Introduction
Pulse crops are increasingly under the spotlight by policy makers and researchers due to their attractive ability to associate with rhizobia within specialised root nodules which in turn fix nitrogen (N) from the atmosphere. This reduces the cost of fertiliser inputs and, given artificial N fertiliser contributes about half of most arable crops’ carbon footprint, substantially decreases the greenhouse gas emissions associated with pulse crop production compared to other broadacre crops. However, Defra and ADAS YEN data analysed within the Defra-funded Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) project) suggests that roughly three quarters of UK farms do not grow pulses regularly. This could be due to several factors including; greater gross margin per hectare offered by other break crops, perceived variability of yields and lack of confidence or experience in how to grow pulse crops. More recently, SFI schemes which include options for legume crops not taken to yield as part of cover crop mixes or fallows (such as CNUM3 and CSAM2) may have reduced the frequency with which pulse crops are grown in rotations as a cash crop grown for its grain.
The renewed interest in the benefits that pulse crops can bring to the rotation, particularly in terms of impacts on following crop N requirements, provides an opportunity to review this research area in the context of modern commercial UK production systems through the NCS project. The NCS project has been established to address key knowledge gaps associated with pulse cropping and estimate the impact that increasing pulse production would have on the productivity, economics and GHG emissions of UK farms.
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