Mitarbeitende

The introduction of legumes into crop rotations can play a key role in increasing the sustainability of agricultural systems. Their ability to fix nitrogen can contribute to a reduction of synthetic fertiliser applications, while the diversification of crop rotations can decrease the overall disease and pest pressure, resulting in reduced pesticide use. Besides the beneficial effects of grain legumes on the environment, they are highly valuable in human nutrition. Nevertheless, cultivation of grain legumes is associated with a high risk for farmers. The low competitivity of the pure stands and high tendencies of lodging are limiting factors for widespread cultivation. Mixed cropping (MC) of legumes with cereals has shown potential in buffering those risks and increasing the land use due to niche differentiation, increased diversification and reduced synthetic inputs. However, disease infestations specifically of Fusarium species and resulting mycotoxin accumulation are problematic in cereal cultivation and important quality measures also for the market value. Still, the effect of MC of legumes with cereals on diseases in the cereals are rarely quantified. This research addresses the resilience of different cropping systems on cereal disease focusing on the following key hypotheses: 1) MC of legumes and cereals reduces the disease pressure compared to the pure stands; 2) MC increases land-use efficiency, yield stability and quality including low mycotoxin levels in cereals through better resource utilisation, reduced competition and disease suppression. Field experiments are conducted in 2024 and 2025 cultivating narrow-leaved lupins (Lupinus angustifolius) and lentils (Lens culinaris) in mixture with oat (Avena sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) as well as in pure stands. To assess the land use efficiency, yield and yield quality parameters are determined. At post-harvest, the incidence and severity of Fusarium species in cereals is determined with a seed health test and qPCR, respectively, while the mycotoxin content is measured by ELISA. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed. The expected outcomes include the quantification of the benefits delivered by legume-including cropping systems, to enhance crop productivity and reduce synthetic inputs. The results will provide essential insights for farmers, policy makers and agricultural researchers, to promote the integration of legumes in crop rotations for increasing sustainability of agriculture. In addition, this research contributes to global efforts to improve food security, promote alternative protein sources, and reduce environmental impacts through diversified cropping systems.