Restoration of local populations of rare and endangered arable field plants on organic farms in Germany

It is the aim of the current project to develop applied scientific knowledge on new methods for conservation of arable weeds within farming systems. The past decades have shown that species diversity can be higher on organic farms, and that these farmers are more willing to support endangered arable weeds in their fields. However, remnant populations of the species are often not present on the respective farms, thus, calling for transplantation from nearby populations. This type of restoration of agrobiodiversity will be explored by the research project. Two complementary research teams in contrasting regions in Germany will test the response of seed-sown arable weeds under various management systems. Vegetation traits measured include abundance, flowering, seed production and seed bank dynamics of the test species. Possible yield reduction and basic soil characteristics will be studied as well. The farmers' practical knowledge will be included in a participatory approach.