From research conducted at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ and the Forschungszentrum Jülich

For this long-term study, which was coordinated by the University of Jena, more than 90 experimental sites in the Saale Valley were sown with different combinations of grass, legumes and herb species in 2002 and their development was followed until 2009. The researchers found that plant diversity had an effect on the way the entire food web functioned – and particularly on the herbivores that eat the plants directly. As the number of plant species increased, so too did the number of plant-symbiotic fungi species, which increased the plant’s nutrient suppy and enhanced plant productivity. According to microbiologist Dr. Stephan König of the UFZ, once more is known about such organisms, they could be used to increase harvests in an environmentally friendly manner. “Combinations of different plant species in nutrient-poor fields require fewer fertilizers or pesticides and could serve as a resource for biogas production," says Dr. Vicky Temperton of the Institute of Biosciences and Geosciences at the Forschungszentrums Jülich.

UFZ/FZJ/red.