IYP 2016

10 YEAR RESEARCH STRATEGY

Chapter 4

INTEGRATION ACROSS AGRICULTURAL, NUTRITIONAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Diego RUBIALES

Pulses are multifunctional crops with extraordinary importance for the agriculture, environment and culture

However acreage in Europe and North Africa is continuously decreasing

and we are importing pulses for food and feed,

whereas its maintaining or even increasing in other areas

key role in animal feed

being particularly important in the Mediterranean and Hindu diet

Trend in pulse cultivations and imports compared to soya bean in Spain

13 k

g pu

lses/

pers

on/y

ear

20 k

g m

eat/p

erso

n/ye

ar

3 kg

lpulse

s/per

son/

year

51 kg

per

son/

year

Tomado de González & Rubiales, 2016, revista Arbor

Trend changing thanks to better understanding of legume benefits for health and environment

Δ Yield(Kg/ha/year)

Pea 8

Faba bean 9

Common bean 22

Lentil 0

Chickpea 5

Lupin 2

wheat 52

Major limitations for pulse cultivation:

Relatively low yield potential-stability

Major limitations for legume cultivation:

Relatively low yield potential-stability

Numerous species multiplying breeder’s investments

Priorities:Increased yield and yield stability Addressing markets demandsSocial implications

• Grower satisfaction: Good yield, disease resistance, lodging, herbicide tolerance…. Getting higher prize

• Consumer satisfactioncolour, size, appearance, nutrition, ….. At lower cost

Sustainability of the system:Improving the cv registration system

and making seeds accessible together with sound cropping practices

Policy:Supporting the system

Increased yield stability in the frame of global change and increasing awareness on health and

environmental sustainability issues

Enlarging cropping area and stabilizing performance:Genotype, Environment, Management, and their interactions

tolerance to stresses (drought, freezing, salinity, pest and diseases)Important to develop adaptation to short spring cycles or long winter cycles to diverse geographical zones

Addressing demands arising from concerns on environment and food security- resource use efficiency including symbiotic performance- resilient production in the context of climate change- adaptation to sustainable cropping systems- diverse uses: feeds, foods, non-food, forage or green manure- Increased biodiversity, ecological services

Chapter 4: Integration across agricultural, nutritional and social sciences

Tools and approaches:

Regional and global multi-disciplinary networks:

• Increasing mutual awareness among scientists (e.g. molecular biologists, pathologists, breeders, entomologists, agronomists, nutrition experts) and practitioners (e.g. producers, extension advisors, agribusiness technicians), exchanging information and expertise, and helping researchers to strategically prioritize scientific objectives and tailor their research designs to align with ‘real world’European Association for Grain Legumes Research

President Vice-president

• Forming consortia to tackle complex sustainability issues within and across production, processing, and consumption components of pulse supply chains.

Examples include:

the Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), the International Mungbean Network, the Faba Bean IFLRC

Chapter 4: Integration across agricultural, nutritional and social sciences

Tools and approaches:

- Coordinating access and sharing of germplasm materials, information and facilities and harmonizing issues around intellectual property.