Diversity, Structure, and Role of Field Boundary Habitats in Agro-ecosystems
Since 2016, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has been working on a project to help understand how field boundaries affect adjacent agricultural land.
Field boundaries are the non-cropped areas surrounding or adjacent to cropped land. Examples of a field boundary include planted shelterbelts (Figure 1) as well as native buffers (Figure 2). When farmland is consolidated into bigger fields, field boundaries are often removed. But not enough is known about the consequences. Producers often treat non-cropped areas (shelterbelts) as non-productive land that competes with crops for moisture and nutrients (Norris and Kogan 2005). However, studies have shown that shelterbelts increase yield in the 2H to 10H distance from shelterbelt with a maximum increase of 9% at 3H compared to the open field (H=shelterbelt height unit) (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry 2004). But the ecological role of non-cropped habitats within the scope of extensive, modern agriculture has not been fully quantified. There are many species of flora and fauna that are adapted to farmland and many depend entirely on these habitats. Since field boundaries represent an interface between farm practices and the ecosystem, it is desirable that the agricultural industry develop practices that enhance, rather than replace, these natural areas and processes (Leaver 1994).
- Details
- Parent Category: 2018 Vol. 24
- Category: Volume 24 No 3. November 2018
