The four year Horizon 2020-funded DIVERSify project (2017-2021) aims to optimise the performance of crop species mixtures or ‘plant teams’ to improve yield stability, reduce pest and disease damage, and enhance stress resilience in agricultural systems. It focuses on improving the productivity and sustainability of European agriculture using an approach that has global relevance, learning from the experience of international researchers and stakeholders. Webpage for more information of the project.

Martin Weih from SLU is responsible as a  core partner in the project. Farming in Balance deliver experience and data from the pilot farms. The manager Helena Elmquist from Farming In Balance are responsible for data gathering and to summarise experence and knowledge from the pilot farms.

Two CP trials were conducted in Sweden by Odling I Balans (Third Party subcontractor to SLU) using cereal-legume mixtures in organic or conventional systems.
CP Trial 1
Plant team: oat/pea/Kentucky bluegrass
Treatments:
Mixture, irrigated
Mixture, non-irrigated

Preliminary conclusions:
- Increase of grain and straw yields in irrigated plot as compared to those of non-irrigated (Figure 1)
- Higher abundance of aphids in irrigated plots


Figure 1. Grain and straw yields (Kg/ha) of oat mixed with pea and Kentucky bluegrass with and without irrigation.