Introduction: LEGUMEs are rich in nutrients and are important source of food proteins. The biological value of LEGUMEs proteins is quite high due to having most of the essential amino acids in comparison with other sources.Materials and Methods: In this study we evaluated the chemical composition and functional properties (water and oil adsorption capacity, emulsifying and foaming properties) of Iranian LEGUMEs flours (red kidney bean, pea, mung, broad bean).Results: The results of proximate analysis indicated that flours obtained from LEGUMEs vary in composition. Chickpea flour with 33.4% protein content has the highest concentration of proteins among the flours examined. Water adsorption capacity ranged between 0.78 to 1.38 g/g, while oils adsorption capacity ranged between 0.79 to 0. 92 g/g. Emulsifying capacity of LEGUMEs were in the range of 16-26%.Conclusion: It was concluded that red kidney bean has the potential to be used as an ingredient in functional food formulations to enhance the nutritional values and functional properties of the product.

In sustainable agriculture, one of the effective strategies to improve potato yield as the fourth most valuable plant in human nutrition is the use of cover crops in crop rotation. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of using LEGUME and non-LEGUME plants residues as pure and mixed as green manure on growth and yield of potato in the Agricultural Research Farm of Razi University, Kermanshah in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included control (without green manure), pure clover, pure barley, pure vetch, 50% barley + 50% clover, 50% barley + 50% vetch, 50% vetch + 50% clover, 30% barley + 70% clover, 30% vetch + 70% barley, and 40% clover + 40% vetch + 20% barley. The results showed that the application of green manure increased plant height, leaf area, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, and the number of main stems in the stages of vegetative growth (before flowering), tuber formation, tuber filling and maturity compared to the control. In addition, in all four growth stages of potato, the treatment of 40% clover + 40% vetch + 20% barley caused an increase of 43. 35, 53. 37, 42. 17, and 50. 43% respectively, RWC was compared to the control. In addition, with the use of the mentioned treatment, the highest number of potato tubers was obtained, which was increased by about 73 tubers per m2 compared to the control. Green manure had a positive effect on the diameter grading of the tubers in the maturity stage, so that in the treatment of 40% clover + 40% vetiver + 20% barley, most of the small tubers (95 per m2 ), medium tubers (329 per m2 ) and large tubers (211 per m2 ) were observed. In addition, under this treatment, potato tuber yield increased by 8 ton. ha-1 compared to the control treatment. In general, the results of this research showed that mixed cultivation of LEGUME (vetch and clover) and non-LEGUME (barley) species as green manure can be a good option for increasing potato production and yield in Kermanshah region.

Introduction Several factors affect the crop yield and weeds are among the most important factors reducing crop yields. There are high tendency to develop alternative methods of herbicides for natural control of weeds in organic products. One of the alternative methods to manage weeds is intercropping. Intercropping is growing two or more crops simultaneously in a piece of land during a growing season. The objectives of the present study were to examine the effect of cereal-LEGUME intercropping on weeds growth. Materials and Methods A field experiment was conducted in College of Agriculture of Darab, Shiraz University during 2014-2015. In the experiment 16 treatments (five weed free monocultures of wheat (M1), barley (M2), triticale (M3), pea (M4), faba bean (M5), 5 weedy monocultures of wheat (WM1), barley (WM2), triticale (WM3), pea (WM4), faba bean (WM5), and six replacement intercropping treatments of wheat + pea (I1), wheat + faba bean (I2), barley + pea (I3), barley + faba bean (I4), triticale + pea (I5) and triticale + faba bean (I6) without weed control) using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates were studied. Cereals and LEGUMEs were planted simultaneously at 23 November 2014. Planting operation was conducted on both sides of the ridges. Weed diversity was calculated by Shannon diversity index: 1 ln s i H N i N i  N N    N=Total number of plants in each plot of one square meter, Ni= number of species i plants, S= total number of species, and H= Shannon diversity index. This index value ranging from zero to five, higher index value, greater diversity. Results and Discussion The results showed that the lowest density and biomass of weeds were obtained in both sole culture and intercropping of barley. For instance, the lowest weed biomass was observed in monoculture of weedy barley (1 g. m-2), intercropping of barley + faba bean (12. 67 g. m-2) and intercropping of barley + pea (56 g. m-2). The weed density at weed free sole culture of barley (30 plants. m-2) was lowest that followed by barley + faba bean intercropping (81 plants per m-2). The lowest species weed diversity was obtained in barley + pea (zero) and weedy barley (0. 007), respectively. The weed diversity of most intercropping treatments was similar or less than that of weedy sole culture. In General, pea or faba bean monoculture had greatest weeds density and biomass, because slow growth and late seedling establishment. However, cereals especially barley controlled weeds properly, due to greater growth rate, higher height and greater density than those of LEGUMEs. Intercropping of pea and faba bean with cereals reduced weeds growth and had lower weeds density and biomass than those of pea and faba bean weedy monocultures. In order to increase of LEGUME yields, more density of LEGUME should be intercropped with cereals. Conclusion In general, intercropping treatments caused a significant decrease in weeds density and biomass compared to the LEGUMEs monoculture. In this experiment barley and triticale due to good properties such as fast growth, high plant height and more shading could considerably control weeds in both monoculture and intercropping treatments, reducing significantly weeds density and biomass in itself sole culture and intercropping treatments. To reduce the weeds growth in faba bean and pea, which have a poor competitive ability with weeds, intercropping with cereals, especially barley and triticale, in the south of Fars province is recommended. However, intercropping is one of the ways to reduce weeds in the long term and its effects on weeds in the long period will be much more. Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Darab, Shiraz University, to finance the project and all those who helped us in this project.

