Wheat and Faba Bean Intercropping Together with Nitrogen Modulation Is a Good Option for Balancing the Trade-Off Relationship between Grain Yield and Quality in the Southwest of China

Cereal and legume intercropping could improve cereal yield, but the role of in grain quality still lacks a full understanding. A two-year bi-factorial trial was conducted to investigate two planting patterns (mono-cropped wheat (MW) intercropped wheat+faba bean (IW)) four nitrogen (N) fertilization levels (N0, no N fertilizer applied both faba bean; N1, 90 45 kg ha–1 N2, 180 N3, 270 135 bean), as well their interaction on productivity yield (GY) quality. The results showed that increased yields protein amino acids (AAs) relative MW years. No difference Aas content between IW found 9% (GPC) higher than 2020. By contrast, gliadin by 8–14% when with years, some AAs fractions including essential non-essential were under N0 N1 declined at N3 level. This means either for or fractions. There negative relationship GPC GY present study, tended increase increasing GY. In conclusion, mainly affected rather AAs, presented potential concurrently. Modulated rates benefitted stimulation advantages terms southwest China similar regions.