Effect of Two Seeding Rates on Nitrogen Yield and Nitrogen Fixation of Winter and Spring Faba Bean

Faba bean (Vicia faba L. minor) is an important grain legume and is widely used as food and feed. It is traditionally used as a spring crop in Central European cropping systems. There is increasing interest in winter faba bean due to a higher yield potential, but limited knowledge of nitrogen (N) yields and nitrogen fixation (N(FIX)) exists. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare N concentrations, N yield of plant fractions, soil mineral N (SMN) and SMN sparing in the soil after harvest, N(FIX) and N balance of two winter faba bean varieties (Diva and Hiverna) to those of a spring faba bean (Alexia) using two seeding rates (25 versus 50 germinable seeds m(−2)) in a two-year field experiment under Pannonian climate conditions in eastern Austria. The winter faba bean varieties had higher N yields and N(FIX), not only due to higher biomass yields, but also due to higher N concentrations and a higher percentage of N derived from atmosphere in the biomass. Conversely, the soil mineral N after harvest was lower compared to the spring faba bean. All treatments had a negative N balance due to higher grain N yield than N(FIX). Winter faba beans left higher amounts of biologically-fixed N in residues for the subsequent crop, whereas spring faba bean left more SMN. Winter faba bean varieties obtained good results with both seeding rates, whereas the grain yield and the grain N yield of Alexia tended to higher with the higher seeding rate.