A win-win situation – Increasing protein production and reducing synthetic N fertilizer use by integrating soybean into irrigated Mediterranean cropping systems

Over the last decades, non-cereal crops have been displaced in European cropping systems leading to a significant dependency on imported soybean. Continuous maize under Mediterranean irrigated conditions can lead agronomic and environmental problems. The objective of this work was assess diversified maximize protein production while reducing synthetic N fertilizer use. A field experiment carried out from 2019 2021 an area NE Spain. Four systems, (i) continuous (MM), (ii) soybean rotation one three years (MSrt), (iii) barley-maize double system (BM), (iv) barley-soybean (BS) were assessed at crop, pre-crop level. Productivity terms grain, energy yield measured crop calculated for As well, use efficiency each system. At level, introduction led 28% increase following cereal (maize or barley) mainly due residual effect. (MSrt) did not total compared MM (from 895 947 kg ha−1 yr−1), but it mildly increased efficiency. Protein BS (1778 yr−1) significantly higher than all other (990 yr−1 average). with highest (251 88 grain fertilizer−1). Our results demonstrate that introducing as barley is successful strategy reduce impacts resulting production, contributing plant self-sufficiency diversification.