Abstract
Understanding how to optimize water and nutrient management is crucial for improving crop productivity in organic farming systems. In this study, we examined the effects of irrigation and fertilization on yield and nitrogen fixation in organically managed faba bean crops in temperate climates in six field trials covering three sites and two years. Irrigated plots showed a 54 % yield increase and higher nitrogen fixation (up to 105 %), while fertilization with rock phosphate and potassium sulfate, with or without micronutrients, had no significant impact. Irrigation induced higher yields as well as a significant increase in pod number, grain count, and chlorophyll content of leaves, suggesting improved photosynthesis, flowering and pod filling. Despite low soil nutrient levels for P, Mo and B, mineral fertilization showed no effect on faba bean yields and nitrogen fixation, likely due to long-term organic fertilization with cattle manure. Our results also indicate that irrigation enhances farmgate nitrogen balance by increasing nitrogen fixation without depleting soil nitrogen reserves. These findings suggest that water, rather than nutrient supply, is essential for maintaining productivity and nitrogen fixation in organic faba bean cultivation also in temperate regions. Economically, however, irrigation proved cost-effective in only one of six trials, suggesting that irrigation rates need to be optimized. • Irrigation of faba bean increased yields by on average ∼50 %. • Yield increases were mainly due to a higher number of pods per plant and grains per pod, not due to reduced pod shedding. • Irrigation increased nitrogen fixation of faba bean by ∼100 %. • PKS and micronutrient fertilization did not have any effect on yields or nitrogen fixation in faba bean. • Irrigation amounts were not optimized for water demand and were, therefore, not cost-effective in five out of six trials.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by-nc. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased faba bean yield by 54%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigated plots showed a 54 % yield increase and higher nitrogen fixation (up to 105 %)”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased nitrogen fixation by up to 105%.
- Taxon
- faba bean
Vicia fabat0 - Treatment
- Irrigatede0
- Outcome
- nitrogen fixatione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 105 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigated plots showed a 54 % yield increase and higher nitrogen fixation (up to 105 %)”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
Claim · model-written summary
Rock phosphate and potassium sulfate fertilization, with or without micronutrients, had no significant yield effect.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabae1
- Treatment
- fertilization with rock phosphate and potassium sulfate, with or without micronutrientse0
- Outcome
- faba bean yieldse1
- Direction
- no effecte1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fertilization with rock phosphate and potassium sulfate, with or without micronutrients, had no significant impact”
e1“mineral fertilization showed no effect on faba bean yields and nitrogen fixation”
Claim · model-written summary
Mineral fertilization had no effect on faba bean nitrogen fixation.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabae0
- Treatment
- mineral fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- nitrogen fixatione0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“mineral fertilization showed no effect on faba bean yields and nitrogen fixation”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased pod number and grain count.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- pod number, grain counte0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation induced higher yields as well as a significant increase in pod number, grain count, and chlorophyll content of leaves”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation significantly increased leaf chlorophyll content.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- Irrigationt0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll content of leavese0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a significant increase in pod number, grain count, and chlorophyll content of leaves”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield increases were mainly attributed to more pods and grains rather than reduced pod shedding.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- Yield increasese0
- Qualifier
- higher number of pods per plant and grains per pod, not due to reduced pod sheddinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield increases were mainly due to a higher number of pods per plant and grains per pod, not due to reduced pod shedding.”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation improved farmgate nitrogen balance by increasing nitrogen fixation without depleting soil nitrogen reserves.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- irrigatione0
- Outcome
- farmgate nitrogen balancee0
- Qualifier
- increasing nitrogen fixation without depleting soil nitrogen reservese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“irrigation enhances farmgate nitrogen balance by increasing nitrogen fixation without depleting soil nitrogen reserves”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation was cost-effective in only one of six trials.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- irrigatione0
- Outcome
- cost-effectivee0
- Value
- one of six trialse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“irrigation proved cost-effective in only one of six trials”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation rates need optimization.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- irrigation rates need to be optimizede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“irrigation rates need to be optimized”
t0“Irrigation but not fertilization increases yields and N2 fixation in organic faba bean in temperate climates”
The same questions in other papers
potassium sulfate · yield · Vicia faba (faba bean)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →micronutrient · yield · Vicia faba (faba bean)Positive and negative results
7 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →fertilization · symbiosis · Vicia faba (faba bean)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 22 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
23 papers more in this group
See all 27 papers →irrigation · yield · Vicia faba (faba bean)Positive and negative results
48 papers in the same direction as this paper · 13 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
58 papers more in this group
See all 62 papers →phosphorus · yield · Vicia faba (faba bean)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 63 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
64 papers more in this group
See all 68 papers →fertilization · yield · Vicia faba (faba bean)Positive and negative results
16 papers in the same direction as this paper · 159 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
172 papers more in this group
See all 176 papers →irrigation · symbiosis · Vicia faba (faba bean)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
irrigation · physiology: pigments · Vicia faba (faba bean)Results agree
3 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.