Legumes in Cropping Systems

This book is a contribution to the debate and knowledge for the rebalancing of farming and food using legumes. The main aim is to help people who are involved in developing cropping systems: the decision makers of today and today's students who are the decision makers of tomorrow. It is aimed at all relevant decision makers: farmers, professionals who support innovation in farming, and the policy community in its widest sense. It contains 13 chapters describing various aspects of the use of legumes (including grain and feed legumes) in European cropping systems. Each chapter provides deep insight into the relevant literature to support understanding rather than a comprehensive academic review. The aim is to empower the reader with insights and understanding of the underlying processes that influence cropping system development

Preface

Non peer reviewe

On farm and off-farm feed utilization and improved management options: A Synthesis

The challenges identified in the proposal of the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) on Livestock, for enhancing livestock production and productivity, have been the shortage of quality feeds, inefficient utilization of feed resources, degradation of rangelands, and lack of knowledge and skills of stakeholders in the feed production and utilization value chains. To address these challenges, the research and development work, innovations developed and tested, results-dissemination and concerted efforts towards capacity building have been presented in the following three main sections. 1) Enlarging the feed quality resource base 2) Efficient use of feed resources 3) Rehabilitation of degraded rangeland

Drought-tolerant teff grass as an alternative forage for dairy cattle

Master of ScienceDepartment of Animal Sciences and IndustryBarry J. BradfordDeclining ground water supplies are putting significant pressure on the dairy industry in the United States. The water needed for forage production represents the great majority of total water use on most dairy farms, posing a major challenge in the pursuit of improved drought resilience. Teff (Eragrostis tef), a drought-tolerant annual grass (C4 physiology) native to Ethiopia, could prove an attractive alternative to traditional forage crops. While teff grass has potential to fit the needs for forage production in water-stressed regions, very little is currently known about its nutritional characteristics and whether it can support high levels of milk production by dairy cattle. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of variety and cutting age on dry matter yield, nutritive values, and digestibility of teff grass. Eighty pots were blocked by location in a greenhouse and randomly assigned to 4 teff varieties (Tiffany, Moxie, Corvallis, and Dessie) and to 5 cutting ages (40, 45, 50, 55, or 60 d after planting [DAP]). Results from this study indicate that, under greenhouse conditions, the first cutting of teff grass should be harvested at 45 to 50 DAP to optimize forage yield, quality, and digestibility in that cutting and in subsequent cuttings. A second experiment was conducted to assess the productivity of lactating dairy cows fed diets with teff hay as the sole forage. Nine multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned treatment sequence in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Diets were either a control, where dietary forage consisted of a combination of corn silage, alfalfa hay, and prairie hay, or 1 of 2 teff diets, where teff hay was the sole forage. The teff diets maintained yields of milk and milk fat while increasing milk protein yield. Together, these two studies suggest that teff-based diets have potential to maintain high levels of milk production while improving the resilience of the dairy industry to future water shortages

Developing methodologies for the genetic conservation of UK crop wild relatives

Modern crop varieties contain limited genetic diversity. Demand from an expanding human population requires crop yields to increase substantially, however, a low capacity for adaptation may leave crops susceptible to environmental change, threatening future food security. Crop wild relatives (CWR) are a valuable, but threatened, genetic resource containing more genetic diversity than their cultivated relatives that can be utilised by plant breeders to improve the resilience of new crop varieties. This thesis researches methodologies to facilitate systematic, active conservation of CWR and their genetic diversity within a national context using the UK and its devolved administrations as an exemplar. Methods involve the development of CWR inventori es, gap analyses, assessment of CWR habitat preferences , a case study seeking to justify the establishment of the first UK CWR genetic reserve on The Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall and finally, exploration of the use of next generation sequencing as a tool for targeting collection of accessions to fill genetic gaps in genebanks. A key success of this research was the involvement of stakeholders, bridging the gap between research and practice. The methods used can now be applied to other countries and can be integrated into European and global conservation planning, contributing to improved future food security

The Frontier of Islam: An Archaeobotanical Study of Agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula (c.700 – 1500 CE)

