Global synthesis of the effectiveness of flower strips and hedgerows on
pest control, pollination services and crop yield
Abstract
Floral plantings are promoted to foster ecological intensification of
agriculture through provisioning of ecosystem services. However, a
comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of different floral
plantings, their characteristics and consequences for crop yield across
global regions is lacking. Here we quantified the impacts of flower
strips and hedgerows on pest control and pollination services in
adjacent crops using a global dataset of 529 sites. Flower strips, but
not hedgerows, enhanced pest control services in adjacent fields by 16%
on average. However, effects on crop pollination and yield were more
variable. Our synthesis identifies several important drivers of
variability in effectiveness of plantings: pollination services declined
exponentially with distance from plantings, and perennial and older
flower strips with higher flowering plant diversity enhanced pollination
more effectively. These findings provide promising pathways to optimize
floral plantings to more effectively contribute to ecosystem service
delivery and ecological intensification of agriculture in the future.