Authors: Vollheyde, Anna-Lena; Cebrián-Piqueras, Miguel Angel ;von Haaren, Christina;

Legumes get increasing awareness as multi-talents in sustainable agri-food systems. Even in Mediterranean regions, their share on arable land is very low due to the specialisation on cash crops. Knowledge and recommendations for growing pulses considering non-market outputs in alternative cropping systems are scare. To this end, we synthesized the empirical evidence about the effects of different sustainable management practices on on-field biodiversity (OFD), soil quality (SQ) and yield (Y) in alternative pulse-based cropping systems in Mediterranean climate areas. We conducted a systematic literature review and quantified the impact of alternative management practices and biophysical moderators on ES output using meta-analysis methods. We found significant positive impacts of organic farming on OFD, no-till on SQ and diversified rotations on Y. In multi-service trials, no-till tended to be synergistic for both, Y and SQ. Also, our models showed significant influence of soil pH on OFD, soil texture on OFD and Y, and row spacing on Y and SQ. In conclusion, elements of organic and conservation agriculture seem promising techniques for service-enhancing pulse management; But empirical evidence about different alternative pulse practices and multi-service studies, especially with focus on OFD, are still scarse and yet too few to deduce concrete growing recommendations.