Companion Cropping Project Logo

This pioneering three-year research project is set to investigate how companion cropping can support pest, weed, and disease management in oilseed rape (OSR) grown in Sweden and the UK.

You can find the full project page here on the Agricology website 

Running from January 2025 to December 2027, the study aims to develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies that reduce reliance on pesticides, offering growers practical cultural and organic crop protection techniques.

The project is a collaboration between ADAS, Agricology & Agrovast, combining expertise to explore sustainable solutions for OSR growers facing increasing challenges. The project has been generously funded by the Ekhaga Foundation

Over the next three years, the project will focus on three core objectives:

  1. Evaluating Companion Cropping Strategies – Assessing how different companion crop species and mixture complexities influence pest, weed, and disease management in OSR, while measuring the economic viability of each approach.
  2. Building a Knowledge Exchange Network – Establishing a farmer-led discussion group in the UK and Sweden to encourage peer-to-peer learning and share innovative crop protection techniques across regions.
  3. Wider Dissemination of IPM Successes – Communicating research findings to the broader farming community, with the goal of increasing adoption of low-input and organic crop protection strategies.

Get Involved

We are actively seeking farmers to participate in the trials. If you’re interested in contributing to this vital research, please get in touch at Duncan.Coston@adas.co.uk.

Regular updates and findings from the study will be shared on the project page, hosted on Agricology.

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