Functional trait space in cereals and legumes grown in pure and mixed cultures is influenced more by cultivar identity than crop mixing

More efficient resource use, especially nitrogen (N) in agricultural fields could considerably reduce the losses and spillover effects on environment. Cereal-legume mixtures can lead to more uptake of growth-limiting resources, increase stabilize yields, due variation functional traits that facilitate partitioning niche space. Here we identify crop with optimal N use two selected cereal-legume by using multi-dimensional trait space concept. Combinations pea-barley faba bean-wheat crops were grown field as pure cultures Central Sweden, during years contrasting weather. The ecological was defined via n-dimensional hypervolumes represented pool, tiller/branch number, shoot biomass, grain yield traits. Regressions correlations allowed quantifying relations between plant pools. Differences not a result mixing per se, similar found culture mixture-grown crops. Instead, differences depended cultivar identities admixed. Furthermore, cereals increased their efficiency for therefore benefitted than legumes mixtures, terms accumulated yields. Tiller biomass production positively correlated pool accumulation season. Resource acquisition through mixture associated reduced overlap niche-space initial seed pools significantly contributed within-season accumulation, tiller production.