Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 3.1. Description of the KBS LTER Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE)
examined in economic valuation.
a
Cropping System
Dominant Growth Form
Management
Annual Cropping Systems
Conventional (T1)
Herbaceous annual
Prevailing norm for tilled corn-soybean-
winter wheat (c-s-w) rotation; standard
chemical inputs, chisel-plowed, no cover
crops, no manure or compost
No-till (T2)
Herbaceous annual
Prevailing norm for no-till c-s-w rotation;
standard chemical inputs, permanent no-till,
no cover crops, no manure or compost
Reduced Input (T3)
Herbaceous annual
Biologically based c-s-w rotation managed
to reduce synthetic chemical inputs;
chisel-plowed, winter cover crop of red clover
or annual rye, no manure or compost
Biologically Based (T4)
Herbaceous annual
Biologically based c-s-w rotation managed
without synthetic chemical inputs;
chisel-plowed, mechanical weed control,
winter cover crop of red clover or annual rye,
no manure or compost; certified organic
Perennial Cropping Systems
Alfalfa (T6)
Herbaceous perennial
5- to 6-year rotation with winter wheat as a
1-year break crop
Poplar (T5)
Woody perennial
Hybrid poplar trees on a ca. 10-year harvest
cycle, either replanted or coppiced after harvest
a
Codes that have been used throughout the project's history are given in parentheses. Systems T1-T7 are replicated
within the LTER main site. For further details, see Robertson and Hamilton (2015, Chapter 1 in this volume).
Inferring Value of Pest Regulation by Natural Enemies Using the
Production Input Method
When an ecosystem service can substitute for an existing marketed input or
when the service contributes to measurable marketed output, the economic value
of changes in the level of the service can readily be inferred using information
from the related input and/or crop (output) markets (Freeman 2003, Drechsel et al.
2005). An example of a widespread application of this method is the calculation of
the fertilizer replacement value to measure the value of biological nutrient cycling
in cereal-legume systems (Bundy et al. 1993).
Recognizing an opportunity to apply experimental results, KBS LTER research-
ers used the factor input method to estimate the value of a loss in natural pest
biocontrol due to changed crop cover. Field research had revealed that more corn
area in the landscape reduces natural biocontrol of the soybean aphid (Gardiner
et al. 2009). When U.S. Midwest corn acreage jumped 19% in 2007 in response
to soaring prices, Landis et al. (2008) realized that this change reduced habitat for
natural enemies of the soybean aphid. They calculated the lost value of natural
biocontrol services based on predicted soybean yield loss and associated increased
insecticide costs. They estimated impacts both on farmers who follow integrated
