Nevertheless, the proportion of grain legumes in the total crop rotation is on average no more than 13-17%, even if this proportion can be increased on organic farms. The reasons for this are the annually fluctuating yields of grain legumes as well as disease and pest infestation. This is why the area cultivated in the conventional field of field beans and peas has declined sharply, but the area in organic farming is increasing again, also thanks to the increased interest of organic farmers in soybeans. In addition, organic farming has still required 100% organic protein feeding since 2012, although there is an overall deficiency here.

This project was therefore initiated to gain experience with the cultivation of alternative grain legumes such as sweet lupins in order to optimize the production conditions for these crops, because there is little information regarding the suitability of varieties for certain regions, for weed control and also for mixed farming be available. The Organic Agriculture Department carries out numerous field tests with various grain legumes at the Lambach Stadl-Paura branch as well as on practical farms in Upper Austria and passes the results on directly to the consultants and farmers.