Fields of Vision -a future for Britain's Arable Plants
2000 Conference

Arable plants were well known to many people - plants such as Cornflower, Poppy or Corn Marigold which used to grow among the crops. They are virtually absent from arable land today. Fields of Vision - a future for Britain's arable plants was a two day conference which brought together key players within the UK Government Biodiversity Action Plan to think about how flowers of the field are faring.

The answer is not at all well. There has been a marked decline such that a dozen of the 66 plant species - one fifth - earmarked for special attention on the Biodiversity Action Plan are arable plants. It is therefore essential that agri-environment schemes are designed with the needs of these "weeds" in mind. And, of course, that is one of the paradoxes. Much of modern farming has been designed to eliminate these plants. As our crops and field management have changed so the variety of these plants has declined.

This group of plants is living on the edge. They tend to occur on the edge of fields where the herbicide does not quite reach and they need good management and forward looking policies to survive. Examples of good practice are included within these pages.
" I urge you to adopt them on behalf of this specialised group of plants which were once so much a special feature of our countryside." Baroness Young of Old Scone A full copy of the proceedings priced at £12.00 can be purchased from Plantlife. contact - email: kate.still@plantlife.org.uk or telephone: 0207 080 0105

PAPERS

Using the Threatened Plants Database to Establish the Status and Decline of Arable Plants in Britain

Sarah Whild School for Professional and Continuing Education, University of Birmingham
Alex Lockton Botanical Society of the British Isles, 66 North Street, Shrewsbury SY1 2JL

Summary
The Threatened Plants Database allows the analysis and manipulation of detailed records of plant species including arable plants. Fourteen key species were chosen for this project which was funded by English Nature. Herbarium records and historical data were incorporated to give a more accurate picture of decline of arable species. For some arable species, natural and semi-natural habitats were identified; this can have implications for conservation of rare species.

Bryophytes of arable fields: current state of knowledge and conservation

R.D. Porley English Nature, Foxhold House, Crookham Common, Thatcham, RG19 8EL

Summary
Bryophytes are a characteristic component of cultivated land in Britain, but knowledge of their status, distribution and ecology lags well behind that of arable vascular plants. There are at least 17 liverworts and hornworts and 73 mosses that have been recorded on arable, representing about 9% of the total British and Irish bryoflora. Many of the species also occur in other habitats. Bryophytes of arable land are well adapted to regular disturbance by virtue of ephemeral lifestyles and compressed life-histories. They produce a variety of sexual and asexual propagules and can form a persistent diaspore bank in the soil. The typical arable bryophyte community includes the liverworts Riccia glauca and R. sorocarpa, and the mosses Barbula convoluta, B. unguiculata, Bryum argenteum, B. bicolor, B. klingraeffii, B. rubens, B. subapiculatum, Dicranella schreberiana, D. staphylina, Ditrichum cylindricum, Entosthodon fasicularis, Ephemerum serratum var. minutissimum, Microbryum rectum, Tortula acaulon and T. truncata. An additional number of species are very rare, such as the Biodiversity Action Plan species Didymodon tomaculosus, Ephemerum stellatum and Weissia multicapsularis. These, and others such as Anthoceros and Sphaerocarpos, are more or less restricted to arable, and thus are particularly vulnerable to changes in agricultural management. There is ample anecdotal evidence that arable bryophytes are in decline in Britain and mainland Europe. It is suggested that changes in sowing and harvesting times and the use of agrochemicals are factors contributing to the decline, but the demise of stubble fields has probably had the greatest negative impact on the arable bryoflora. More survey work is needed in both Britain and Ireland to understand the distribution, status and occurrence of bryophytes in different crop types and under various management regimes, particularly in relation to organic farming. The presence and efficacy of the diaspore bank under different agricultural regimes is an area ripe for research.

A Long-Term Perspective on Arable Weed Floras: Archaeobotanical Weed Evidence

A Bogaard & A Hynd Department of Archaeology and Prehistory, Northgate House, West St., Sheffield, S1 4ET UK.

Summary
Archaeobotanical evidence of ancient arable weed floras (especially in the form of charred weed seeds associated with crop remains) offers a unique source of information on the floristic composition and management of arable land. Though the interpretation of this evidence can be problematic, there are clearly changes in arable weed floras through time. An important cause of such changes is crop husbandry, the reconstruction of which is of broad relevance to both archaeology and conservation.

Survey and Audit - Problems and Solutions

Susanna Kay Northmoor Trust, Little Wittenham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. OX14 4RA.

