Written by Charlotte Cunningham from CPM Magazine
Farmers using conservation agriculture establishment techniques could show the system’s potential for a huge environmental uplift during this year’s Big Farmland Bird Count, according to the results of Syngenta’s Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Farming Initiative. Results of over three years successive monitoring on farms, as part of the initiative, has shown up to 1000%+ higher bird numbers over the winter on fields established with conservation agriculture systems, compared with conventional plough cultivations. The independently monitored research is studying the field-scale agronomic, economic and environmental implications of conservation agriculture establishment systems on contrasting light land, at East Lenham in Kent, and the heavy soils of Loddington in Leicestershire. On the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Allerton Project farm, at Loddington, areas established with conservation agriculture techniques recorded an average 1011% more birds over the winter, compared to crops established with conventional plough-based tillage. At East Lenham in Kent, the average numbers of birds recorded on the ground over the past three winters was 145% higher in fields established by direct drill/light till. Bird numbers were monitored once a month on the different establishment system throughout the winter, with transects walked across each area to count birds on the ground. Numbers…
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Farmers using conservation agriculture establishment techniques could show the system’s potential for a huge environmental uplift during this year’s Big Farmland Bird Count, according to the results of Syngenta’s Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Farming Initiative. Results of over three years successive monitoring on farms, as part of the initiative, has shown up to 1000%+ higher bird numbers over the winter on fields established with conservation agriculture systems, compared with conventional plough cultivations. The independently monitored research is studying the field-scale agronomic, economic and environmental implications of conservation agriculture establishment systems on contrasting light land, at East Lenham in Kent, and the heavy soils of Loddington in Leicestershire. On the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Allerton Project farm, at Loddington, areas established with conservation agriculture techniques recorded an average 1011% more birds over the winter, compared to crops established with conventional plough-based tillage. At East Lenham in Kent, the average numbers of birds recorded on the ground over the past three winters was 145% higher in fields established by direct drill/light till. Bird numbers were monitored once a month on the different establishment system throughout the winter, with transects walked across each area to count birds on the ground. Numbers…
The post Syngenta initiative shows conservation agriculture techniques could boost biodiversity appeared first on cpm magazine.
Continue reading on CPM website...
If you are enjoying what you read then why not considering subscribing here: http://www.cpm-magazine.co.uk/subscribe/