WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2021

VITICULTURE RESEARCH | AUGUST 2021

INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE THREATENS ARTHROPOD BIODIVERSITY (Cardoso et al ., 2020; Habel et al. , 2019; Sánchez- Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019), impacts the functioning of ecosystems (Biesmeijer et al ., 2006), and threatens the sustainable production of farming systems due to the loss of vital ecosystem services (Geiger et al ., 2010; Losey & Vaughan, 2006; Potts et al ., 2010), e.g. pollination and pest control. INTRODUCTION The growing concern over the future sustainability of intensive agriculture has already led to the adoption of a wide range of agroecological farming methods worldwide (Batáry et al ., 2015; Kleijn et al . 2011). These approaches generally aim to soften agriculture (Mäder et al ., 2002; Zehnder et al ., 2007) and enhance farmland habitat quality (Batáry et al ., 2015). There are a number of studies that highlight management practices that can effectively promote arthropod diversity, e.g. preserving and diversifying non-crop vegetation (Isbell et al ., 2017; Lichtenberg et al ., 2017), reducing agrochemical applications (Geiger et al ., 2010; Bom­ marco et al . 2011), reducing tillage intensity (Rowen et al ., 2020), and crop diversification (Alignier et al. , 2020; Fahrig

Vineyard with established, grass-dominant cover crop. (Photo: Marinus Geldenhuys).

Cover crops enhance vineyard arthropod diversity

MARINUS GELDENHUYS, RENÉ GAIGHER, JAMES PRYKE & MICHAEL SAMWAYS: Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch KEYWORDS: Arthropod conservation, biodiversity, cover crops, vineyards.

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