GL-Pro in Brussels in May 2006
It is both profitable and environment friendly to include grain legumes in crop rotations and, in each European region, it is possible to grow at least one grain legume species adapted to the conditions of the region>>. These are the simple messages that summarise the main conclusions of the studies conducted by GL-Pro (1), and which were disseminated, with quantified assessments to 90 participants, at the recent Brussels event ‘Benefits of grain legumes for European agriculture and environment: new results and prospects’ organised on 3–4 May in association with GLIP (EU Grain Legumes Integrated Project).
Indeed, the GL-Pro surveys and analyses carried out in different European regions to compare typical crop rotations with rotations including grain legumes, especially pea, have provided quantified evidence of their economic and environmental value (2) to be disseminated among, and discussed with, local stakeholders as well as regional, national and European decision-makers.
Profitability and environmental values
With the introduction of peas or faba beans, the economic profitability of the crop rotations is maintained because inputs, especially N-fertilisers, for the grain legume and also for the following crop, generally wheat, are saved; the yield of the following wheat is also increased. On the agronomic side, disease and weed management is facilitated due to the increased length of the rotation and the introduction of the break crop. This reduction of pest pressure leads to a lower pesticide requirement, but also to the increased sustainability of the cropping system and its mid- and long-term profitability.
Life cycle assessments (LCA) have shown the value of legume crops, which do not need N fertilisers, both in terms of their use of fossil-energy and their lower level of greenhouse gas emissions. The introduction of a grain legume in a crop rotation composed of 75% cereals and 25% oil crops can save, on a per hectare per year basis, about 10% of the non-renewable energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions. Their value is greater when introduced in intensive cropping systems that require many inputs.
As the carbon market is likely to have openings for agriculture, this could provide an economic benefit to complement the environmental value of grain legumes.
A European impetus
GL-Pro experts believe that grain legumes have a role to play in the future of European agriculture whose new rules target both competitiveness and sustainability. They also believe that currently, a European impetus, activated jointly by the political, professional and technical players of the agricultural economic supply chain, can make this a reality. The GL-pro experts gave some examples where decision-makers could have an impact on current developments:
- maintaining active breeding programmes in order that new improved grain legume varieties continue to be developed;
- settling common European registration files for plant protection products in order to facilitate the registrations at the national level and suppress the disparities between countries;
- supporting the dissemination of technical know-how to farmers, as well as facilitating the organis ation of these recent agricultural economic integrated chains, from producers to end-users in each producing country.
New ideas for the future
R&D brainstorming sessions during the second day of the event provided an opportunity to discuss the prospects for grain legumes, and consider innovative approaches to exploit still further the value of grain legumes in future agricultural systems. For example, the energy market, for producing heat and electricity through combustion, fermentation or bio-refining, is developing quickly and, in addition to their major outlet value as a valuable component of animal feed, grain legumes could play a major role for this energy sector in coming years, because of their high energy efficiency (high energy production: consumption ratio).
Innovations in legume breeding were presented and the best ways to facilitate the transfer of these advances to the production sector were discussed, with assessments of the characters of interest to be targeted per species and region. Exchanges of experience and results on the value and management of minimum soil tillage systems for grain legumes were organised.
The concept of ‘ecological services’, i.e. that agricultural systems including legumes provide environmental services to society in addition to producing end-products
was debated with a view to developing this argument in an innovative scientific approach.
(1) The project GL-PRO (QLK5-CT-2002-02418) is coordinated by UNIP (Union Nationale Interprofessionnelle des Plantes riches en Protéines - France) and supported by the European Commission (FP5). The meeting taking place in Brussels was organised and supported by GLIP (European consortium of 60 scientific teams), UNIP (France), Pro-Plant (Germany), ITAcyl (Spain) and AEP (European Association for Grain Legume Research).
(2) Some results were presented in the special report of our previous issue: ‘Economic and environmental value of the European cropping systems including grain legumes’, Grain Legumes 45, 13–22. In addition, full GL-Pro analyses reports are currently being prepared by the project consortium and will be available from the AEP office.
