Annual cool‐season grain legumes grown in mixtures with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), may offer advantages over barley sole crops for forage production. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of intercropping ‘Snowbird’ tannin‐free faba bean (Vicia faba L.), ‘Arabella’ narrow‐leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), and ‘Cutlass’ field pea (Pisum sativum L.), along with legume planting densities (LPD) on forage yields, nutritive value, and economic returns. Field studies were conducted at three sites in the Parkland region of Alberta, Canada, in 2004 and 2005. Each legume was planted at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0× their recommended sole crop planting density with ‘Niobe’ barley at 0.25× the recommended sole crop planting density. A barley sole crop was also included for comparison. Increasing the LPD from 0.5 to 2.0× did not effect forage dry matter (DM) but it increased the proportion of legume in the forage DM from 39 to 63%, protein concentration from 119 to 132 g kg−1, and acid detergent lignin (ADL) from 36 to 42 g kg−1 while it decreased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) from 465 to 422 g kg−1. Faba bean–barley, lupin–barley, and pea–barley intercrops had 64, 27, and 55% higher protein yields, respectively, compared to sole crop barley. Faba bean–barley and lupin–barley had similar forage DM yields which were 1.5 Mg ha−1 and 1.3 Mg ha−1 less than pea–barley and sole barley crops, respectively. Intercrops of Cutlass pea and Niobe barley offered the most favorable combination of forage DM yields, nutritive value, and economic returns.

Pulse crop management can increase pulse yields and N fixation, but the effects of previous pulse crop management on subsequent crop performance is poorly understood. Field studies were conducted at three locations, in the Parkland region of Alberta, Canada, between 2004 and 2006. Tannin-free faba bean, narrowleaf lupin, and field pea were planted at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 times the recommended pulse planting density (PPD), with or without barley as a model weed. Faba bean produced the highest seed yields in higher precipitation environments, whereas pea produced the highest seed yields in lower precipitation environments. Lupin seed yields were consistently low. In the absence of weed interference, faba bean, pea, and lupin N-fixation yields ranged from 70 to 223, 78 to 147, and 46 to 173 kg N ha−1, respectively. On average, faba bean produced the highest N-fixation yield. The absence of weed interference and a high PPD increased pulse seed and N-fixation yields. Quality wheat crops were grown on pulse stubble without additional N fertilizer in some site–years. Management practices that increased N fixation resulted in only marginal subsequent wheat yield increases. Subsequent wheat seed yield was primarily influenced by pulse species. Pea stubble produced 11% higher wheat yields than lupin stubble but only 2% higher wheat yields than faba bean stubble. Consistently high wheat yields on pea stubble may be attributed to synchronized N release from decomposing pea residues with subsequent crop N demand and superior non-N rotational benefits.

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Diverse crop rotations are an important part of sustainable agricultural systems. Crop sequence can affect rotational benefits. Our objectives were to assess the N dynamics of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), faba bean (Vicia faba L.), lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), and pea (Pisum sativum L.) crops in the first year (YR1) of a rotation, and quantify the rotational effects of these crops on subsequent yield and protein content of barley, canola, and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops in the second year (YR2) of the rotation. Twenty‐one crop sequences were assessed. In YR1 tannin‐free faba bean, narrow‐leafed lupin, and field pea were grown without N fertilizer and barley and canola were grown with and without N fertilizer. These seven treatments were followed by three subsequent crops; barley, canola, and wheat. Faba bean had the highest potential for N fixation followed by pea and lupin. Nitrogen returned to the soil in aboveground crop residues was similar across pulse species. Faba bean and pea stubble were able to maintain the yield and quality of subsequent barley, canola, and wheat crops without the addition of N fertilizer. Pulse crops can improve the sustainability of the Alberta cropping system.

Zijlstra, R. T., Lopetinsky, K. and Beltranena, E. 2008. The nutritional value of zero-tannin faba bean for grower-finisher pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 88: 293Á302. The nutrient profile of zero-tannin faba bean and its effects on performance and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs was investigated. In exp. 1, chemical characteristics were analyzed. Faba bean contained (as fed) 27.5% crude protein (CP), 1.75% lysine, 0.88% threonine, and 0.21% methionine. Twelve 55-kg barrows were fitted with an ileal cannula and fed twice daily at 3 )maintenance either a 96% faba bean diet or a 62% faba bean diet containing cornstarch to measure apparent total tract energy and ileal amino acid (AA) digestibility, respectively, and calculate standardized ileal digestible (SID) AA and net energy (NE) content. After a 6-d acclimation, faeces were collected for 2 d and ileal digesta for 2 d. Apparent total tract energy digestibility, and digestible energy and NE content were 88.5%, and 3.47 and 2.27 Mcal kg(1 (as fed), respectively. Apparent ileal digestibility was 85.9, 76.1, and 74.1%, and SID AA content was 1.54, 0.70, and 0.16% (as fed), for lysine, threonine, and methionine, respectively. In exp. 2, 100 grower pigs in 20 pens were fed either a soybean or faba bean-based diet regimen from 35 to 115 kg. Diets were formulated to equal NE and SID [Grower (35 to (1 ) did not differ between faba bean and soybean meal. Feed efficiency was 0.02 higher for soybean meal than for faba bean in the Grower phase (PB0.05). At slaughter, back fat thickness did not differ; however, loin depth was 4.0 mm thicker for soybean meal than for faba bean (P B0.05). In summary, zero-tannin faba bean has an attractive nutrient profile and does not alter ADFI or average daily gain (ADG) of grower-finisher pigs at inclusion rates up to 30%. The reduced feed efficiency in the Grower phase and reduced lean thickness for pigs fed faba bean indicate that dietary AA supply might have been limiting for the faba bean diets early in the study. In conclusion, the zero-tannin faba bean is a worthwhile energy and protein feedstuff to consider in swine feed formulation.Key words: Digestibility, energy, faba bean, growth performance, nutritional value, pig Zijlstra, R. T., Lopetinsky, K. et Beltranena, E. 2008. Valeur nutritive de la fe´verole sans tanins pour les porcs d'e´levage. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 88: 293Á302. Les auteurs ont tente´d'e´tablir le profil nutritif de la fe´verole sans tanins et son incidence sur le rendement des porcs d'e´levage ainsi que sur les parame`tres de leur carcasse. Dans le cadre d'une premie`re expe´rience, ils en ont analyse´les proprie´te´s chimiques. La fe´verole (servie aux animaux) contenait 27,5 % de prote´ines brutes, 1,75 % de lysine, 0,88 % de thre´onine et 0,21 % de me´thionine. Douze castrats de 55 kg ont e´te´dote´s d'une canule a`l'ile´on puis ont rec¸u deux fois par jour le triple de leur ration d'entretien sous forme d'aliment contenant 96 % de fe´verole ou 62 % de fe´verole et de la fe´cule de maı¨s. L'expe´rience...