Intercropping of faba beans and oilseeds

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Köpke, Daniela Kießling

BfEL – Bundesforschungsanstalt für Ernährung und  Lebensmittel (Dr. B. Matthäus)

Intercropping of oilseeds and faba beans, biodiversity, spacing, yield, competition for nitrate and water, nitrate leaching, oil-content, fatty acid composition

Cultivation of oilseeds is still little developed in Organic Farming. Problems with plant diseases and pests as well as weed infestation often impair profitability. Moreover, cultivation of crops for energy use competes with area use for comestible goods.
Intercropping contributes to biodiversity in arable land and potentiates the use of synergistic effects. Such cropping systems may use resources more efficiently, are less susceptible to pests and diseases and inhibit weeds more efficiently  resulting in enhanced yields and profitability.

In this respect we investigate the oilseeds oil flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) and mustard (Sinapis alba L.) respectively intercropped with faba beans (Vicia faba L.). Depending on change of row space, we analyse yields and competition facilities for nitrogen and water as well as oil content and fatty acid composition of harvested oilseeds.

Hypotheses:

• Intercropping of oilseeds and faba beans diminishes faba bean yields only unsignificantly.
• Oilseeds can use nitrogen released by faba beans efficiently for crop development.
• Wider space between rows of oilseeds and faba beans leads to higher oilseed yields and diminishes  faba bean yields only slightly.
• Safflower, oil flax and mustard can take up nitrogen from deeper soil layers by taproots, thus,  preventing  nitrate from leaching and raise nutrient as well as water use efficiency.