Einfluss von Standort, Gemengepartner und Ernteverfahren auf den Ertrag von Linsen

: Erkenntnisse aus Anbauversuchen im oberösterreichischen Alpenvorland

Abstract

The growing world population and the increasing demand for plat-based protein increase the relevance of growing grain legumes such as lentils, which, in addition to their high protein content, also offer ecological advantages, particularly due to their ability to fix nitrogen. However, in Austria, lentil cultivation is still in a niche and is confronted with challenges such as weak competitiveness against weeds, uneven ripening and high tendency to lodging. Although climatic changes favor lentil cultivation, there is a lack of practical knowledge regarding site-specific cultivation methods to sustainably increase yields. The aim of this master's thesis is to investigate the influence of location, companion crop and harvesting method on yield, weed infestation and lodging tendency in organic lentil cultivation in the Alpine foothills. By analyzing the current state of knowledge and collecting specific field data, a scientifically sound basis is created from which suitable locations, companion crops and harvesting methods can be derived. For this purpose, the most important aspects of crop management, from site factors to harvest, were presented in the literature review. The empirical section comprised a two-factorial field trial at two locations of the Bio-Institut Raumberg Gumpenstein in Stadl-Paura with different soil quality: Lambach (70 soil points) and Wimsbach (45 soil points). Beluga lentils were grown in combination with four companion crops (spring oats, naked oats, spring barley and naked barley). In addition, two harvesting methods (direct threshing and swath threshing) were tested. Crop development was recorded by measuring field emergence, leaf area index (LAI), plant length, height of the first pod set and lodging tendency. The profitability of the trial variants was analyzed on the basis of yield data using a contribution margin calculation. The results showed that the location had a significant influence on the lentil yield. In Wimsbach, significantly higher lentil yields were achieved, ranging from 1,394.69 to 1,915.99 kg/ha, compared to Lambach, where yields ranged from 552.81 to 826.71 kg/ha. In Lambach, the higher nutrient availability led to greater lodging tendency and higher weed pressure. There were no big differences in lentil yields among the companion crops. However, oats proved to be the best companion crop, as it effectively reduced the lodging tendency of the lentils and ensured stable yields. Naked oats showed a medium lodging tendency, while mixtures with barley and naked barley resulted in complete lodging. The swath threshing method achieved higher yields overall, especially in Wimsbach, as it enabled better drying and more even ripening of the plants. Under the climatic conditions of the Alpine foothills, swath threshing therefore offers clear advantages, especially in difficult harvesting conditions. In Wimsbach, the higher yields led to significantly higher contribution margins (€2,079.32 to €3,149.98/ha), while these were significantly lower in Lambach at €411.60 to €947.85/ha. Overall, the study shows that lentil cultivation in the Alpine foothills on nutrient-poor soils offers great potential. The cultivation can be optimized both agronomically and economically through the targeted selection of location, companion crop and harvesting method.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Michael Schmidthaler (Supervisor)