In order to study the effects of green manures and various levels of nitrogen fertilizer on yield and quality of corn (Zea mays L.) and weed growth, an experiment was conducted in the Research Farm of Agricultural and Natural Resources Faculty, Razi University as split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the 90-91 growing season. The main factor was green manure and its incorporation time including rye incorporated in March, rye incorporated in April, common vetch incorporated in March, common vetch incorporated in April, mixed (rye + commom vetch) incorporated in March, mixed incorporated in April and control (without green manure). The sub factor was nitrogen fertilizer as urea with three levels including 0 (no fertilizer), 200 kg.ha-1 (the 50% of the recommended amount) and 400 kg.ha-1 (the 100% the recommended amount). Results indicated that green manure and nitrogen treatments had significant impacts on yield and yield components, grain protein content and weed biomass. The highest grain yield belonged to the April-incorporated vetch by 12124.7 kg.ha-1 and the lowest one was obtained in control (without green manure) by 9185.6 kg.ha-1. Among the nitrogen fertilizer levels, the 100% of the recommended amount with 11253.8 kg.ha-1 and no fertilizer treatment with 9041.3 kg.ha-1 showed the highest and the lowest yields, respectively. Green manure and nitrogen fertilizer also influenced weed growth in corn field as the lowest weed biomass was produced by mixed treatment incorporated in April without nitrogen fertilizer.

The clamor for agricultural resources is being pushed up by global climatic change and population growth. Such consequences are huge challenges to food security, wreaking havoc on the agroecosystem and causing biotic and abiotic stresses in plants, which in turn cause metabolic and physiological problems. Food LEGUME crops contribute to food security in underdeveloped countries by playing an essential role in conservation farming methods. Drought has, nevertheless, exhibited a negative impact on productivity in many parts of the world. While water shortage is a significant abiotic barrier to LEGUME crop output, drought impacts differ depending on drought timing, agro-climatic area, soil texture, and LEGUME species. To resolve these concerns, we gathered data from the recent publications that revealed drought-induced changes in the production of monoculture LEGUMEs in field circumstances and examined it using meta-analysis approaches. Research findings revealed that the water cut’s quantity was strongly associated with a decrease in yield. However, the magnitude of the effect differed depending on the phenological stage of the drought and LEGUME species. The LEGUMEs such as groundnut and lentil exhibited the lowest yield reductions (31.2% and 19.6% for groundnut and lentil, accordingly), however, the biggest yield drop (39.8%) facing the maximum water reduction was for faba bean.

