THE SCIENCE
Crops require added nitrogen to support the necessary yield and quality of crops demanded by industrialised agriculture and downstream food - systems. The excessive application and poor management of industrially manufactured (syntheti c) nitrogen fertiliser has had a negative impact on the qualities of our water, air and soils – and is a major source of greenhouse gases. Peas are different, they’re able to meet their nitrogen requirement from the air thus avoiding the use of such synthe tic fertilisers. Despite most of the air that we breath being made up of nitrogen gas , it is in a form that is inaccessible to plants other than legumes – they are able to take this atmospheric nitrogen, a renewable resource, and fix it into biologically useful forms through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria which live in nodules on the legume roots.

DIVERSIFYING CROP ROTATION
Furthermore, varying the crop grown within a field each year is important in soil management and the prevention of disease and pest buil d up. However, the current range of crops in the UK is limited. Increasing the use of legumes benefits the ecosystem in a range of ways, not only improving soil quality but also supporting beneficial insects. REVOLUTION SHOULD ALSO TASTE GREAT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
We worked hand - in - hand with Abertay University, the James Hutton Institute, Bangor University, Trinity College Dublin and the support of other key partners and collaborators associated with TRUE (www.true - project.eu) a European Union funded project.