Faba bean cropping: plant protein with multiple benefits • Forage and grain legumes are protein-rich (c. 25% in faba bean vs 15% in cereal grain) • Legume cropping accounts for <5% crop production in Europe • Benefits of increasing legume production?
Alison Karley Pete Iannetta Gavin Ramsay
Beans for Feed
~25% protein
~50% carbohydrate
germplasm with >30% protein Pig and poultry feed Salmon feed novel uses
Beans for N • Nitrogen ‘fixing’ in root nodules reduces fertiliser needs (100-150 kg ha-1 N) • N2O emissions from fertiliser inputs reduced • Large amount of fixed N remains in plant residues (14 kg t-1 shoot mass vs. ~6 kg t-1 for cereals) Baddeley et al. 2013. Legume Futures Report 1.5: Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in Europe
Beans for Bees BUT unstable yields are economically risky
• Depends on insect pollination • Supports non-pollinating nectar thieves • Extra-floral nectaries attract beneficial ant ‘defenders’
Win-wins from intercropping? …promote beneficial organisms….
…reduce pests and disease
Inter-cropping to reduce EU deficit in protein supply? (EIP Protein Crops, 2014) Increase diversity and productivity…
..improve soil and stabilise yield… Adrian Newton Alison Karley Pete Iannetta