Pulses are a low carbon footprint food
 

Pulses utilize soil bacteria to draw nitrogen from the air. This natural process replaces the need to add nitrogen fertilizers in pulse crops, which means pulses use half the energy inputs of other crops.

When soil is fertilized with nitrogen in the form of manure, fertilizer, or crop residue, soil micro-organisms convert some of this nitrogen into nitrous oxide, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. Nitrous oxide is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) and represents around 46% of the greenhouse gas emissions from global agriculture¹.

Since greenhouse gas emissions related to crop production are largely driven by nitrogen fertilizers, nitrogen-fixing pulse crops have a lower carbon footprint compared to other crops.

PULSE CROP WITH NITROGEN FIXING ROOT NODULES

Pulses are a Water Efficient Source of Protein

When pulses are grown, they use 1/2 to 1/10 the water of other sources of protein 2. Many pulse crops are adapted to dry environments, making them well-suited for areas that are prone to drought.

Pulses like peas and lentils extract water from a shallower depth, leaving more water deep in the soil for the following year’s crop. This increases the water use efficiency of the entire crop rotation.

THE WATER FOOTPRINT OF PULSE PRODUCTION

Pulses Enrich the Soil Where They Are Grown

Pulse crops produce a number of different compounds that feed soil microbes and benefit soil health. After pulse crops are harvested, they leave behind nitrogen-rich crop residues that provide extra nutrients for the next crop that is grown.

Growing pulse crops in rotation with other crops enables the soil to support larger, more diverse populations of soil organisms that help maintain and increase soil fertility.

• Pulse provided opportunities for microbial life to flourish
• Breaks disease, weed and insect cycles
• Increases microbial diversity, helping crops to access nutrients

Nguồn: www.pulses.org