Italy is the leading producer of organic durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) among the European Union (EU) but organic farmers demand for applicable strategies to increase grain yield and improve the quantity and quality of gluten proteins which mainly depend on nitrogen (N) availabilities especially during the grain filling, when the huge N demand of growing grains cannot be satisfied with split application of external chemical fertilizers nor with cheap and efficient organic fertilizers. Facilitative temporary intercropping (IC) with a legume is a feasible strategy to improve the N use efficiency because the legume is devitalized and incorporated into the soil at the beginning of cereal stem elongation to prevent interspecific competition during grain formation and filling for the green manure effect of the legume biomass, acting like a side-dress organic fertilization for wheat. However, the optimal species combinations should be site-specifically determined because they are shaped by the adaptation of crops to different environments (i.e., light and water availabilities) and by the length of the growing season. To fill this gap, we carried out a three-year field experiment at the Research Centre of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Pisa, Italy comparing three legumes (i.e., hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth. cv. Capello), field pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Corallo), and pigeon pea (Vicia faba minor Beck. cv. Scuro di Torre Lama) for temporary intercropping with durum wheat (cv. Claudio). The effects of the different legumes on grain yield and protein concentration of durum wheat and on weed presence are evaluated and discussed.
Selecting the Legume Crop for Temporary Intercropping with Durum Wheat in Central Italy.
Pampana S.;Sbrana M.;Tramacere L. G.;Antichi D.
2024-01-01
Abstract
Italy is the leading producer of organic durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) among the European Union (EU) but organic farmers demand for applicable strategies to increase grain yield and improve the quantity and quality of gluten proteins which mainly depend on nitrogen (N) availabilities especially during the grain filling, when the huge N demand of growing grains cannot be satisfied with split application of external chemical fertilizers nor with cheap and efficient organic fertilizers. Facilitative temporary intercropping (IC) with a legume is a feasible strategy to improve the N use efficiency because the legume is devitalized and incorporated into the soil at the beginning of cereal stem elongation to prevent interspecific competition during grain formation and filling for the green manure effect of the legume biomass, acting like a side-dress organic fertilization for wheat. However, the optimal species combinations should be site-specifically determined because they are shaped by the adaptation of crops to different environments (i.e., light and water availabilities) and by the length of the growing season. To fill this gap, we carried out a three-year field experiment at the Research Centre of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Pisa, Italy comparing three legumes (i.e., hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth. cv. Capello), field pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Corallo), and pigeon pea (Vicia faba minor Beck. cv. Scuro di Torre Lama) for temporary intercropping with durum wheat (cv. Claudio). The effects of the different legumes on grain yield and protein concentration of durum wheat and on weed presence are evaluated and discussed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
