Across Europe, LEGUMINOSE partners are working with farmers to test cereal-legume intercropping in the field. In the UK, Tom Sizmur and his team at the University of Reading are contributing to this effort through research fields in Sonning and on-farm living labs. Tom shares how his work bridges soil science, farmer engagement, and the practical challenges of British weather – all in pursuit of smarter, more sustainable cropping systems.
TS: “Hi, my name is Tom Sizmur. I am a Professor and the Principal Investigator for the LEGUMINOSE project at the University of Reading, UK. In my role, I coordinate the activities undertaken by University of Reading team. This involves a lot of administrative work, but I also take part in fieldwork and knowledge exchange activities. I also provide scientific advice on experimental design and interpretation of results, particularly concerning soil science.”
Looking back…
TS: “During the early stages of the project, I designed the research field trials that are currently ongoing at the University of Reading experimental farm at Sonning. These experiments test how cereal-legume intercropping interacts with nitrogen fertilisers. We are working with three different intercrop combinations: wheat and faba bean, wheat and lupin, and wheat and soyabean. We grow them both in monocultures and as an intercrop and we apply nitrogen fertiliser at different rates across plots. The idea is to identify strategies that maximise the yield and quality of the crops grown without compromising the nitrogen fixing capabilities of the legume.”
…and ahead
TS: “Last week, I undertook assessments of pests, diseases, and weeds on field experiments hosted on two of the UK living labs. This will feed into a Europe-wide assessment of the impact of intercropping on agricultural pests, diseases, and weeds.”
From challenges…
TS: “Our biggest challenge has been the British weather. Our field trials are only running for two years. Last year we had a very wet summer so harvesting the trials was challenging and one trial had to be abandoned because the grain started germinating on the ear. This year we have had three heatwaves in the spring/summer and the crops are severely drought stressed.”
…to proud moments
TS: “I really enjoy interacting with farmers and it was very pleasing to share our research with farmers at a large agricultural conference called Groundswell. The one-to-one interactions with farmers, their encouragement for our work, and their desire for more information about our findings highlighted the clear demand for the research that we are doing and the likelihood that we will have a positive impact on the farming community.”
The value of intercropping
TS: “There is often a debate about whether we should be farming intensively on less land to leave more land untouched for nature (land sparing) or farming less intensively across larger areas in ways that support biodiversity within the farmland itself (land sharing). Intercropping is a means by which we can achieve both since it allows us to produce more food on less land while also increasing the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes.”
Tom’s experience highlights just how much detail, coordination, and resilience it takes to run intercropping trials in real-life conditions. From designing research field trials to engaging with farmers at fairs and other events, his work offers valuable lessons for making science rooted in practice and firmly connected to the needs of farmers.