European grassland-based livestock production systems face the challenge of producing more meat and milk to meet increasing world demands and to achieve this using fewer resources. Legumes offer great potential for achieving these objectives. They have numerous features that can act together at different stages in the soil–plant–animal–atmosphere system, and these are most effective in mixed swards with a legume proportion of 30–50%. The resulting benefits include reduced dependence on fossil energy and industrial N-fertilizer, lower quantities of harmful emissions to the environment (greenhouse gases and nitrate), lower production costs, higher productivity and increased protein self-sufficiency. Some legume species offer opportunities for improving animal health with less medication, due to the presence of bioactive secondary metabolites. In addition, legumes may offer an adaptation option to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and climate change. Legumes generate these benefits at the level of the managed land-area unit and also at the level of the final product unit. However, legumes suffer from some limitations, and suggestions are made for future research to exploit more fully the opportunities that legumes can offer. In conclusion, the development of legume-based grassland–livestock systems undoubtedly constitutes one of the pillars for more sustainable and competitive ruminant production systems, and it can be expected that forage legumes will become more important in the future.

中文翻译：

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欧洲基于豆科植物的草原畜牧系统的潜力：综述

欧洲草原畜牧生产系统面临着生产更多肉类和牛奶以满足日益增长的世界需求并使用更少资源实现这一目标的挑战。豆类为实现这些目标提供了巨大的潜力。它们具有许多特征，可以在土壤-植物-动物-大气系统的不同阶段共同作用，在豆科植物比例为 30-50% 的混合草丛中最有效。由此产生的好处包括减少对化石能源和工业氮肥的依赖，减少对环境的有害排放量（温室气体和硝酸盐），降低生产成本，提高生产力和增加蛋白质自给自足。由于存在生物活性次生代谢物，一些豆类物种提供了以较少药物改善动物健康的机会。此外，豆类可能为大气中二氧化碳浓度上升和气候变化提供了一种适应选择。豆类在管理土地面积单位和最终产品单位层面产生这些效益。然而，豆类受到一些限制，建议未来的研究更充分地利用豆类可以提供的机会。总之，以豆科植物为基础的草地-畜牧系统的发展无疑构成了更具可持续性和竞争力的反刍动物生产系统的支柱之一，可以预期，未来豆科牧草将变得更加重要。豆类在管理土地面积单位和最终产品单位层面产生这些效益。然而，豆类受到一些限制，建议未来的研究更充分地利用豆类可以提供的机会。总之，以豆科植物为基础的草地-畜牧系统的发展无疑构成了更具可持续性和竞争力的反刍动物生产系统的支柱之一，可以预期，未来豆科牧草将变得更加重要。豆类在管理土地面积单位和最终产品单位层面产生这些效益。然而，豆类受到一些限制，建议未来的研究更充分地利用豆类可以提供的机会。总之，以豆科植物为基础的草地-畜牧系统的发展无疑构成了更具可持续性和竞争力的反刍动物生产系统的支柱之一，可以预期，未来豆科牧草将变得更加重要。