Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LegumeLegacy (LegumeLegacy – Optimising multiple benefits of grass, legume and herb mixtures in crop rotations: modelling mechanisms and legacy effects)
Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2025-01-31
With the European Green Deal, the EU has committed to transition to carbon-neutral and sustainable systems of agriculture. LegumeLegacy aims to adapt existing mixed or ruminant based production systems, using state of the art knowledge from ecology, agronomy, statistics and other fields to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient inputs and leaching, while increasing carbon stocks, biodiversity and yield stability.
To achieve this, a distinctive strategy of LegumeLegacy includes conducting a common crop rotation experiment across multiple LegumeLegacy sites; 11 Doctoral Researchers will collaborate on the common experiment and have their own distinctive and complementary research objectives. The overall aim is to identify solutions for improving the sustainability of crop rotation systems. In the common experiment, grassland plots of varying diversity of six species (two grasses, two legumes, two herbs, selected for complementary functional traits) will be established as a grassland ley, grown, and terminated; the grassland leys will be followed by a wheat or barley crop. The effect of the diversity of the grassland ley on the performance of the crop rotation will be evaluated by measurement of yield, quality and environmental performance. LegumeLegacy will recommend the design of grassland leys within crop rotations that optimise agronomic and environmental performance; the multisite experiment will generalise the conclusion and its implementation potential across Europe.
LegumeLegacy partners with LegacyNet (https://legacynet.scss.tcd.ie/(opens in new window)) a voluntary international network of field experiments studying crop rotations across a wide climatic gradient. Data from LegacyNet will be analysed by LegumeLegacy researchers to identify trends across climatic gradients.
LegumeLegacy will train a cohort of 11 Doctoral Researchers into a new generation of future leaders who will have the capacity to develop and deploy interdisciplinary and data-driven sustainable practices in the agricultural sector. With a training programme that includes statistics, specialised research skills, targeted transferable skills and scientific co-operation within the international LegacyNet network, this cohort of future leaders will be equipped with professional skills for a range of associated disciplines in industry or academia.
To achieve this, a distinctive strategy of LegumeLegacy includes conducting a common crop rotation experiment across multiple LegumeLegacy sites; 11 Doctoral Researchers will collaborate on the common experiment and have their own distinctive and complementary research objectives. The overall aim is to identify solutions for improving the sustainability of crop rotation systems. In the common experiment, grassland plots of varying diversity of six species (two grasses, two legumes, two herbs, selected for complementary functional traits) will be established as a grassland ley, grown, and terminated; the grassland leys will be followed by a wheat or barley crop. The effect of the diversity of the grassland ley on the performance of the crop rotation will be evaluated by measurement of yield, quality and environmental performance. LegumeLegacy will recommend the design of grassland leys within crop rotations that optimise agronomic and environmental performance; the multisite experiment will generalise the conclusion and its implementation potential across Europe.
LegumeLegacy partners with LegacyNet (https://legacynet.scss.tcd.ie/(opens in new window)) a voluntary international network of field experiments studying crop rotations across a wide climatic gradient. Data from LegacyNet will be analysed by LegumeLegacy researchers to identify trends across climatic gradients.
LegumeLegacy will train a cohort of 11 Doctoral Researchers into a new generation of future leaders who will have the capacity to develop and deploy interdisciplinary and data-driven sustainable practices in the agricultural sector. With a training programme that includes statistics, specialised research skills, targeted transferable skills and scientific co-operation within the international LegacyNet network, this cohort of future leaders will be equipped with professional skills for a range of associated disciplines in industry or academia.
The LegumeLegacy common multi-site experiment consists of a grassland ley phase grown for a minimum of 18 months followed by a wheat or barley crop. To establish the grassland ley phase, field plots were sown under varying diversity of six species (two grasses, two legumes, and two herbs) selected for their complementary functional traits. The experiment was successfully established at each site and measurements on the plots during the grassland ley phase are now complete. At each site, either the follow-on crop has already been established, or it will be shortly. Standardized protocols from LegacyNet (https://legacynet.scss.tcd.ie/(opens in new window)) are being followed for implementing the LegumeLegacy experiment.
In addition to the multi-site experiment, some LegumeLegacy Doctoral Researchers are implementing lab experiments or analyses. A climate chamber experiment has been completed; this study investigated the impact of cultivar choice and heat stress on root and shoot competition in grassland leys. Two successive compound drought-heatwave events (representing spring and summer stresses), along with isolated drought and heatwave events, were applied to newly established plants from distinct functional groups including a grass, a legume and a herb. This study underscores the importance of diversifying grassland systems to enhance resilience to climate change. Ongoing lab analyses include the assessment of genetic diversity in grassland species on samples from the LegumeLegacy multi-site experiment.
In addition to the multi-site experiment, some LegumeLegacy Doctoral Researchers are implementing lab experiments or analyses. A climate chamber experiment has been completed; this study investigated the impact of cultivar choice and heat stress on root and shoot competition in grassland leys. Two successive compound drought-heatwave events (representing spring and summer stresses), along with isolated drought and heatwave events, were applied to newly established plants from distinct functional groups including a grass, a legume and a herb. This study underscores the importance of diversifying grassland systems to enhance resilience to climate change. Ongoing lab analyses include the assessment of genetic diversity in grassland species on samples from the LegumeLegacy multi-site experiment.
In partnership with LegacyNet, LegumeLegacy aims to develop more resilient low-input production systems with reduced vulnerability to environmental stresses and thus lower yield losses. This builds on previous work by LegumeLegacy leaders that showed yield increases associated with greater plant diversity in productive grassland systems across climatic gradients and under environmental stresses. Farmers would benefit directly from the identification of lower-input, higher-diversity systems that promote agronomic stability and production with reduced fertiliser costs.
Seed mixtures are a fast growing market in Europe (e.g. in Ireland sales have been doubling every six months). LegumeLegacy's partnerships with seed merchants and breeders (Cotswold Seeds, Goldcrop and Danko) will facilitate the exploitation of research results, further increasing market demand.
Seed mixtures are a fast growing market in Europe (e.g. in Ireland sales have been doubling every six months). LegumeLegacy's partnerships with seed merchants and breeders (Cotswold Seeds, Goldcrop and Danko) will facilitate the exploitation of research results, further increasing market demand.