Mediterranean agricultural systems face significant fertility challenges due to their unique climatic and soil conditions. Low organic matter, nutrient leaching during wet winters, and harsh summer temperatures often lead to poor nitrogen availability and reduced yields—especially in organic systems. To address these limitations, Pilot Study 12 explores the use of legumes not only as productive crops but also as powerful soil fertility builders in rainfed rotations.
The study leverages a long-term field experiment started in 1971 at the University of Perugia’s experimental farm, now adapted under the LegumES project to compare continuous wheat and conventional sunflower-wheat rotations with legume-based systems (including faba bean, chickpeas, and field peas). The rotations are tested with and without nitrogen fertilization to assess how legumes influence crop performance, soil fertility, and nutrient cycling in a Mediterranean context.
Specific objectives are:
- Assess the yield performance of legume crops within the rotation.
- Measure the yield of cereal crops following legumes compared to other rotations.
- Evaluate the environmental impact of integrating legumes into cropping systems.
- Study how legumes affect nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) availability in the soil.
- Quantify the benefits of biological nitrogen fixation in legume-inclusive rotations.
- Assess how legumes influence soil fertility parameters over time.
- Evaluate the effect of legumes on aggregate stability and overall soil structure.