkiness was achieved. Under Nc and Nr in the wheat season, the panicle fertilizer of 40%:40%:20% in rice season produced a higher rice yield. The average yield was 9.45 t/hm2 and 9.19 t/hm2, respectively, and an increase in rice peak viscosity, hot viscosity, and break disintegration was produced. Reduced N for rapeseed and the panicle fertilizer of 40%:40%:20% in rice season under a rapeseed–rice rotation system can be recommended to stabilize yield and ensure high-quality rice production and environmentally friendly rapeseed–rice rotation systems in southern China.

Optimizing pollinator conservation and crop yield among perennial bioenergy crops

AbstractIn order to both combat the decline of biodiversity and produce food, fuel, and fiber for a growing human population, current agricultural landscapes must transition into diversified, multifunctional systems. Perennial cellulosic biofuel crops have potential to meet both of these challenges, acting as multifunctional systems that can enhance biodiversity. What is not well understood, and what we test here, are the tradeoffs among different perennial crops in their performance as biofuels and in biodiversity conservation. Working in an established bioenergy experiment with four native, perennial, cellulosic biofuel crop varieties—ranging from monoculture to diverse restoration planting—we tested the effect of biofuel crop management on flower communities, pollinator communities, and crop yield. The greatest abundance and diversity of pollinators and flowers were in treatments that were successional (unmanaged), followed by restored prairie (seeded mix of native grasses and forbs), switchgrass, and a mix of native grasses. However, biofuel crop yield was approximately the inverse, with native grasses having the highest yield, followed by switchgrass and prairie, then successional treatments. Restored prairie was the optimal biofuel crop when both pollinator conservation and crop yield are valued similarly. We add to mounting evidence that policy is needed to create sustainable markets that value the multifunctionality of perennial biofuel systems in order to achieve greater ecosystem services from agricultural landscapes.

Crop Diversity at the Landscape Level Affects the Composition and Structure of the Vegetation-Dwelling Arthropod Communities in Naked Oat (Avena Chinensis) Fields.

The expansion of agriculture and intensive mechanized production have resulted in the loss of habitats and biodiversity, which has led to the loss of ecological services such as the biological control of pests and diseases, and insect-borne pollination. Current studies mainly focus on the impact of small-scale crop diversity (such as intercropping) on ecological service but lack research on the effects of crop diversity at the landscape scale. In this study, vegetation-dwelling arthropods in naked oat (Avena chinensis) fields under different planting patterns were collected at different growth stages by standardized sweep netting sampling, and the differences in arthropod communities and temporal dynamics were analyzed. Taking this information as an example, the effects of crop diversity at the landscape scale caused by different planting patterns on arthropod communities were studied. It was found that herbivores were the most abundant functional group in the arthropod community in naked oat fields, accounting for 70.13% of the total abundance, followed by natural enemies, accounting for 23.45%, and, finally, other insects. The abundance and species richness of natural enemies in naked oat fields under diversified planting pattern were significantly higher than those under intensive planting pattern, while the abundance and species richness of herbivorous pests showed no significant difference between the two planting patterns. Planting patterns significantly affected the composition and structure of arthropod communities in naked oat fields. Significantly higher ratio of natural enemy to pest and more diverse natural enemies under the diversified planting pattern have shown better biological control potential and the significance of biodiversity protection.