Background and objectives: One of the key strategies in sustainable agriculture is diversity restoration to agricultural environments and effective management it. Intercropping, which is defined as growing two or more species simultaneously in the same field during a growing season, is considered one important strategy in developing sustainable production systems, particularly systems that aim to limit external inputs such as chemical fertilizer and herbicide etc. Compared to sole crops, intercropping system have higher utilization of resource i. e., nutrient use efficiency, water use efficiency, and land use efficiency. This research was done to evaluation advantageous of sunflower-LEGUME intercropping systems, Materials and methods: The experiment was conducted as randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, during 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. Experimental treatments were different planting patterns including sunflower, bean and soybean sole cropping, and additive intercropping of 30, 60 and 90% bean, as well as 30, 60 and 90% soybean with sunflower. Intercropping systems were evaluated by using indices of land equivalent ratio (LER), system productivity index (SPI), total relative value (RTV), area-time equivalent ratio (ATER), aggressivity index (AI), competition index (CI) and relative crowding coefficient (RCC). Results: Results showed that crops grain yield and sunflower equivalent yield affected by planting patterns. The highest sunflower, bean and soybean grain yields were achieved at sole cropping and intercropping decreased grain yield of these crops. However, sunflower equivalent yield at intercropping patterns of 60 and 90% bean and soybean were more than sole cropping. At this treatments, indices of land equivalent ratio, total relative value, area-time equivalent ratio and relative crowding coefficient were more than 1 and competition index was less than 1 that showed intercropping is advantageous. In this study pay attention to aggressivity index, sunflower was aggressive in comparison to bean and soybean. Conclusion: The results of this present showed that, intercropping systems increased sunflower equal grain yield in comparison with sunflower sole cropping. In general, in the most of the treatments, sunflower-LEGUME (bean and soybean) intercropping was better than their sole cropping and associated with improving economic yield and land use efficiency. The results of this present showed that, intercropping systems increased sunflower equal grain yield in comparison with sunflower sole cropping. In general, in the most of the treatments, sunflower-LEGUME (bean and soybean) intercropping was better than their sole cropping and associated with improving economic yield and land use efficiency.

In order to investigate the effects of plant residues, crop rotation, mycorrhizal symbiosis, and zinc sulfate on grain yield and zinc, phosphorus contents of grain, in subtropical rainfed conditions at Gachsaran Rainfed Research Station, a study was carried out as a split factorial experiment in a RCBD with three replications and during four crop years. The treatments included four crop rotations as the main plots (including vetch, wheat, canola, and lentil), inoculation with mycorrhizal symbiosis (inoculation and non-inoculation) and two zinc sulfate rates (such as 0 and 40 kg.ha-1) as subplots. The results showed that the highest quantitative and qualitative yield (such as phosphorus and Zn levels) were achieved in vetch-wheat rotation plus mycorrhizal symbiosis inoculation. Application of zinc sulfate or mycorrhiza in all periodic patterns increased the weight of 1000 seeds, spike weight and grain yield. Cultivation of two types of LEGUMEs (lentil and vetch) in the wheat rotation increased grain zinc concentration compared to the other two rotation patterns (wheat-wheat and canola-wheat). Grain zinc concentration was increased 5 and 18 percentage by inoculating with mycorrhiza and zinc sulfate, respectively. In general, the implementation of the periodic pattern of vetch-wheat and lentil-wheat along with the use of mycorrhiza can be recommended as an effective pattern in terms of quantitative and qualitative wheat yield.

Planting of various crops in intercropping may change the amount of nutrients uptake by plants because of morphological and physiological differences in roots. In order to investigate the metal micronutrients uptake of the crops in cereals-LEGUME intercropping a field experiment was performed in 2014-2015 in the College of Agriculture of Darab, Shiraz University. Treatments included 10 monoculture (wheat, barley, triticale, pea and bean with and without weeds) and 6 intercropping (wheat + pea, wheat + faba bean, barley + pea, barley + faba bean, triticale + pea and triticale + faba bean with weeds) which laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Results showed that the treatments had a significant effect on the uptake of Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn by plants so that the highest content of Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn in cereals was obtained in weed-free monoculture triticale (353.2 ppm), barley+faba bean intercropping (20.18 ppm), wheat+faba bean intercropping (23.59 ppm) and weed-free wheat monoculture (28.22 ppm). The highest content of Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn in LEGUMEs was obtained in wheat+faba bean intercropping (673.1 ppm), barley+pea intercropping (26.24 ppm), triticale+faba bean intercropping (28.33 ppm) and weed-free faba bean monoculture (32.26 ppm). The ranking of micronutrients uptake by crops and weeds was Fe˃Mn˃Zn.