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Legumes in Farming Systems in Mediterranean Climates

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The Role of Legumes in the Farming Systems of the Mediterranean Areas

Part of the book series: Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences ((DPSS,volume 38))

Abstract

Agriculture in the Mediterranean region contrasts sharply from agriculture in the other four distant regions with Med climates, due to its ancient nature in ancient cultures. All winter food and forage legumes of major utility evolved in the Mediterranean/West Asian region but have become more important outside the region. The Mediterranean legumes can become much more useful in their homelands with greater research and development effort focused especially on nitrogen budgets in agrosystems combined with watershed management to reduce overall ecosystem degradation. The major opportunity is in developing an integration with cereals and animals, in a rainfed key system patterned after the Australian experience. Intercropping of food legumes with cereals spaced at lower density in appropriate strips should be explored. Research on the nitrogen budget in all systems needs more focus on actual gains to either inter or rotational crops that really are attributable to N-fixation by the legume. Small gains can be made under irrigation for the higher priced grain legumes and for alfalfa and berseem with further breeding for disease/pest resistance, N-fixation rates and yield. Biological value of food and feed grain legume protein is low and there are many toxicities also. Improvement is needed through better supported and better integrated breeding programs involving different disciplines. This is especially important if any winter grain legume is to compete in stability of yield and in quality in the large markets for animal rations.

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  1. Agronomy Department, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    I. W. Buddenhagen

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  1. I. W. Buddenhagen
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  1. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria

    A. E. Osman , M. H. Ibrahim  & M. A. Jones ,  & 

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Buddenhagen, I.W. (1990). Legumes in Farming Systems in Mediterranean Climates. In: Osman, A.E., Ibrahim, M.H., Jones, M.A. (eds) The Role of Legumes in the Farming Systems of the Mediterranean Areas. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 38. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1019-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1019-5_1

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