DESIGNING AND EVALUATING LOW-INPUT ARABLE CROPPING SYSTEMS WITH LEGUMES (cash crop, cover crop, sole crop & intercrop) L. BEDOUSSAC (ENSFEA), H.TO TRIBOUILLOIS (INRA), D. PLAZA-BONILLA (INRA), E.-P. JOURNET (CNRS), E.JUSTES (INRA) IMPROVE NITROGEN USE
Contact:
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CONTEXT
OBJECTIVES : DESIGN AND EVALUATE LOW-INPUT ARABLE CROPPING SYSTEMS 1. Impact of grain legume insertion in arable cropping systems, with effect at the rotation level 2. Potential of intercrops with legumes for improving yield and cereal protein content 3. Effect of legume cover crops (CC) to achieve nitrate capture and green manuring services
Three-year rotations designed Bi-specific CC mixtures
• Increasing concerns about climate change and other environmental impacts of agriculture • Requires transformation of cropping systems with more legumes for N2 fixation & breaking crop effects • Rotational position of legumes (grain or cover crop) grown alone or in intercropping (IC) needs to be carefully analyzed to maximize their benefits.
MATERIALS, METHODS AND RESULTS INTERCROPS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND STABILITY
COVER CROPS FOR NITRATE CAPTURE AND GREEN MANURING
DESIGNING AND EVALUATING CROPPING SYSTEMS
BEDOUSSAC ET AL. 2015
TRIBOUILLOIS ET AL. 2015
PLAZA-BONILLA ET AL. 2015
10 years of experiments in various pedo-climatic conditions, in conventional & organic farming, experimental station & farm on spring & winter crops
3 sites with contrasted pedo-climatic conditions to evaluate 25 bispecific mixtures of a fast growing legumes with various non-legumes (family, architecture)
Two 6-year field experiments to study the effects of grain legumes in a three-year rotation with 0, 1 or 2 grain legume and with or without cover crop Durum Wheat Grain Yield at harvest (N-Fertilized plots) 2005-2007
Grain yield (Mg ha-1)
Total intercrop grain yield (Mg ha-1)
N-Fertilizer dosis
Mean sole crops grain yield (Mg ha-1)
Sole crop legume nitrogen derived from air (%)
• IC yield higher than the mean sole crops • Higher legume N2 fixation rate in IC (75% vs. 62%)
• [NO3-] in Mix.≈Non-leg.
