Strip-cropping and recycling of waste for biodiverse and resource-efficient intensive vegetable production – SureVeg

Summary

•Intercropping and strip-cropping appear to farmers as promising systems for replacement of monocultures
•The success of intercropping for crop yields and nitrogen use efficiency depends on crop species’ characteristics and control by management. The choices of species and management methods should be knowledge-based
•Intercropping and strip-cropping can influence general and functional biodiversity of organisms and the agroecosystem services they provide in a complex way
•Alternative fertility strategies based on the combination of a fast and slow releasing source of organic amendments can sustain crop growth, increase short-term soil fertility and promote longterm soil C storage
•100% plant-based sources can replace animal-based ones without jeopadizing yields
•The combination of intercropping and alternative fertility strategies did not show synergistic effects
•Smart automated machinery was completed to solve challenges of mechanization in inter-and strip-cropping systems including a proof-of-concept robotic tool
•Successful implementation of inter-/strip-crop systems and fertility strategies relays on detailed insight into the agronomic conditions and agroecological functioning. SureVeg provided such new insight across Europe