FWF - Getreidepflanzen - NAPERDIV - Nature-based perennial grain cropping as a model to safeguard functional biodiversity

The intensification of agriculture during the last decades has resulted in an accumulation of pesticides and other agrochemicals in natural environments. Conventional grain cropping with annual plants relies und high pesticide and artificial fertilizer inputs. Perennial grain cropping could provide a more sustainable alternative; however, further as well as more intensified research is required to improve their productivity for economically justifiable expansion of cultivation areas. In the present project, perennial grain cropping systems will be assessed in a Pan-European gradient (Sweden, Belgium, and France) with different agro-ecological and climatic conditions. Microbiome analyses will be conducted to assess the microbiota in contrasting systems (annual vs. perennial) and to elucidate for the first time if perennial plants harbor a higher proportion of beneficial microorganisms that might be harnessed for future applications in sustainable agriculture.