Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

The University of Barcelona is the principal centre of university research at a state level and has become a European benchmark for research, both in terms of the number and quality of research programs.

Within the Ecology of Agroecosystems Research Group (headed by F. Xavier Sans, www.ub.edu/agroecologia), the sustainability of arable fields, as a mosaic of micro- and macro-scale elements and their organisms is focused. Weed abundance and diversity and its functional role for ecosystem services (e.g. biological control, pollination) are investigated in designed field experiments and/or compared on organic and conventional farms.

Scientific work on 15 organic and 15 conventional farms in Catalonian landscapes provided the basis for coordinating the conversion of the Gallecs rural area to organic agriculture. The collaboration with FiBL has provided further insights into the effect of farming (conventional vs. organic, reduced tillage vs. plough) on weed communities and has highlighted specific weed problems for the cropping systems.

Scientists involved

• F. Xavier Sans Serra
• José M. Blanco Moreno
• Lourdes Chamorro Lorenzo
• Laura Armengot Martínez
• Laura José-María Domínguez
• Paola Balbivieso Frietas