Natagriwal ASBL, site de Gembloux, Passage des Déportés 2, Gembloux, 5030, Belgium.
Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W)-Production and Sectors Department, Rue de Liroux 8, Gembloux, 5030, Belgium.
Environ Manage. 2019 May;63(5):647-657. doi: 10.1007/s00267-019-01153-y. Epub 2019 Mar 13.
Wildflower strips (WS) are proposed in many European countries as a strategy to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in arable fields. To create and maintain WS on nutrient-rich cultivated soils reveals challenging. Flowered species may be outcompeted by grasses due to high phosphorus content in soil. We studied during 5 years seed mixture (grass density in the seed mix) and mowing regime influenced the ability of WS to provide environmental benefits (flower provision for insects and landscape purposes, reduction of soil nutrient load) and respond to farmer concerns (noxious weed promotion, forage production). Lowered grass density increased flower abundance, but not diversity, only in the first 3 years. In the last 2 years mowing effects became determinant. Flower cover and richness were the highest under the twice-a-year mowing regime. This regime also increased forage quantity and quality. Flower colour diversity was conversely the highest where mowing occurred every two years. Potassium in the soil decreased under the twice-a-year mowing regime. Other nutrients were not affected. No management option kept noxious weed to an acceptable level after 5 years. This supports the need to test the efficacy of specific management practices such as selective clipping or spraying. Mowing WS twice a year was retained as the most favourable treatment to maintain species-rich strips with an abundant flower provision. It however implies to mow in late June, i.e. at the peak of insect abundance. It is therefore suggested to keep an unmown refuge zone when applying this management regime.
野花带（WS）在许多欧洲国家被提议作为提高农田生物多样性和生态系统服务的一种策略。在营养丰富的耕作土壤上创建和维护 WS 是具有挑战性的。由于土壤中含有高磷，开花物种可能会因草类的竞争而被淘汰。我们在 5 年内研究了种子混合物（种子混合物中的草密度）和修剪制度如何影响 WS 提供环境效益（为昆虫和景观提供花卉，减少土壤养分负荷）和响应农民关注（促进有害杂草、饲料生产）的能力。降低草密度仅在前 3 年增加了花卉的丰度，但没有增加多样性。在最后 2 年，修剪的影响成为决定性因素。在每年修剪两次的制度下，花覆盖率和丰富度最高。这种制度还增加了饲料的数量和质量。相反，在每两年修剪一次的情况下，花的颜色多样性最高。土壤中的钾在每年修剪两次的制度下减少。其他养分不受影响。5 年后，没有管理方案能将有害杂草控制在可接受的水平。这支持了需要测试特定管理措施的效果，例如选择性修剪或喷洒。每年修剪两次 WS 被保留为最有利的处理方法，以保持物种丰富的带和丰富的花卉供应。然而，这意味着要在 6 月底，即昆虫丰度最高时进行修剪。因此，在应用这种管理模式时，建议保留未修剪的避难区。
