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Book of Abstracts First Legume Society Conference 2013: A Legume Odyssey Novi Sad, Serbia, 9-11 May 2013
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Grain legume and spring wheat intercropping: effect on grain yield and crude protein
content
Žydr÷ Kadžiulien÷, Lina Šarūnait÷
Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Lithuania
Nowadays, in organic or low input farming systems, diversified crop rotations with legumes are
essential implement in enriching the plant-soil-system with nitrogen and improving cereal grain
quality. At the same time it is very important to enhance protein-rich feed for livestock. The
study focused on grain yield and crude protein content. The experiment was carried out in 2007,
2008 and 2009 on a loamy Endocalcari-Ephypogleyic Cambisol in Dotnuva (55 o 24’N, 23 o 50’E). Grain
legumes: field pea (Pisum sativum L.), lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), bean (Vicia faba L.), vetch
(Vicia sativa L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were sown as intercrops and sole crops and
were grown organically for grain. The productivity of spring wheat in intercrops depended on the
species of grain legume, however, the results varied over the experimental years due to different
weather conditions. In 2007, the vetch-wheat intercrop produced a significantly higher grain yield
than wheat in sole crop or in the other intercrops. In 2008, no advantages of legume and wheat
intercrops were revealed. In 2009, the yield vetch-wheat intercrop was higher compared with the
sole wheat and other intercrops produced a similar yield compared with sole wheat. The
concentration of crude protein was higher in grain yield, when spring wheat had been grown in
intercrops. Vetch-wheat intercrops accumulated significantly more crude protein in grain
compared with the other intercrops.
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