The effect of soil nitrogen on grain legume yield and nitrogen fixation

Abstract

SUMMARYTwo field experiments examined the influence of soil nitrogen on grain yield, wateruse efficiency and residual nitrate accumulation of four winter grain legumes in a legume–fallow–wheat rotation. In the first experiment, conducted on a clay soil with a high total soil nitrogen content (0·194%), the three legumes Cicer arietinum, Vicia faba and Pisum sativum gave similar yields, with Lupinus angustifolius showing poor yields. Water-use efficiencies followed similar trends to the grain yields. Wheat yields and concentration of nitrogen in the grain, following a fallow after the legume crops, showed no differences from a full 2-year fallow. In the second experiment on a low fertility soil (0·081 % total soil nitrogen), Cicer arietinum gave the highest yield and the greatest water-use efficiency. All legumes and long fallow resulted in a similar increase in wheat yield when compared with a wheat-fallow-wheat rotation. The legume crops generally increased soil nitrate status between their sowing and the sowing of a wheat crop 2 years later; such increases were greatest with Pisum sativum at the high fertility site, with a suggestion of the reverse occurring at the low fertility site.