Plant Diversity in Sustainable Agroecosystems
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2020) | Viewed by 285
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Crop lands represent about 12% of the Earth’s surface (Wood et al., 2000) and one-third of the land surface in Europe (FAO, 2013); therefore, it plays a significant role in generating an anthropogenic impact on the environment and natural biodiversity, as well as in several agroecosystem services. Invasive alien species have become a serious ecological problem, inflicting diverse threats and having social, economic, and ecological impacts worldwide (Aguilera et al., 2010; EC, 2013).
Agrobiodiversity is composed of many components, e.g., crops, animals, wildlife, and other species that coexists and interact within agroecosystems and their surrounding environments (Altieri, 1999). Recent research suggests that the diversification of agroecosystems, rotational systems, and production forests provides multiple benefits (Isbell et al., 2017). Plant diversity might substitute for many costly agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, introduced pollinators, and irrigation. Diversification strategies in agroenvironments include the development of crop diversity, mixed plantings, rotating systems, agroforestry, and diversifying landscapes surrounding croplands.
Enhanced plant diversity affects the production of crops, forage, and wood; yield stability; and numerous regulating and supporting agroecosystem services. Therefore, defining and solving challenges and recommendations for diversifying agroecosystems remain important tasks necessary for sustainable agriculture.
Enhancing plant diversity increases crop and forage yield and wood production and guarantees yield stability, pollinators’ existence and diversity, and suppression of weeds and pests, whereas the effects of diversification on soil nutrients and carbon remain poorly understood.
The greatest benefits of diversifying agroecosystems are expected to increase sustainable production, reducing conventional inputs or optimizing both yields and ecosystem services. Sustainable development agrostrategies must overcome the ecological limits imposed by lack of biodiversity and poor monocultures. Diversification in the form of polycultures and optimization of the crop-mix with respect to the goals of sustainability at various management levels (e.g., farm level, regional level, country level) and by different stakeholders (e.g., scientists, farmers, policymakers) should become an essential tool for sustaining production and ecosystem services in croplands, rangelands, and production forests.
Dr. Ligita Baležentienė
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- agrobiodiversity
- agrostrategies
- diversifying agroecosystems
- ecology services
- rotational systems
- sustainability
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