Nitrogen Yields and Biological Nitrogen Fixation of Winter Grain Legumes

Abstract

Grain legumes are valuable sources of protein and contribute to the diversification and sustainability of agricultural systems. Shifting the sowing date from spring to autumn is a strategy to address low yields of spring grain legumes under conditions of climate change. A two-year field experiment was conducted under Pannonian climate conditions in eastern Austria to assess the nitrogen yield and biological N2 fixation of winter peas and winter faba beans compared to their spring forms. The grain nitrogen yields of winter peas and winter faba beans were 1.83-fold and 1.35-fold higher compared to their spring forms, respectively, with a higher value for winter peas. This was mainly due to higher grain yields of winter legumes, as winter faba beans had a 1.06-fold higher grain nitrogen concentration than spring faba bean. Soil mineral nitrate after harvest was similar for all grain legumes, with by 2.85- and 2.92-fold higher values for peas and faba beans than for cereals, respectively. The N2 fixation of winter peas and winter faba beans were 3.90-fold and 2.28-fold higher compared to their spring forms, with winter peas having a 1.60-fold higher N2 fixation than winter faba beans. The negative nitrogen balance of winter peas was smaller than that of winter faba beans as they demonstrated the ability to overcompensate for higher nitrogen removal with grain through higher N2 fixation. The cultivation of winter grain legumes, especially winter peas, can be recommended under Pannonian climate conditions as they achieve high nitrogen yields and high levels of N2 fixation.

Effect of Two Seeding Rates on Nitrogen Yield and Nitrogen Fixation of Winter and Spring Faba Bean

“…The N FIX-AGDM for spring pea grown at the same location in pure stands and intercrops with oat was 22.9 mg g −1 , as the N FIX was with 18.51 g m −2 , also more than two times higher than the mean value in our study [49]. Also, a higher N FIX for winter pea than for winter faba bean under Pannonian climate conditions has already been reported [10].…”

“…Under Central European climate conditions, autumn-sown crops flower earlier, growth stages for yield formation last longer and yields are higher when compared to spring-sown crops, as shown for facultative wheat [5,6] and facultative triticale [7]. Also, autumn-sowing of winter forms of the traditional spring crops faba bean and pea have resulted in higher yields and higher nitrogen (N) uptake than spring-sowing [8][9][10][11].…”

Agricultural LCA for Food Oil of Winter Rapeseed, Sunflower, and Hemp, Based on Czech Standard Cultivation Practices

“…It is also necessary to follow the principles of proper management of nitrogen fertilizers [52]. Furthemore, the nitrogen that is accessible through biological fixation is potentially high, as shown for faba beans and peas [53], not just in organic systems but also in conventional farming where nitrogen fertilizer is used [54,55]. The reduction of synthetic fertilizers can also be achieved through organic farming [56] or agroecological techniques [57].…”

Recent progress and potential future directions to enhance biological nitrogen fixation in faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

“…The agronomically important parameter, BNF, is additionally influenced by numerous environmental and management factors, which makes it a poor target in breeding programs. For example, although BNF is reported to vary significantly among germplasm (Nebiyu, Huygens, et al., 2014 ; Neugschwandtner et al., 2021 ), this trend is not consistent across the literature (Maluk et al., 2022 ). These findings reflect the fact that other environmental factors associated with the cropping regions are contributing to BNF.…”