Abstract
Many once-common arable plant species have declined very seriously in recent years. Their conservation has become a priority. A major problem is that the arable flora is under-recorded and that many of the records which do exist are out-of-date. This paper reports the reasons why the arable flora has been under-recorded compared with other habitat types. A review is given of the approaches used to survey and audit the arable flora with particular reference to scarce species which are of conservation concern. An account is then given of the Northmoor Trust's experiences from surveys of rare and declining arable plant species in and around Oxfordshire during the past five years. It is suggested that future surveys should be carefully targeted. They should be undertaken during more than one year and ideally more than once within a field season. It is very important that there is close liaison with farmers since this is essential for the conservation of the arable flora.

Management for the Conservation of Arable Plant Communities.

PJ Wilson Wessex Environmental Associates, 4 Prospect Place, Grove Lane, Redlynch, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 2NT UK.

Summary
The effective conservation of arable plants and plant communities in arable fields depends on the availability of scientifically-based management guidelines. A considerable amount of information is available from from experimental trials and from practical experience in Britain and Germany. Continued cultivation and freedom from broad-spectrum herbicide application are essential, reduced nitrogen inputs are highly desirable, and for best results a crop should not be drilled. In most situations, management should be concentrated on the outermost 6m margin of the fields, although in some cases, particularly in extensively managed systems, other areas may be involved. Such management is currently available under The Countryside Stewardship and Arable Stewardship Pilot Schemes, and the levels of financial aid are sufficient to compensate farmers for lost profit. Arable plants also occur in non-arable habitats, and specific management is proposed for these. Some questions remain. These include the long-term population dynamics of arable plants under conservation management and methods for the control of problem weeds. The management of these species and communities should ideally be integrated into sustainable farming systems.

Experiences of the Management for Conservation of Endangered Arable Weeds in Germany

Thomas Eggers Weed Research Institute, Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry D-38104 Braunschweig, Messeweg 11-12, Germany
Gisela Wicke Nature Conservation Department, Lower Saxony State Agency for Ecology D-31135 Hildesheim, Am Flugplatz 14, Germany

Summary
Agriculture was important for developing the ecological differentiation and the diversity of plant species in the cultivated landscape. Recent intensification of agriculture has resulted in a decline in weed floras. 80 weed species are listed in the Red Data Book 1996 of Endangered Plant Species in Germany, i.e. nearly 10% of all actually endangered species. Rather 50% of these arable species belong to basiphilic plant communities, 15% grow on oligotrophic sites; three quarters are Mediterranean species. Conservation management for endangered arable species is most promising on calcareous soils by reducing fertilisation and excluding chemical weed control. On sandy soils however, the decline in species has been due mainly to melioration and improvement of organic matter. Therefore, their conservation will only be possible by special crop husbandry. The same applies to species having declined because of intensive soil cultivation or seed cleaning. Effective species conservation and economic plant production on the same field are excluded on principle. The organisation of establishing and supervision of protected field margin strips by Agricultural Offices as it was often done in the past, results in more acceptance by, and confidence of farmers but, in general, there is less environmental qualification of the personnel with possibly negative focus on the aims of nature conservation. The advantage of selection of suitable habitats by Nature Conservation Authorities, although having in general a lower personnel capacity and possibly less knowledge about crop husbandry, is a good species-targed assortment of suitable fields, i.e. field margin strips really promising for the occurrence of threatened arable plant species.

Can Arable Fields be Managed Specifically for Arable Plant Conservation?

Simon Ford Countryside Manager, North Cornwall & Regional Nature Conservation Advisor, The National Trust, Old Farmhouse, Pentireglaze, St Minver, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 6QY

Introduction
The National Trust is unique as a nature conservation organisation in owning such large areas of farmland. Of the total ownership of 275,000 ha, approximately 174,000 ha are farmed of which 23% is arable. It has not been until fairly recently that the biological importance of arable communities has been recognised (with the possible exception of farmland birds). It was uncommon to find nature conservation restrictions in National Trust tenancy agreements where the land was cultivated and even the Biological Surveys give cursory mention of the land as 'Ar.' However, in recent years the importance of arable fields as a habitat has come to the fore, particularly in Cornwall where often lighter, sandy soils predominate in the north and west which can result in a rich cornfield assemblage. This paper looks particularly at two such sites - West Pentire near Newquay and Boscregan near Lands End. The former property is one of the few farms which are managed in hand by the Trust while Boscregan is farmed by a tenant with herbicide restrictions on the headlands and is the only British site for purple viper's bugloss Echium plantagineum. A number of Trust owned farms in Cornwall have been found to have arable interest and when the opportunity arises, nature conservation restrictions have been imposed in the tenancy agreement to protect and enhance the wildlife interest. Examples include Forrabury Common, near Boscastle, which is one of the last 3 sites in England where a medieval strip field system is still operating. 60 strips are ploughed at least 3 years out of 4, with the baulks acting as a reservoir for biennials. However, a 1942 tenancy agreement makes it difficult to bring in many meaningful conservation clauses. At Pentire Farm, near Polzeath, there are a number of notable species despite fairly intensive arable management by the tenant. The Trust has reduced the rent to 'buy in' restrictions on the use of herbicides/insecticides/fungicides, although this was sadly not always adhered to by the tenant. In 1999 however Pentire Farm was successfully entered into the MAFF Countryside Stewardship Scheme to include 6 metre arable headlands over half the arable area of the farm and 25 ha of winter stubble and this has proved to be a greater incentive to the tenant. The key problem has been very dense stands of charlock invading and suppressing the arable flora. MAFF have given a derogation for the weed-wiping of the charlock which is substantially higher than desirable plants, and this will hopefully help to control the problem.

