Diversifiering med hjälp av mellangrödor - Hållbarhet i potatisproduktion (DisCoverCrop)

Crop diversification, including the incorporation of winter cover crops into rotations can support the transition to more sustainable agriculture. However, the benefits of cover crops for potato cultivation are not fully exploited in countries such as SE, EE and NO.

This project led by SLU, aims to address this gap by determining effective cover crop strategies for potato production in EE, SE, NO, NL and DE and providing evidence-based communication for their use.

Field experiments will be conducted across different locations and climate conditions in research farms and through farmer-led field trials (living labs).

Workshops surveying researchers and practitioners, led from SE, will be held to identify knowledge gaps, beliefs, and communication needs among the participants.

This information will be used in a co-creation, multi-actor approach, involving stakeholders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the experiments to ensure the project´s activities are relevant and feasible and to maximise dissemination.

Our transnational approach brings together stakeholders and researchers from EE, & SE (where a few early adopters use cover crops) and NO (where cover crops are not yet used) to learn from more experienced users in NL and DE.

The SE team will coordinate the project, farmer-led field trials (close cooperation between SLU and Lyckeby Starch), research on the communication needs of stakeholders and contribute to research on potato diseases and biocontrol.