Flower strips could save apple farmers pest control costs

(Press-News.org) Planting wildflowers in apple orchards could save farmers up to £3,000 per hectare a year, according to a new study.  

Flower strips create a home for a team of helpful insects – like ladybirds, hoverflies, and lacewings – that eat harmful pests such as aphids. This natural team of pest controllers helps keep apple trees healthy with less need for chemical sprays.  

This study, published in Journal of Agricultural Economics, builds on previous research from a University of Reading team that found flower strips can reduce damage from pests (rosy apple aphids) by up to 32% in bad pest years.   

Dr Charlotte Howard, lead author from the University of Reading, said: "Flowers attract helpful insects that work hard to keep pests under control. Farmers could save money while boosting biodiversity and letting nature do some of the heavy lifting in looking after their crops. There's still more to learn about all the benefits of planting flower strips."  

Right place, right results  

The team looked at real apple orchards over two years - some with flower strips and some without. They counted how many apples were damaged by pests and worked out how much money farmers could save by having fewer damaged apples. In years when there were lots of pests, flower strips helped save a significant amount of money after accounting for costs - up to £2,997 per hectare. Even in years with fewer pests, the flower strips still paid for themselves when planted at the edge of orchards.  

The researchers tried different places to put the flower strips - including at the edge of the orchard replacing grass, or at the edge replacing apple trees.. Putting flowers in the right place was more effective at boosting orchard profits than other factors, including government payments for planting flowers, or how many years the flowers lasted before needing to be replanted.  

Beyond pest control, flower strips also support bees and other pollinating insects, help to capture more carbon from the atmosphere, and improve the overall health of the farm environment. The research team have created simple guides to help farmers to plant flower strips on their farms.  

This research was conducted by University of Reading, NIAB East Malling, Cranfield University and Syngenta (FoodBiosystems Doctoral Training Partnership). Flower margins were established on orchards in the UK by Avalon Produce, Worldwide Fruit and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.    

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