A Farmer's Perspective

Edward Darling The Combined Farming Company Limited, Greys, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 9NW

Summary
A Farmer's reaction to the overall philosophy of arable plant conservation; problems with pernicious species; the compensation within environmental schemes; and, conservation in the context of agricultural recession.

The Integration of Arable Plant Conservation into Wider Conservation Initiatives

L Lock, RSPB, Keble House, Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX1 1NT
P Thompson, The Game Conservancy Trust, Burgate Manor, Fordingbridge, SP6 1EF

Introduction
Within the last 10 years, information on the level of decline of species associated with arable land, in particular arable plants and farmland birds, has focused attention on the conservation of arable habitats. The most widespread initiative providing benefits for arable plants are conservation headlands, developed by Game Conservancy Trust (GCT) but game cover crops are also widely grown across the county. In addition, within SW England, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has developed a number of initiatives targeted primarily at key species of farmland birds. Whilst targeted towards birds, these initiatives operate through securing changes in habitat management which it is hoped will benefit a range of other arable biodiversity including arable plants. This paper presents some observations on the extent to which arable plant conservation has been successfully integrated into these initiatives targeted at farmland birds.

Arable Plants Conservation in France : Patrimonial Value in the North, Functional Roles in the South

T. Dutoit, E. Gerbaud, A. Barroit Université de Provence, LBEM, UMR / CNRS IMEP, case 421 bis, F.S.T. Saint-Jérôme, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
B. Toussaint Université Catholique de Louvain, Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Prairies, B-6600 Michamps, Bastogne, Belgique.

Summary
In France, as in the rest of Europe, the species diversity of arable fields has decreased substantially as a result of herbicide treatments for weed control and the increased use of fertilisers. Nevertheless, an important distinction can be made between northern France where most arable weeds are threatened with disappearance and southern France where traditional and extensive management of farmland still exists, allowing the survival of species-rich arable weed communities. In the Mediterranean area, agricultural practices integrating crop and livestock production offer new perspectives for the conservation of arable weeds, as these species offer a source of nutrients following cereal harvesting. In this study, we focus (i) on the disappearance of arable weeds in northern France (Upper-Normandy) following changes in traditional land-use and (ii) on the mineral composition of a species-rich arable weed community in southern France (Provence), with a view to how such species may be conserved in these contrasting areas.

The Conservation Ecology of Arable Plants: What Role for Research?

CNR Critchley ADAS Stocksfield, Unit 7 South Acomb, Bywell, Stocksfield, Northumberland NE43 7AQ, UK.

Summary
Conservation priorities for the UK's arable flora should focus on declining plant communities, rare species and on monitoring future trends in the remainder. The contribution of research to meeting conservation objectives is reviewed and future needs considered. Past surveys of crop weeds highlighted changes in the arable flora and stimulated interest in their status and conservation. Only limited research on the ecology of rare species or declining communities has been done, but results of weed research can be relevant. Individual species response to management could be predicted from functional traits, and models of weed development applied to conservation. Past and on-going research on field margin management will aid arable plant conservation. Research shows extensive farming arrests detrimental changes, but only positive measures will reverse them. Feedback from monitoring helps to achieve management objectives. Spatial targeting of conservation effort, and effects of long-term environmental change, need further research.

Opportunities for Arable Plant Conservation within English Agri-environment Schemes

David Smallshire1, Gy Ovenden2 & Gill Swash1 1 Farming and Rural Conservation Agency, 5 Hanover Court, Manaton Close, Matford Business Park Exeter, EX2 8QJ, UK 2 Farming and Rural Conservation Agency, Burghill Road, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS10 6YW, UK

Summary
The Environmentally Sensitive Area and Countryside Stewardship schemes are voluntary agri-environment schemes operated in England. They provide a mechanism under the European Union Rural Development Regulation to compensate farmers for costs incurred in extensifying their land management practices to bring about environmental benefits. Both schemes include measures for the management of arable field margins, and in some cases whole fields, which can be used to benefit rare and scarce arable plants where they are known to occur. In particular, the Arable Stewardship measures currently being piloted include ones specifically intended for arable plant conservation. This paper describes the relevant options available within these schemes and discusses, with the aid of examples, how they can be targeted and implemented for arable plant conservation. Current monitoring activity and policy development are also described and broad conclusions drawn on the contribution of agri-environment arable land options to arable plant conservation.