This PhD uses new archaeobotanical research and crop stable carbon (δ13C) isotope analysis to investigate medieval agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula (6th-15th centuries). It takes as its central theme an analysis of the long-standing debates surrounding the impact of the Islamic conquests (c.8th century) on agriculture. Were there major innovations after the conquests, or alternatively, was agriculture characterised by longer-term continuity? There is a long tradition of researching this topic in the Iberian Peninsula using documentary and archaeological evidence, yet archaeobotany has had little impact to date. Archaeobotanical research was undertaken on eight medieval sites in two study areas in the north-east of the peninsula. The first study area examined two Islamic sites (10th-12th centuries) in Teruel, whilst the second examined six sites dating between the early medieval, Islamic and later medieval periods (6th-15th centuries) in the Huecha Valley, Zaragoza. The archaeobotanical results point towards an overall pattern of continuity in the range of crops cultivated, although a general trend towards increasing crop diversity can be identified through time, reflecting broader patterns seen across medieval Europe and the Mediterranean. Stable carbon isotope analysis of 290 single-entity samples (cereals, pulses) provided insights into crop husbandry practices, highlighting the use of rainfed and irrigated areas for cultivation. The results of this PhD are placed within a wider regional and pan-regional context through a synthesis of previous archaeobotanical research undertaken on Roman to later medieval sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Taken together, it is suggested that the Islamic conquests did not lead to a clear and definable break in agriculture, but rather a series of more incremental and gradual changes can be identified through time. The results have wider implications for understanding the longer-term continuity of Mediterranean agriculture

Using legume-based mixtures to enhance the nitrogen use efficiency and economic viability of cropping systems - Final report (LK09106/HGCA3447)

As costs for mineral fertilisers rise, legume-based leys are recognised as a potential alternative nitrogen source for crops. Here we demonstrate that including species-rich legume-based leys in rotations helps to maximise synergies between agricultural productivity and other ecosystem services. By using functionally diverse plant species mixtures, these services can be optimised and fine-tuned to regional and farm-specific needs. Replicated field experiments were conducted over three years at multiple locations, testing the performance of 12 legume species and 4 grass species sown in monocultures, as well as in a mixture of 10 of the legumes and all 4 grasses (called the All Species Mix, ASM). In addition, we compared this complex mixture to farmer-chosen ley mixtures on 34 sites across the UK. The trials showed that there is a large degree of functional complementarity among the legume species. No single species scored high on all evaluation criteria. In particular, the currently most frequently used species, white clover, is outscored by other legume species on a number of parameters such as early development and resistance to decomposition. Further complementarity emerged from the different responses of legume species to environmental variables, with soil pH and grazing or cutting regime being among the more important factors. For example, while large birdsfoot trefoil showed better performance on more acidic soils, the opposite was true for sainfoin, lucerne and black medic. In comparison with the monocultures, the ASM showed increased ground cover, increased above-ground biomass and reduced weed biomass. Benefits of mixing species with regard to productivity increased over time. In addition, the stability of biomass production across sites was greater in the ASM than in the legume monocultures. Within the on-farm trials, we further found that on soils low in organic matter the biomass advantage of the ASM over the Control ley was more marked than on the soils with higher organic matter content. Ecological modelling revealed that the three best multifunctional mixtures all contained black medic, lucerne and red clover. Within the long term New Farming Systems (NFS) rotational study, the use of a clover bi-crop showed improvement to soil characteristics compared to current practice (e.g. bulk density and water infiltration rate). Improvements in wheat yield were also noted with respect to the inclusion of a clover bi-crop in 2010, but there was evidence of a decline in response as the N dose was increased. Cumulatively, over both the wheat crop and the spring oilseed rape crop, the clover bi-crop improved margin over N. The highest average yield response (~9%) was associated with the ASM legume species mix cover cropping approach

Management of Vertisols in sub-Saharan Africa. Proceedings of a conference

Presents papers and abstracts on the management of vertisols in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world. Overviews the importance, distribution, agroclimatology and properties of vertisols and the Indian Vertisol technology experience. Reviews resource assessment and management and highlights inter-institutional modes of operation and networking concepts in Vertisol research and development