Data from: Deployment of organic farming at a landscape scale maintains low pest infestation and high crop productivity in vineyards

Organic farming is a promising way to reduce pesticide use but increasing
the area under organic farming at the landscape scale could increase pest
infestations and reduce crop productivity. Examining the effects of
organic farming at multiple spatial scales and in different landscape
contexts on pest communities and crop productivity is a major step in the
ecological intensification of agricultural systems. We quantified the
infestation levels of two pathogens and five arthropod pests, the
intensity of pesticide use and crop productivity in 42 vineyards. Using a
multi-scale hierarchical design, we unravelled the relative effects of
organic farming at both field and landscape scales from the effects of
semi-natural habitats in the landscape. At the field scale, pest
communities did not differ between organic and conventional farming
systems. At the landscape scale, increasing the area under organic farming
did not increase pest infestation levels. Three out of seven pest taxa
were affected both by local farming systems and the proportion of
semi-natural habitats in the landscape. Our findings revealed that the
proportion of semi-natural habitats reduced pest infestation for two out
of seven pest taxa. Organic vineyards had much lower treatment
intensities, very similar levels of pest control and equal crop
productivity levels. Synthesis and Applications. Our results clearly
indicate that policies promoting the development of organic farming in
conventional vineyard landscapes will not lead to greater pest and disease
infestations but will reduce the pesticide treatment intensity and
maintain crop productivity. Moreover, the interactions between
semi-natural habitats in landscape and local farming practices suggest
that the deployment of organic farming should be adapted to landscape
contexts.