Sugar snap pea (Pisum sativum L. var. macrocarpon Ser.) is an edible-podded sweet pea that is being considered as a new totally mechanized crop to supply raw material to the agri-food industry of the Ebro Valley (Northern Spain). It is of great interest from an agronomic and commercial standpoint but neither its agronomic behaviour nor its adaptation to the area are known. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of sowing date and seed density on the growth and yield of the sugar snap pea at industrial scale. Six randomized blocks experiments with four replicates were conducted on irrigated land in Villafranca (Navarra, Spain) in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Three experiments for testing sowing dates (Mar., Apr., and May) and another three for seed densities (from 75 to 150 plants m-2) were performed. Phenological development, thermal integral and qualitative and quantitative yield controls were performed. Sugar snap pea required 960 ºC d-1 (Tb = 3 ºC) from sowing to harvest. The early sowings gave more biomass, but yield was similar. However, Harvest Index and crop morphology varied. The sowing densities had similar yields sowing that sugar snap pea has a bigger adaptation availability. Sugar snap peas can be satisfactorily cultivated at industrial scale in the zone with sowings between Mar. and May and with seeding densities between 75 and 150 plants m-2.

A lixiviação de nitratos resultante da aplicação excessiva de fertilizantes nitrogenados e o uso excessivo de água são problemas sérios em regiões vulneráveis. A cultura do milho(Zea mays L.) na Espanha exige altos níveis de fertilização nitrogenada e irrigação. Técnicas isotópicas podem prover informações sobre os processos envolvidos nos ciclos do N e do C em área agrícolas. Avaliou-se o impacto da irrigação por aspersão ou sulco e adição de N na produtividade do milho e se a composição isotópica pode ser usada como indicador de melhores práticas de manejo da produção agrícola. Os ensaios foram realizados em Tudela, Espanha, utilizando três níveis de fertilização nitrogenada (0, 240 e 320 kg ureia-N ha-1) e dois sistemas de irrigação (sulco e aspersão). Foram determinados produtividade, teor de nitrogênio, parâmetros de irrigação, fixação de N e C e composição isotópica dos grãos. Os níveis de N exigidos para obtenção de produtividades idênticas são maiores sob a irrigação em sulcos, uma vez que nestas condições as perdas de nitrogênio pela lixiviação de NO3--N e denitrificação são maiores e, consequentemente, a disponibilidade de N é menor. Foi registrado menor δ13C nas plantas irrigadas por sulcos. Os valores do δ15N nas plantas irrigadas por sulcos aumentaram com os níveis de fertilização nitrogenada.

Nitrate leaching as a result of excessive application of N-fertilizers and water use is a major problem of vulnerable regions. The farming of maize requires high N fertilization and water inputs in Spain. Isotopic techniques may provide information on the processes involved in the N and C cycles in farmed areas. The aim of this work was studying the impact of sprinkler and furrow irrigation and N input on maize (Zea mays L.) yields, and whether isotopic composition can be used as indicator of best farming practices. Trials were set up in Tudela (Spain) with three rates of N fertilization (0, 240 and 320 kg urea-N ha-1) and two irrigation systems (furrow and sprinkler). Yield, nitrogen content, irrigation parameters, N fate and C and N isotope composition were determined. The rate of N fertilization required to obtain the same yield is considerably higher under furrow irrigation, since the crop has less N at its disposal in furrow irrigation as a result of higher loss of nitrogen by NO3--N leaching and denitrification. A lower δ13C in plants under furrow irrigation was recorded.The δ15N value of plant increased with the application rate of N under furrow irrigation.