Research by the James Hutton Institute has found that gorse could be an unlikely hero, challenging the often-maligned reputation of gorse in agroecosystems.
Soil degradation poses a risk to the UK’s agricultural ecosystem, making it tougher to grow strong, healthy crops without using pesticides or fertilisers which bring their own challenges.
Therefore, the need for sustainable production systems that re-integrate natural processes and species underpins this.
Rapid growth and adaptation to degraded soils make ‘weeds’ unexplored resources and good candidates to provide ecosystem services in degraded farmlands. Gorse (Ulex europaeus L.), a native woody-legume, has often had a maligned reputation in the farming community.
Exploring this further, research from the James Hutton Institute, funded by the EU project LegumES, has shown that gorse could provide unexpected benefits for both soil health and nutrients.
Researchers found increased soil-aggregate stability and resilience to compaction in soil collected close to gorse bushes. Moreover, gorse demonstrated to be a cost-efficient method to reinforce and stabilise soil slopes and embankments.
Additionally, barley and spinach plants, growing in soil collected closer to gorse bushes, were healthier.
Undomesticated plants such as weeds are well adapted to degraded environments and potential tools if well managed, to provide ecological intensification and wider benefits to farming.
The use of gorse in productive farming is little explored and the James Hutton Institute will be looking into the relatively unexplored alternative to help soils.
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