The European Common Agricultural Policy promotes the sustainable use of soils through the principle of cross-compliance that links direct payments to good farming practices. Thus, it is necessary to find sustainable alternatives to the conventional management for forage production in the Atlantic Arc dairy farms. Two alternative managements (faba bean in monoculture—FB—and faba bean–Italian ryegrass intercrop—FBIR) were cultivated with organic fertilization during two consecutive years and compared to the conventional management (Italian ryegrass in monoculture—IR—under chemical fertilization) as winter crops. Maize was used as the summer crop to complete the rotations using organic and chemical fertilization, respectively. The forage yield of winter fodder was quantified. Soil samples and summer harvests were performed to analyse the physicochemical and biological parameters. The best forage yield corresponded to FBIR with 9.2 t dry matter (DM) ha−1 vs. 7.2 and 5.7 t DM ha−1 for FB and IR, respectively. The soil organic matter did not show significant differences among treatments, suggesting that it may be a poor indicator of the management influence on edaphic quality in the short term. Biological indicators were more sensitive and faster to differentiate among managements than chemical indicators. Earthworm abundance was higher in FB and FBIR than IR (p < 0.001), and consequently, soil infiltration was improved with the alternative management (13.90 vs. 2.08 and 0.90 min for IR, FB and FBIR, respectively, p < 0.01). As a result, the soil health diagnosis of the agroecosystem was better for alternative management.
Aim of study: To evaluate agronomic performance and changes on soil chemical properties in two types of managements: conventional or sustainable.Area of study: Principality of Asturias, Spain.Material and methods: On a loam-clay texture soil, three winter forage legumes (faba bean, red clover and white lupin), in monoculture or mixed with Italian ryegrass and with organic fertilization (sustainable management) versus Italian ryegrass in monoculture and inorganic fertilization (conventional management) were evaluated during three consecutive years. After the harvest in spring, the rotations were completed with maize crop with the purpose to evaluate the effect of the sustainable management on forage yield and soil chemical parameters.Main results: The results showed that faba bean and red clover in monoculture and mixed with Italian ryegrass had better edaphic quality than Italian ryegrass in monoculture, and white lupin in monoculture or mixed with Italian ryegrass. Faba bean in monoculture and mixed with Italian ryegrass, both with organic fertilization, could be competitive crops since both had yields comparable to Italian ryegrass in monoculture with inorganic fertilization.Research highlights: Current agricultural practice could be changed for a more sustainable management system, including organic fertilization and legume crops.
The livestock sector must find solutions to reduce the feeding costs and meet the challenge for a more sustainable production system in line with the European Green Deal requirements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of including legume silage on voluntary intake in dairy cows, milk production, and composition. Three total mixed rations (TMR) based on faba bean (FB), Italian ryegrass (IR), or faba bean–Italian ryegrass intercrop (FBIR, 60:40) silages were used in feeding trials of dairy cows during two consecutive years. Nine Friesian cows were randomly allocated in three groups, following a 3 × 3 Latin square design with three diets for three periods. TMR were offered ad libitum in addition to eighteen hours of grazing daily and extra concentrate during milking. No differences were observed in dry matter intake. Diets did not affect milk production or composition, except for urea content, with a higher urea excretion in FB diet. Fatty acid profile was different in milk from cows feeding FB, with a significantly lower content of saturated fatty acids and a higher content of conjugated linoleic acid than milk produced with FBIR and IR diets.
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