This year, we launched a new research project focused on cover crops. Together with our PhD student Ivča Opletalová, we are investigating how cover crop mixtures with different levels of plant species richness can support invertebrate biodiversity at the end of the growing season, when shelter and food resources are often scarce in agricultural landscapes. As part of the project, we are also testing our own experimental mixtures. We enriched commercially available cover crop mixtures with additional plant species that could further enhance their benefits for invertebrates. Our data collection focuses primarily on beneficial invertebrate groups, especially pollinators and predators, while we are also monitoring pest species. In addition, we have started studying pollination networks, with a particular interest in the relationships between individual pollinator species and specific flowering cover crop species within the different mixtures.
Supported by project: The impact of regenerative agricultural principles on arthropod communities (IGA 2026B0037).
