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Plant proteins are part of the new generation of proteins for the green transition towards a neutral European continent in 2050. The cultivation of protein crops reduces the climate footprint, diversifies production systems and enhances human nutrition. Hence, the SMART PROTEIN EU project has targeted four species to develop sustainable protein supply chains for the future: fava beans, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa. To increase the cultivation area with these species, cropping systems need to be optimized. For this purpose, partners located both in North and South of Europe, tested combined production strategies involving the management of the genotype, environment and production practices for pest and disease control towards productivity enhancement. As weed control strategies, Denmark combined in three species (fava beans, lentils and quinoa) the following strategies: sowing dates (early and late, separated by 7 days) with the preparation of a false seed bed (10 days preceding sowing), and a subsequent harrowing 30 days after sowing. The Netherlands validated a decision support tool, founded in plant pathology data bases, in order to define the best rotation that included fava bean. In addition, they compared the production under conventional vs organic (management) with different genotypes of this pulse. In the south of Europe, Spain tested on-farm the combination of species (intercropping with chickpea) with mechanical crop management (harrowing) and in lentils the synergy of the number (1 to 3) and time of harrowing passes (early and late passes separated by 6-15 days). Finally, Italy tested different levels of irrigation (1/3 and 2/3 of full ETo) both in chickpeas and lentils.
Main results outlined that the combination of strategies leaded to the control of weeds. In The north of Europe (Denmark), the implementation of the false seed bed strategy in early sowings of the three protein crops reduced weeds by up to 10% compared with the late sowings as it was revealed by drone images. When this strategy is used and combined with mechanical control, weed prevalence can be reduced. In the southern region of Europe i.e. Spain, weed control tested through intercropping (chickpeas and spring wheat) and harrowing gave the following results: compared with the sole chickpea crop, intercropping reduced weed density by 34% whereas harrowing reduced weeds by 42%. The combination of both techniques: intercropping + harrowing reduced weeds in a total of 70% resulting in a very efficient strategy for weed control. In lentils,
early harrowing was more effective for weed reduction than late harrow passes (55% vs 30% with one pass and 64% vs 35% with two passes). The validation of a decision support tool such as Best4Soil helped in the Netherlands to suggest convenient crop rotations with fava beans that reduce risks of yield damage caused by pathogens linked to the introduction of protein crops. The comparison between conventional versus organic production of different fava beans genotypes in the Netherlands depicted cultivars tolerant to diseases (LG Viper, LG Cartouche) that can reach interesting yields of up to 5 t ha-1 without the use of chemicals. Finally, in Italy, different levels of irrigation did not have significant differences in chickpea but in lentils, with an irrigation that considers 1/3 of the ETo it is possible to enhance yields by 24% (1.679±0.36 kg ha-1). These experiences in the north and south of Europe highlight the importance of multi-strategy approaches that consider different components, tools and stakeholders. The combination of production strategies can enhance protein production under organic systems. Nevertheless, non-favorable climate events and the lack of adapted genetic materials to the pedo-climatic conditions are important limitations to consider.
References.
Alba, O. S., et al. (2020). "Increased seeding rate and multiple methods of mechanical weed control reduce weed biomass in a poorly competitive organic crop." Field Crops Research 245: 107648.
Jensen, E. S., et al. (2015). "Enhanced yields in organic arable crop production by eco-functional intensification using intercropping." Sustainable Agriculture Research 4(3).
Pelzer, E., et al. (2017). "Design, assessment and feasibility of legume-based cropping systems in three European regions." Crop and Pasture Science 68(11): 902-914.
Sellami, M. H., et al. (2021). "Evaluation of Genotype, Environment, and Management Interactions on Fava Beans under Mediterranean Field Conditions." Agronomy 11(6): 1088.
| Keywords | Protein-crops; multi-strategy approach; optimization strategies; green transition; organic production |
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