LEGENDARY crops

The LEGENDARY project dedicates an entire work package to studying a range of legumes across various farming practices. The primary goal is to quantify the ecosystem services provided by these crops, including their impact on soil microbiomes, fertility, and erosion; weed control, insect populations, GHG emissions, as well as yield and crop quality. Different project partners are testing these crops in diverse agro-climatic zones.

Perennial legumes

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), red, white and Alexandrian clover (Trifolium pratense, T. repens, T. alexandrinum, respectively), Lotus spp., alfalfa (Medicago sativa), perennial lupins (Lupinus perennis), and perennial Lathyrus species.

Annual legumes

Narrow-leaved lupin (L. angustifolius), lentil (Lens culinaris), field pea (Pisum sativum), faba bean (Vicia faba), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), soybean (Glycine max), green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), vetch (Vicia spp.) and grass pea (Lathyrus sativus).

Activity in the spotlight

Progress update: Lab work boosts legumes

While the first six months of the LEGENDARY project focused on field trials with different protein crops, the autumn and winter months have shifted the spotlight to very hard work in the different labs within LEGENDARY. For example research teams at institutions such as LIST, UGENT and others have been hard at work analysing soil samples to explore how different LEGENDARY crops impact the soil microbiome.

In this post we focus on the soil measurements at LIST.

At LIST, Kate and Marine are analysing soil samples taken from different LEGENDARY crops (field pea, faba bean, lupin and lentil) from different LEGENDARY countries. The primary goal is to understand how these crops affect the diversity and activity of the soil microbiome. To achieve this, they employ three distinct analytical strategies.

The first method is a simple and widely used technique involving chloroform to release the cytoplasm of bacterial and fungal cells. This allows them to calculate the total microbial biomass present in the soil, an important indicator of soil health. While this method is straightforward and well-established, it doesn’t provide detailed insights into the composition of the microbial community.

To address this gap, they also use metabarcoding, a powerful technique that extracts DNA from the soil to identify and analyse the composition of microbial life. By focusing on specific DNA markers (bacterial and fungal), metabarcoding helps paint a clearer picture of the soil’s microbial community structure and diversity and how it might be influenced by different crops.

The third method measures the activity of microbial soil microbes, specifically, their extracellular enzyme activity. By incubating soil samples under controlled conditions, they can measure the activity of key enzymes that release carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus monomers from soil organic matter, that are then available for uptake by plants and microbes. These tests can yield spectacular results, as more intense enzyme activity results in higher fluorescence, providing valuable insights into the microbial acquisition effort for nutrients.

By comparing the results between legumes, the cereal crop and the legume-cereal mix, from various crop and land origins, Kate and Marine are able to determine which LEGENDARY crops are having the most significant impact on the soil microbiome. This data will help inform strategies for promoting beneficial ecosystem services that support soil health and sustainability.

As the lab continues to process and analyse samples, they expect to have the first results ready by February. When combined with similar work being carried out by other institutions within LEGENDARY, these findings promise to mark a major leap forward in understanding the vital role legumes play in enhancing soil ecosystems and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Planned Activities

20-22th of May 2025 – Lleida, Spain

The second  Symposium on ‘Agrobiodiversity Along the Value Chain’ organised by Horizon 2020 project CROPDIVA and Horizon Europe project LEGENDARY will be held at the University of Lleida, Spain. More information is available on abstract submission, venue etc. on the website of the symposium.

Intro Sister Project

Horizon Europe VALERECO

VALERECO’s main ambition is to develop a biodiversity-anchored EU-wide legume ecosystem promoting the valorisation of legume ecosystem services of legume crops, via following actions:

• Increase knowledge on the benefits of legume crops, their role in biodiversity conservation, soil health, and nutrient cycling, and to explore synergies with other crops.
• Evaluate the market competitiveness of legume crops and promote the inclusion of legumes in cropping schemes for human consumption, while highlighting the ES provided by legumes and their adoption by farmers and multiple actors across the agri-food value chain.
• Demonstrate technologically feasible solutions of legumes-based diversified farming systems & indicators for quantification of agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits of N transfer from major and minor legumes to other crops enhancing digital technologies
• Generate capacity building material to disseminate results and encourage uptake of legume ecosystem services, supporting the sustainability of the project outcomes beyond its duration.

Find out more about VALERECO on the project website and social media!