{"id":792,"date":"2025-11-03T07:14:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T06:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/la-rotacio-amb-lleguminoses-millora-la-qualitat-del-sol-en-cultius-dhivern-de-regadiu\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T12:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T11:38:34","slug":"rotation-with-legumes-improves-soil-quality-in-irrigated-winter-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/rotation-with-legumes-improves-soil-quality-in-irrigated-winter-crops\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotation with legumes improves soil quality in irrigated winter crops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A study by\u00a0Agrotecnio, IRTA and the University of Lleida shows that legumes such as peas and broad beans\u00a0benefit\u00a0subsequent crops and improve soil health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorporating\u00a0legumes such as peas or beans into crop rotation can significantly improve soil quality and productivity. This is confirmed by a recent study conducted by researchers from\u00a0Agrotecnio, IRTA and the University of Lleida (UdL), published in the journal\u00a0Soil\u00a0Use and Management.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0team\u00a0has\u00a0verified\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0presence\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0legume\u00a0crop\u00a0in\u00a0crop\u00a0rotation\u00a0increases\u00a0soil\u00a0microbial\u00a0biomass\u00a0and\u00a0promotes\u00a0processes\u00a0that\u00a0are\u00a0essential\u00a0for\u00a0soil\u00a0fertility\u00a0and\u00a0stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study analyses how growing legumes prior to wheat\u00a0influences\u00a0the decomposition of crop residues and roots of this cereal, as well as microbial dynamics and soil organic matter. To this end, the researchers compared treatments on plots with a legume (pea) grown before wheat with plots with a cereal (triticale) grown before wheat. Periodic samples were taken to assess variations in organic carbon, nitrogen, microbial\u00a0biomass\u00a0and enzymatic activity during the decomposition process of wheat residues.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results showed that fields previously planted with leguminous species experienced faster decomposition of wheat crop residues, leading to a notable increase in soil microbial biomass, with greater beneficial activity for the transformation and\u00a0stabilisation\u00a0of organic matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\u00a0to\u00a0Dr\u00a0Gon\u00e7alo\u00a0Nascimento, lead\u00a0researcher\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0study, \u201cthese\u00a0results\u00a0suggest\u00a0that\u00a0introducing\u00a0a\u00a0leguminous\u00a0species\u00a0into\u00a0rotation\u00a0with\u00a0cereals\u00a0can\u00a0have\u00a0significant\u00a0and\u00a0lasting\u00a0benefits\u00a0on\u00a0soil\u00a0quality\u00a0and\u00a0microbial\u00a0function,\u00a0keeping\u00a0the\u00a0system\u00a0more\u00a0fertile\u00a0and\u00a0efficient\u00a0for\u00a0several\u00a0years<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0decomposition\u00a0of\u00a0crop\u00a0residues\u00a0and\u00a0roots, a\u00a0key\u00a0process\u00a0for\u00a0soil\u00a0health\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decomposition of crop residues (harvest\u00a0remains\u00a0and roots), such as wheat straw, is a fundamental process for\u00a0maintaining\u00a0soil fertility and health. Although many farmers often export it for sale, it is advisable to reduce this practice. These residues provide nutrients and organic matter to the soil, serving as food for microorganisms and helping to keep it alive and fertile. However, other agricultural practices, such as crop rotation, can profoundly alter this process and make it more efficient.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study shows that legumes, in addition to\u00a0benefiting\u00a0the growth of the\u00a0subsequent\u00a0cereal crop, improve the quality of the residues left in the soil. Specifically, peas make wheat residues a better food source for soil microbes and crops, promoting nitrogen availability and organic matter accumulation for up to two seasons after legume cultivation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Nascimento\u00a0explains, “The greater release of nitrogen in the decomposition of wheat residues may explain why the benefits that legumes bring to subsequent crop yields tend to last for more than one season after they have been included in the rotation. Thanks to legume-cereal rotation, this\u00a0subsequent\u00a0cereal crop can effectively extend the effect of the\u00a0previous\u00a0legume. Well-designed rotations can thus equal or even exceed the effects of\u00a0fertilisation\u00a0in preserving soil function.<\/i>”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study therefore concludes that rotating cereals with legumes is a sustainable agricultural practice capable of improving soil quality and fertility, promoting beneficial biological processes such as the decomposition of crop residues and nitrogen\u00a0mineralisation, and reducing dependence on chemical\u00a0fertilisers. These effects show remarkable persistence, lasting two years after the legume crop.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More\u00a0information:\u00a0<\/b>Benefits\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0Preceding\u00a0Legume\u00a0Crop\u00a0for\u00a0Soil\u00a0Organic\u00a0Matter\u00a0and\u00a0Microbial\u00a0Dynamics\u00a0During\u00a0Wheat\u00a0Residue\u00a0Decomposition\u00a0(2025)\u00a0Gon\u00e7alo\u00a0Nascimento,\u00a0 Carlos Cantero-Mart\u00ednez,\u00a0 Jorge \u00c1lvaro-Fuentes,\u00a0 Victoria Lafuente,\u00a0 Dolors Villegas<\/a>.\u00a0Soil\u00a0Use and\u00a0Management,\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/sum.70116.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josep Betbese<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A study by\u00a0Agrotecnio, IRTA and the University of Lleida shows that legumes such as peas and broad beans\u00a0benefit\u00a0subsequent crops and improve soil health Incorporating\u00a0legumes such as peas or beans into crop rotation can significantly improve soil quality and productivity. This is confirmed by a recent study conducted by researchers from\u00a0Agrotecnio, IRTA and the University of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5224,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions\/5224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agrotecnio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}