Ackerwildkrautstreifen

arable weed strips

temporary

little effort

Find out all about arable weed strips

Sind Sie sicher ob der Standort geeignet ist?

Das Profitool erkennt Flächen und kann die optimale Nutzung bestimmen. PROFITOOL

Feldrandschild

Mit dem Feldrandschild teilen Sie der Umgebung mit, welche biodiversitätsfördernden Maßnahmen Sie umgesetzt haben.

Do you need support?

Then please contact us by phone 039209 / 202076 or by e-mail at info@stiftung-kulturlandschaft-sachsen-anhalt.de.

Requirements

Strip width and length

Width at least 3 m if possible

Site and soil conditions:

dry to normal
preferably sunny

Costs:

Yield loss

Machinery requirements:

No additional

Implementation period:

at the same time as the field is cultivated

Implementation
step-by-step instruction

Site selection

Suitable are

sites in the open fields
In particular, sites with known occurrences of rare arable weeds (e.g. lamb's succory, mouse tail, field larkspur, Large Venus's-looking-glass, field nigella)
poor, low-yielding sites
sites that are difficult to work on
small areas far from the yard

The measure can also be used to subdivide large fields or implemented along existing structures such as agricultural roads or sunny sides of rows of trees, hedges and copses.

Not suitable are:

Locations with problem weeds such as couch grass or creeping thistle should be avoided!

Size: Width at least 3 m if possible

-> the wider the strip, the more effective the measure

Implementation

There are various options for implementation. The aim is to create open spaces for arable weeds.

Self-vegetating fallow land
After harvesting/tillage, spontaneous vegetation development from the stubble field is permitted. The recommended maximum standing time is 2-3 years.

Sparse grain field
Cereals are sown with a lower seed density (30-50 % lower seed rate) and double row spacing (at least 20 cm) or ‘wide row’ (drill gaps) up to 50 cm.

Stubble fallow/late stubble cultivation
Late stubble cultivation after 15 August or even after 10 September, e.g. along the edges of the field, promotes late-flowering, low-competition arable weeds such as field nigella. If stubble ploughing postponed until spring, the area can also provide shelter and food for many species over the winter months.

Care
step-by-step instruction

Annual tillage

As a rule, tillage and cultivation are carried out as for the entire field. The following must be observed:

No use of pesticides
At least reduced fertilisation, better no fertilisation
Also reduced/no use of mechanical weed control

Ecological impact

Arable weeds are species that are adapted to arable farming. Many species arrived in Central Europe together with arable farming and are only found here in fields. Their life cycle is closely adapted to the cultivation of fields, i.e. they are mostly annuals and require annual ploughing. Many species ripen at the same time as the arable crops. Because intensive farming is very effective at combating weeds, only a few species usually grow in the fields, often in small numbers. Most arable weeds have become rare and their populations are endangered in Germany.

Arable weed strips and conservation fields are primarily created to promote rare arable weeds. However, they also support many animal species that are dependent on species-rich arable weed populations. For example, there are numerous insects that need special wild herbs as food plants and many bird species benefit from such areas as feeding and breeding habitats.