Novel cropping systems could follow field lab

Arable: Collaboration to reduce reliance on inputs

A “field lab” collaboration, which brings farmers and researchers together, could help devise and develop novel cropping systems for Scotland in a bid to increase production efficiency and reduce reliance on inputs.

And while cultivating two crops simultaneously in one field might run counter to conventional wisdom, a growing call for sustainable practices could see an acceleration in the development of intercropping practices on Scotland’s arable farms.

Speaking at a meeting in Fife which looked at “plant teams” – mixtures of different species and cultivars which could offer benefits over monoculture plantings – James Hutton Institute researcher Dr Alison Karley said advantages of dual-cropping included higher productivity, more efficient use of resources, weed, pest and disease suppression, improved soil quality, enhanced numbers of beneficial organisms and greater resilience to stress.

“These can lead directly to economic and environmental benefits such as lower input costs for fertilisers and pesticides, reduced losses of these inputs and enhanced ecosystem services,” she said.

And despite the traditional resistance in the supply chain which had existed towards the use of varietal mixes, let alone species mixtures, Dr Karley said some of the major buyers of Scottish arable crops, including those in the malting and distilling sector, were now actively investigating this approach as a means of improving their supply chain sustainability credentials.

Robin Walker of SRUC said a number of trials had already been conducted into the benefits of growing mixtures, but getting more farmers involved in fieldscale evaluation was crucial in taking the idea forward.

He said more information was needed on which varieties worked best in mixtures and it was important that farmers were fully involved as they could best evaluate which mixtures worked best in their own situation.

A growing call for sustainable practices could see an acceleration in the development of intercropping practices