Background of the project
Target to promote protein self-sufficiency
There is growing interest in improving the self-sufficiency of protein feeds and reducing the dependency of imported soya bean in Europe. The self-sufficiency of protein supplement in animal feeds is only 15 percent in Finland.
In order to increase domestic protein crop cultivation and use in animal feeds, especially competitiveness of cropping must increase. Prerequisite is to decrease cultivating costs, increase yields, reduce production uncertainties and also the pricing system needs to be supportive. There is need for research, education and advisory services. Cooperation among farms should also be encouraged. One main target of the Protein Forum project is to promote protein self-sufficiency, especially in Häme region.
Benefits of the legumes are various
Advantages of the increased protein self-sufficiency are various. Due to the nitrogen-fixing capacity of legumes, it allows to reduce the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. If the use of the nitrogen fertilizer is reduced, it may have considerable effects on the economy of the farm.
Legumes are good preceding crops in rotation, because they leave nitrogen in the soil for the subsequent crop. Intensive use of legumes in grasslands, maximal cultivation of pulses and utilization of green manure and undersown crops enables reduce the use of fertilizer N.
The reduction in the use of synthesized fertilizer leads to several positive environmental effects. When the use of the synthesized fertilizer decreases also the industrial carbon dioxide emissions reduces.
Legumes improve soil fertility by improving soil structure and increasing organic matter content and microbial biomass and activity. They also reduce crop diseases, which reduces the use of the pesticides. Cultivation of legumes diversifies the use of fields and promotes crop rotation and biodiversity. The flowering protein crops are bene-ficial for pollinating insects, especially bees.
Legumes give flexibility to harvesting. The yield of pulses is possible to be stored in various ways. Seeds can be dried or preserved and the whole crop can be preserved as the whole crop silage. These storage methods enable storing for a long period without losing their nutritional value allowing flexibil-ity for food and feed availability between harvests.
In human nutrition pulses are highly nutritious and especially good protein sources. They also have important health benefits.
The Figure 1 summarizes aspects how legumes are related to sustainable production of food and feed.
Figure 1. Benefits of legumes are various (Manni, K. 2016).
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Faba bean silage
Faba bean (Vicia faba) is a promising legume to promote domestic protein production to animal feeds. It is possible to harvest either as grain or whole crop silage. In silage production, the optimal harvest time is critical to target high quality of feed.
We studied three faba bean varieties,
Fanfare, Honey and
Pyramid, in order to measure the optimal harvest time in silage production. Dry matter (DM), digestibility (D-value) and nutrient contents were analysed, feed values were calculated and DM yield per ha was measured from the samples taken during the growing season 2015.
The conclusion was, that when optimizing the harvest time, we must take into account of not only the DM yield but also the changes in nutrient contents, digestibility and feed values. It was observed, when the crop stand gets older, the DM yield increases but at the same time specially digestibility, energy value and crude protein content decrease. In the beginning, decreasing is rapid, but then it becomes slower, which gives flexibility to harvest. The optimal harvest time is a compromise between DM yield, feed values and also the weather.
Pictures of experimental plots of faba bean
Pictures of harvesting faba bean as round bales
Pictures of harvesting faba bean with a forage harvester
Crimped faba beans using different additives
Faba beans can readily be used as protein and energy supplements for dairy cows, but their use to monogastric animals is restricted to some extent due to antinutritional compounds. The various antinutritional factors present in faba beans include vicine and convicine, phenols, tannins, trypsin inhibitors, protease inhibitors, lectins, saponins, oligosaccharides (such as raffinose, stachyose, verbascose) and phytate.
The objectives of the study carried out in 2015-2016 were to compare the effects of different additives on the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of ensiled crimped high moisture faba beans. Additionally, the effects of different types of fermentation on the concentrations of various antinutritional compounds present in faba beans were evaluated.
The results demonstrate that use of additives improved the fermentation quality of crimped ensiled faba beans. Vicine could not be detected from ensiled beans and convicine was markedly reduced, which indicates that ensiling can be a feasible option of preserving faba beans when used particularly for monogastric farm animals which are more susceptible to the toxins than ruminants. It also seemed that the more extensive the fermentation the more degradation of the antinutritional compounds was detected.
Pictures of crimping faba bean in farm scale
Pea cultivating as a sole or mixture
Pea (Pisum sativum) is possible to harvest either as a grain or whole crop silage. If harvested as grain, it can be used both in monogastric and ruminant feeding. Cultivating pea as a sole crop, there is a risk of lodging. During the growing season 2016 we were studied pea cultivation as a sole crop, and in mixtures with wheat or faba bean. The target was to find out the DM yield and feeding values of the different growths.
The results will be updated later.
Pictures of experimental plots of pea
Pictureres of sampling 1
Pictures of sampling 2
Pea as preceding crop to spring wheat and effects in N fertilizing
Pea is a valuable preceding crop because it leaves nitrogen in the soil for the subsequent crop. When this preceding value is taken into account, the use of the N fertilizer can be reduced. It is also possible to use the normal amount of the N fertilizer and use the residual nitrogen in the soil as extra N, and in con-sequence crop yield and protein content may increase.
During the growing season 2016 we were studied spring wheat cultivation with five different levels of nitrogen, which were 0, 40, 70, 100 and 130 kg N/ha. The target was to find out how the N level affects the spring wheat DM yield and quality. We also estimated the economic aspects.
The results will be updated later.
Pictures of N fertilizing experimental plots
Pulse pledge
Pulse pledge is an on-going campaign, where we encourage people to use more and different pulses in the diet. We try to encourage people to share experiences of using pulses as a food. The key questions are: How do you use pulses in your diet? What is your favourite recipe? Did you find out a good recipe from internet?
We encourage people to share the hyperlink of a tasty pulse recipe, a picture of “your pulse portion” or a selfie of “you and your pulses” in Twitter or Facebook using #papuhaaste. In order to promote these objectives, four newsletters will be sent out during the campaign period from May to September 2016. The projects ScenoProt and Protein Forum carry out this campaign and the web page is available at:
www.luke.fi/papuhaaste.
Contacts
Katariina Manni
project manager, lecturer, HAMK
katariina.manni@hamk.fi
p. +358 40 353 1149
Marketta Rinne
professor, Luke
marketta.rinne@luke.fi
p. +358 29 5326 482
Kaisa Kuoppala
principal research scientist, Luke
kaisa.kuoppala@luke.fi
p. + 358 29 532 6705