Protein content of peas (Pisum sativum) and beans (Vicia faba)—Influence of cultivation conditions

Abstract

Field peas (Pisum sativum) and faba beans (Vicia faba) are a good source of plant proteins for being used in human consumption. Their regional cultivation has recently experienced a significant revival all over Europe. The genetic factors, cultivation period, meteorological parameters, soil composition, and cultivation conditions (conventional vs. organic) were evaluated with regard to the changes in protein content (PC) of peas (Pisum sativum) and beans (Vicia faba) that were grown under real cultivation conditions. All pea and bean samples were obtained from different conventional and organic farms from eleven German states over three consecutive cultivation years (2016, 2017, and 2018). It was hypothesized that PC is affected by the different influence factors and the different cultivations conditions. It was aimed at finding out to which extent these intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence the PC in both grain legumes. Results showed that the cultivar and the cultivation period were the main influences on PC of the two legumes. However, selected ecophysiological factors also affected PC to a certain extent. In particular, higher temperatures and a low rainfall were associated with a higher PC. Moreover, organic beans showed a higher PC than the conventionally cultivated varieties. The results indicate that genetic and ecophysiological factors could influence the PC of peas and faba beans. This enables the PC of the legumes to be used as a basic paying scheme for the farmers based on their harvest.