The impact of pæant nutrients of the perfomance and quality of legumes for plant based foods.

Summary in the original language of the document

Legume crops such as peas (Pisum sativum L.) and faba beans (Vicia faba L.) have traditionally been grown for animal feed or for improving soil fertility and ensuring optimal nutrient availability for subsequent crops. This role is strongly driven by the capacity of legumes to conduct biological N2 fixation (BNF), which minimizes the requirement of external nitrogen fertilizer inputs. In recent decades, the production of legumes for human consumption has increased due to their potential as protein-rich raw materials and ingredients in plant-based diets. This transition places legumes in the center of future sustainable agri-food systems as high-value crops, but with this novel role follows strict requirements regarding food quality and safety.
The yield stability and quality of legumes is highly dependent on the nutritional status of the plant during the growth season. Plants require 17 elements of the periodic table in order to complete a lifecycle. These include carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, which are derived from CO2 and soil water as well as 6 macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulphur) and 8 micronutrients (iron, chloride, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, nickel). The macro- and micronutrients are all taken up by plant roots if being available in the right chemical form at the right time. In high-yielding agricultural systems fertilization strategies are carefully designed and managed to ensure optimal plant nutrient availability at critical time-points in the growth season. However, due to the ability of legumes to conduct BNF, optimization of fertilization strategies to legumes is rarely considered. It is thus very likely that many legume species are nutrient deficient, which potentially reduces the performance and quality of legume crops.
Plant nutrients are the building block of all primary and secondary metabolites in plant tissue. However, the links between plant nutrition and food quality in legumes are poorly understood. Harvest yield and food quality parameters are rarely positively correlated and superior food quality may be obtained at nutrient supplies that are suboptimal or excessive for harvest yield. At the conference, results from ongoing research projects will be presented and the impact of plant nutrients and different fertilization strategies on legume performance and quality will be discussed.