News » 29.08.2024 - Argentina: 'Pollinator-friendly flower strips with native species from Pampas grassland'

According to Instituto de Floricultura ,Global biodiversity is in decline, driven primarily by human activities such as agricultural intensification and expanding urban development.

"Habitat loss and degradation are common in natural grassland ecosystems and lead to a sharp decline in the provision of ecosystem services, such as pollination. The Argentine Pampas grasslands were not an exception to this global trend. Native plant communities have been reduced to small, semi-natural remnants, whereas exotic plants have become widespread.

One way to mitigate the harmful effects of agricultural intensification is by re-introducing native flowering plants near agricultural fields. Flower strips enhance farmland biodiversity by providing food and shelter for insects and other animals, and an area for wild plants to grow and reproduce."

The Floriculture Institute of Argentina aims to identify the key species of grasslands for reintroducing them to promote biodiversity and processes such as pollination, pest control, and carbon sequestration in the agroecosystems.

They have collected (with the permission of the flora and fauna department of the province) perennial herbaceous and shrub species from natural grassland according to their architecture, foliage, and bloom. "We started a domestication and selection process of native plants with the potential to form a mix of floral species. The appropriate selection of plants is crucial."

This is the beginning of a new series of trials to design a protocol to enrich degraded spaces to promote biodiversity.

Currently, these are the native species that have been selected: Austoeupatorium inulifolium, Bacccharis trimera, Campuloclinium macrocephalum, Chromolaena hirsuta, C. laevigata, Grindelia pulchella, Gyptis tanacetifolia, Salvia uliginosa, Senecio pampeanus, S. pterophorus and Verbena bonariensis.

"Flower strips are a multifunctional agronomic tool because they increase functional biodiversity providing ecosystem services, such as pollination and natural pest control. However, it is still necessary to investigate the most suitable species composition and put forward perspectives for application in Argentina's agroecosystems," states Instituto de Floricultura.

 

Source: www.floraldaily.com

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