AUTHOR=Fogelberg Fredrik , Östlund Johanna , Myrbeck Åsa 

TITLE=Effect of cultivar and inoculant on yields of faba beans (Vicia faba minor) and subsequent spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) under Scandinavian cropping conditions

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Agronomy

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/agronomy/articles/10.3389/fagro.2023.1179996

DOI=10.3389/fagro.2023.1179996

ISSN=2673-3218

ABSTRACT=<p>Inoculation of legumes is generally considered to increase yield and to lower the need of nitrogen (N) fertilization, especially in semiarid regions and on sandy soils. It has not been clear whether inoculation with <italic>Rhizobium</italic> sp. in cropping of faba beans (<italic>Vicia faba</italic> minor) under Swedish conditions would improve yield and protein content. In 2015–2016, three faba bean cultivars and two strains of <italic>Rhizobium</italic> were studied in field trials in Central Sweden, including analyses of N fixation capacities using <sup>15</sup>N abundance. The study did not show any effects of inoculation of <italic>Rhizobium</italic> on yield or protein content of faba beans or subsequent spring wheat yields. Yields of faba beans varied between cultivars but were not connected to inoculation. <sup>15</sup>N abundance was influenced by rhizobium. The study cannot support the opinion that, generally, inoculation is beneficial for improved outcome of faba bean cropping under Scandinavian field conditions. No residual effect of inoculation on subsequent spring wheat yield was found.</p>