Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
08:42
Forced Flowering in Mandarin Trees under Phytotron Conditions
Published on: March 6, 2019
Intercropping Flowering Plants Enhances Multiple Ecosystem Services in Apple Orchards
Xingrui Zhang1, Guodong Han1,2, Yunli Xiao3
1Shandong Key Laboratory for Green Prevention and Control of Agricultural Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China.
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Intercropping apple orchards with flowering plants like rapeseed and hairy vetch significantly boosts ecosystem services, including pollination and pest control. This sustainable practice enhances orchard multifunctionality without negative trade-offs.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Ecology
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Orchard Management
Background:
- Intercropping flowering plants is a sustainable orchard practice.
- Its impact on multiple ecosystem services is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effects of intercropping flowering plants on ecosystem services in an apple orchard.
- To establish a framework for evaluating orchard ecosystem services.
Main Methods:
- A two-year field experiment was conducted in an apple orchard.
- Four flowering plant species were intercropped: Cnidium monnieri, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, Brassica napus, and Vicia villosa.
- 22 ecosystem service indicators were measured and grouped into six composite indices.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in ecosystem service indicators were observed between intercropped and control plots in both years.
- Six composite indices (pollination, pest control, habitat, food, nutrient cycling, carbon stock) showed significant enhancement.
- No trade-offs were observed between the composite indices, indicating synergistic interactions.
Conclusions:
- Intercropping selected flowering plants significantly improves multiple ecosystem services in apple orchards.
- This practice offers a promising strategy for enhancing ecosystem service multifunctionality in orchard management.
Related Concept Videos
01:59Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Crop cultivation has a long history in human civilization, with records showing the cultivation of cereal plants beginning at around 8000 BC. This early plant breeding was developed primarily to provide a steady supply of food.
01:09Microbe-Plant Interactions
Microbe-plant interactions represent a dynamic spectrum of associations shaped by intricate chemical signaling. These interactions can be neutral, beneficial, or detrimental, and profoundly influence plant physiology, growth, and ecosystem function. The plant microbiome, comprising bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists, and viruses, plays a pivotal role in mediating these effects through surface colonization, internal colonization, or systemic symbiosis.Mutualistic associations, particularly with...
00:58Symbiosis
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
02:40Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the biosynthesis of the...
01:18Dihybrid Crosses
Overview
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.