Farmers, Guardians and Cudweeds. How the Biodiversity Action Plan is Working for Arable Plants

MC Harper & R Davis, Plantlife, 21 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP

Summary
The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), Government's imaginative response to the Rio Convention, lists 168 plant species threatened with extinction or severe decline. Plantlife, the Wild Plant Conservation Charity, is 'Lead Partner' for 77 of these species, 11 of which are associated with arable land. Plantlife undertakes conservation of BAP species through a recovery programme called Back from the Brink, which implements Species Action Plans through survey, research, practical action and advice. Plantlife involves its members as volunteers in delivering this work. At present over 200 people contribute towards Back from the Brink in this way. Significant progress has been made to deliver the species action plan objectives for two arable species: Filago lutescens red-tipped cudweed, and Filago pyramidata, broad-leaved cudweed. A steering group has been convened to progress work on other arable BAP species. Plantlife attributes this encouraging start to increased resources made available through species recovery programmes; commitment by a range of partners in the voluntary sector and Government; and the amenability of species to site-targeted plans. Significant obstacles, however, still remain, many of which require action to be taken through the Cereal Fields Margin Habitat Action Plan or through a broader policy framework. Successful implementation of the BAP for arable plants will only be achieved if the following challenges are met: · Reform of agriculture policies; · Integration of species and habitat plans; · Integration of national and local BAP priorities; · Legal underpinning of the BAP process; and · Securing sufficient funding from central government, industry and the research councils.

GM Crops and Future Trends

AR Hope, English Nature, Roughmoor, Bishop's Hull, Taunton TA1 5AA

Summary
Agriculture is able to respond to changing demands through the increasing number of technologies and management options that are becoming available to farmers. In particular, the use of recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology to introduce novel traits into crop plants has the potential to bring about huge changes in our farmed landscape. This paper discusses present and future roles of genetically modified (GM) crops in the context of arable plant conservation requirements. The "first generation" of GM crops contain relatively simple transformations, and their likely impacts on management practices are discussed. Later "generations" of GM crops could be more sophisticated and could help to promote more environmentally sustainable farming practices. Ways of predicting the sustainability, and value to arable plant conservation, of novel transformations are considered, emphasising the need for plant ecologists to play a role in influencing future biotechnological research and development.

Organic Systems - Vision and Practicality

Joy Greenall Earthcare Consultancy, Sunrise, Ogbourne St Andrew, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1SB

Summary
Organic farming systems are founded on international principles with a key approach of working with, rather than against, natural ecological systems. The soil is central, and conservation of biodiversity, including that in the soil, is vital to the functioning of the system. Flora and fauna therefore have both economic and production benefits to the holistic system. Within arable production, crop and non-crop plants grow differently without fertilisers, this leads to different "weed" management strategies in organic farming and an aim of keeping "weed" species at acceptable levels rather than to eradicate them. Rotations, timeliness, sound husbandry, varieties and machinery all play their part. Aggressive nitrogen-loving plants are much reduced in arable crops on organic farms, rotations help to control grass weeds and provide conditions for a wide variety of broad leaved plants. Absence of herbicides is obviously of great significance. Growing of spring crops is an important occurrence for arable flora; research results increasingly demonstrate multiple benefits of the organic system, and prohibition of genetically engineered crops avoids introduction of new threats. Research studies have found higher numbers, greater variety and more biomass of wild flora on organic farms then on non-organic ones. The greatest differences are demonstrated within fields rather than on the margins where people expect to find them, differences appear to increase with length of time under organic management, and organic systems are being found to conserve UK Biodiversity Action Plan species. The general assumption that farmland biodiversity is limited to the edges of fields does not apply to organic farms, and it is often the case that " conventional" research tells us little about in field biodiversity because these areas are not recorded. To date no studies in Britain have looked at fully converted organic farms throughout complete 5-7 year rotations and no special conservation management programmes have been piloted for arable flora within organic systems so the full potential for benefit has yet to be either delivered or researched. New attitudes to weed management amongst organic farmers are also worthy of research, along with the importance of sound advice, and the as yet poorly understood benefits of the complete integrated system. Arable flora has evolved within agriculture, long-term solutions to its conservation depend on sympathetic and viable land management overall, and therefore on policies that support sustainable whole farming systems rather than a continuation of farming and nature conservation apartheid. Research indicates that organic systems are already maintaining both rare and common species and no doubt could provide many additional benefits with the introduction of special organic management schemes and agreements, and formation of real learning partnerships between farmers, policy makers and conservationists. We have the opportunity in the new England Rural Development Plan and the responsibility to choose truly sustainable strategies.