Winter annual wild flora species including for example shepherd's purse, chickweed or henbit, germinate in the fall, overwinter as seedlings and flower in the spring. They can typically be found in winter crops. As weeds in agricultural crops can cause yield loss they are controlled by mechanical weeding and herbicides. Thus, intensive agriculture has lead to the decrease of wild flora species all across Europe. Today, many wild flora species of central Europe are endangered and documented in red lists, such as the corn cockle (Agrostemma githago). The loss of certain flora species results in the loss of dependent fauna species, such as herbivorous insects, which are a food resource for carnivorous fauna species. Consequently, effects add up along the food chain.

To assess different crop production practices regarding their impacts on winter annual wild flora species the following assessment parameters were taken into account:

1. the suitability of the crop type to provide beneficial habitat conditions for winter annual wild flora species,
2. the time- and operation-related risk potential of single operations during germinating and flowering periods,
3. the risk associated to the application of nitrogen fertilisers influencing height and density of the vegetation and therewith the chance of flora species to germinate and establish themselves in the crop stand,
4. the number of herbicide treatments and
5. the cropping practice, i.e. if tillage is done by plough or if the crop is produced along with undersown crops or in combination with intercrops.

All alternative production practices of all crops defined for the model were assessed by their goal achievement levels using a fuzzy logic tool with the optimum being a zero risk for wild flora species to get negatively affected by agricultural activities.

Best results were calculated for rotational set aside. Winter cereals were assessed to be more suitable as summer cereals. Sugar beets, silage corn and potatoes were assessed as less favourable because of the relatively high pesticide intensity. Grassland and forage crops on arable land scored below average because of the frequent cutting. The worst ratings were given to permanent set aside, land that has been taken out of production for more than 5 years.