In " Biodiversity Conservation in Our Neighborhood (BCON)" case 174, Mr. Wang from the Eco-site in Siyuan, Shandong Province, talked about the little-known role of wild flowers and weeds in the farm. He pointed out that protecting honey plants is biodiversity conservation based on which the biological pest control is simple and effective.
Credit: WANG Yanjing
Credit: Linda
Credit: LIU Maosheng
In the business philosophy of modern agriculture, wild flowers and weeds are considered useless and often undesirable. Based on this understanding, the widespread use of herbicides will inevitably bring serious ecological consequences. As Professor Jiang Gaoming said, "Pesticides have seriously damaged the Balance of nature, which not only kill pests, but also their natural enemies. Meanwhile Pests also have developed strong resistance to pesticides. For more than half a century of chemical resistance, the farmland pests in China have expanded from seven or eight species to seven or eight hundred. Less than 1% of the pesticides sprayed directly target pests, and the rest have entered the nature, the environment, and even the food chain.
Wild flowers and weeds in eco-farms have little-known ecological functions. For example, honey plants such as Wild Jujube and Vitex bloom year round, providing abundant nectar and pollen and attracting various insects, especially pollinators and natural enemies. These insects pollinate while searching for nectar and pollen, promoting plant reproduction.
Protecting honey plants can also help the breeding and survival of natural enemy insects, many of which rely on nectar as their main source of food in spring and summer, or use it as a breeding and spawning site. From early spring to late autumn, there are all kinds of wild flowers blooming in the farm, which provide "habitat" and "foraging ground", and through the biological chain, they help to effectively control pests and maintain the balance of nature of crops
Protecting honey plants is not only a part of biodiversity conservation, but also one of the good strategies for implementing biological pest control. By 'allowing weeds to grow' and maintaining rather than eliminating biodiversity in farmland, we can create healthier and more sustainable agricultural ecosystems while reducing the use of chemical pesticides, protecting the environment, and maintaining human health.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Hm5xnqUhb3eJAD3JHo9RAg
Translator: Sara
Checked by: Daisy
Editor: Sara
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