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Michele PisanteDeputy Commissioner, Council for Agricultural Research and

Economics, RomaChair, Agronomy and crop sciences research and education center

University of Teramo, Italy

PULSE CROPS FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION INTENSIFICATION

SOIL FERTILITY

N biological fixation

Atmospheric N Pulses feed human

Pulses feed soils

PULSE CROPS FOR

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION INTENSIFICATION

Relationship between the C cost of seed production for selected legume and non-legume crops. In order to compare crop production performance, various isoproduction curves expressing the product of the energy cost of 1 g of seed by the yield have been indicated

Munier-Jolain and Salon, (2005); Jensen et al. (2012)

1962 1972 1982 1992 2002 2012

Cool-season legumesChickpea 12.2 10.5 10.3 9.3 10.4 12.1

Pea 10.3 8.0 7.4 7.2 6.0 6.3Faba bean 6.1 4.2 3.3 2.9 2.7 2.4

Lentil 1.6 1.8 2.6 3.3 3.6 4.2Vetches 2.4 1.7 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.6Lupins 1.4 0.8 0.6 1.2 1.2 0.9

Warm-season legumesCommon bean 23.5 22.8 26.2 24.8 27.5 28.8

Cowpea 2.7 4.2 3.9 8.5 9.9 10.7Pigeonpea 2.7 2.7 3.4 4.2 4.4 5.3

Major cereals, for comparisonWheat 207.6 213.8 238.5 222.5 213.8 216.7

Rice 119.5 132.2 141.6 147.4 147.6 163.5Maize 103.5 114.9 124.4 136.8 137.6 177.0

Trend for word acreage (Million hectares)

Rubiales and Mikic (2015) - Source: FAOSTAT, 2013

Plant breeding progress on the Pea

Plant architecture(semi-dwarf habit;

leaflessness)

Improved standing abilityImproved winter survival

under autumn sowing

Cultivars Years of release Relative yield, t ha-1

Spacial - Fraser 2011 - 2012 1.6

Spirale - Isard 2003 - 2005 1.2

Sydney - Cheyenne 1998 - 1999 1.0

Average grain yield increase of varieties bred in different years across sites of north, centre and southern Italy (Annichiarico et al., unpublished data)

Mean grain, crude protein and energy (Milk Feed Units) yield of 4 grain legumes across Italian subcontinental-and Mediterranean-climate sites a

a As represented by the locally top-yielding cultivar out of 49 pea, 24 faba bean, 11 white lupin and 16 narrow-leafed lupin varieties (Annichiarico, 2008).

Species Yield (t ha-1)

Protein (%)

Crude protein (t ha-1)

Milk Feed(UNITS ha-1)

Pea 4.4 22.8 1.0 5080

Faba bean 3.4 29.4 1.0 3806

White lupin 3.5 38.8 1.4 4339

Narrow-leafed lupin

3.1 30.6 0.9 3807

Alkaloids Aster Lublanc Luxor Lutteur Multitalia Rosettalupanine 60.8 11218.6 30.4 863.2 1377.9 361.813-α-tigloyloxylupanine 37.4 102.0 6.7 44.4 11.8 6.4albine 30.2 1012.4 11.5 162.0 136.8 29.313-OH-lupanine 17.4 491.7 3.1 157.4 12.4 4.7tetrahydrhorombifoline 12.8 24.1 1.0 8.8 2.9 1.1ammodendrine 12.1 70.5 2.5 20.9 8.9 3.4angustifoline 12.1 268.4 3.6 65.0 20.7 6.4isolupanina 10.1 59.7 2.4 15.9 7.8 3.33-β-tigloyloxylupanine 6.2 16.6 2.4 7.5 1.5 1.511,12-dehydrolupanine - 23.7 - - - -11,12-dehydrosparteine - 28.8 - - - -17-oxolupanine - 25.2 - - - -isosparteine - 14.5 - - - -N-formylalbine - 13.0 - - - -N-formylangustifoline - 18.5 - - - -

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Values expressed as mg/Kg

Aster Lublanc Lutteur Multitalia

(3- 6 year crop rotations in 5 case studies across Europe)

21 - 88 kg ha-1 of N fertilizers could be saved on average in grain legume rotations compared to rotations without legumes

Preissel et al. (2015)

Farm-economically relevant pre-crop effects that increase GMs of subsequent crops

Process Protein crop Farm Agri-food system Global

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF)

No N fertiliser requiredReduced N2O emissionsBelow ground biodiversity changes

Reduced N fertilizer requirement

Reduced fossil energy (natural gas) useReduced CO2 emissions from industry

Reduced global GHG emissions

Grain protein synthesis

Lower crop yield (compared with cereals) due to resource demands of protein synthesis

Increased on-farm supply of protein

Increased diversity of ‘protein’ crop commodity supplies

Reduced demand for globally traded soyaReduced direct land-use change pressures

N transformation in soil

Reduced N2O emissions Effect in both direction on nitrate leaching Reduced global GHG emissions

Soil development

Improved water infiltration, reduced cultivation energy, increased crop yields

Phosphorous transformations

Increased mobilisation of soil P

Reduced optimum levels of plant-available P

Reduced mining of phosphate rock (minor effect)

Soil carbon transformations Positive soil carbon balance

Increased soil organic matter, higher and more stable crop yields

Increased soil carbon sequestration (minor effect)

Weed, pest and disease development

Increased cropping system yield.Reduced emissions of pesticides to water

Species interactions

Increased pollen and nectar provision. Increased soil fauna diversity

Larger population of insects supporting wider wildlife

Resource and Environmental effects of legumes arising from key agroecological processes operating at four levels of scale

Reckling et al. (2014)

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