Effects of crop mixtures on rust development on faba bean grown in Mediterranean climates

Faba bean (Vicia faba) is a temperate grain legume of major importance in Mediterranean agriculture. Faba bean production can be severely constrained in the area by rust incited by Uromyces viciae-fabae. Control with fungicides is possible, but there is a growing interest on alternative control methods, compatible with organic agriculture. Intercropping faba bean with cereals has been suggested as an alternative to maximize land use and increase crop resilience, with potential beneficial effects reducing weeds and diseases. In the present work, we studied the effect of intercropping faba bean with barley, triticale or wheat on faba bean rust development. Field studies performed over two consecutive seasons in two different countries showed that faba bean rust is significantly reduced when faba bean is intercropped with cereals confirming the value of faba bean-cereal intercropping for the management of faba bean rust. These results confirm that, under our conditions, intercropping faba bean with cereals (oat, barley, wheat or triticale) could usefully contribute to the management of faba bean rust.This research was supported by EU-FP6-GLIP, PCI2020-111974-PRIMA-DiVicia projects, An-Najah National University, Palestine and RYC-2015-18961.Peer reviewe