Globally, 800 million people are malnourished. Heavily subsidised farmers in rich countries produce sufficient surplus food to feed the hungry, but not at a price the poor can afford. Even donating the rich world's surplus to the poor would not solve the problem. Most poor people earn their living from agriculture, so a deluge of free food would destroy their livelihoods. Thus, the only answer to world hunger is to safeguard and improve the productivity of farmers in poor countries. Diets of subsistence level farmers in Africa and Latin America often contain sufficient carbohydrates (through cassava, corn/maize, rice, wheat, etc.), but are poor in proteins. Dietary proteins can take the form of scarce animal products (eggs, milk, meat, etc.), but are usually derived from legumes (plants of the bean and pea family). Legumes are vital in agriculture as they form associations with bacteria that `fix-nitrogen' from the air. Effectively this amounts to internal fertilisation and is the main reason that legumes are richer in proteins than all other plants. Thousands of legume species exist but more common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are eaten than any other. In some countries such as Mexico and Brazil, beans are the primary source of protein in human diets. As half the grain legumes consumed worldwide are common beans, they represent the species of choice for the study of grain legume nutrition. Unfortunately, the yields of common beans are low even by the standards of legumes, and the quality of their seed proteins is sub-optimal. Most probably this results from millennia of selection for stable rather than high yield, and as such, is a problem that can be redressed by modern genetic techniques. We have formed an international consortium called `Phaseomics' to establish the necessary framework of knowledge and materials that will result in disease-resistant, stress-tolerant, high-quality protein and high-yielding beans. Phaseomics will be instrumental in improving living conditions in deprived regions of Africa and the Americas. It will contribute to social equity and sustainable development and enhance inter- and intra-cultural understanding, knowledge and relationships. A major goal of Phaseomics is to generate new common bean varieties that are not only suitable for but also desired by the local farmer and consumer communities. Therefore, the socio-economic dimension of improved bean production and the analysis of factors influencing the acceptance of novel varieties will be an integral part of the proposed research (see Figure 1). Here, we give an overview of the economic and nutritional importance of common beans as a food crop. Priorities and targets of current breeding programmes are outlined, along with ongoing efforts in genomics. Recommendations for an international coordinated effort to join knowledge, facilities and expertise in a variety of scientific undertakings that will contribute to the overall goal of better beans are given. To be rapid and effective, plant breeding programmes (i.e., those that involve crossing two different `parents') rely heavily on molecular `markers'. These genetic landmarks are used to position

/pdf/beans-phaseolus-spp-model-food-legumes-19gane0tq1.pdf

Beans (Phaseolus spp.) - model food legumes

Phenolics in Food and Nutraceuticals is the first single-source compendium of essential information concerning food phenolics. This unique book reports the classification and nomenclature of phenolics, their occurrence in food and nutraceuticals, chemistry and applications, and nutritional and health effects. In addition, it describes antioxidant activity of phenolics in food and nutraceuticals as well as methods for analysis and quantification. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography for further reading. Food scientists, nutritionists, chemists, biochemists, and health professionals will find this book valuable.

Phenolics in food and nutraceuticals

Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources

Evidence for genetic diversity in cultivated common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is reviewed. Multivariate statistical analyses of morphological, agronomic, and molecular data, as well as other available information on Latin American landraces representing various geographical and ecological regions of their primary centers of domestications in the Americas, reveal the existence of two major groups of germplasm: Middle American and Andean South American, which could be further divided into six races. Three races originated in Middle America (races Durango, Jalisco, and Mesoamerica) and three in Andean South America (races Chile, Nueva Granada, and Peru). Their distinctive characteristics and their relationships with previously reported gene pools are discussed.

Races of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, Fabaceae)

This review provides a contemporary account of knowledge on aspects of introductions of non-native fish species and includes issues associated with introduction pathways, ecological and economic impacts, risk assessments, management options and impact of climate change. It offers guidance to reconcile the increasing demands of certain stakeholders to diversify their activities using non-native fishes with the long-term sustainability of native aquatic biodiversity. The rate at which non-native freshwater fishes have been introduced worldwide has doubled in the space of 30 years, with the principal motives being aquaculture (39%) and improvement of wild stocks (17%). Economic activity is the principal driver of human-mediated non-native fish introductions, including the globalization of fish culture, whereby the production of the African cichlid tilapia is seven times higher in Asia than in most areas of Africa, and Chile is responsible for c. 30% of the world's farmed salmon, all based on introduced species. Consequently, these economic benefits need balancing against the detrimental environmental, social and economic effects of introduced non-native fishes. There are several major ecological effects associated with non-native fish introductions, including predation, habitat degradation, increased competition for resources, hybridization and disease transmission. Consideration of these aspects in isolation, however, is rarely sufficient to adequately characterize the overall ecological effect of an introduced species. Regarding the management of introduced non-native fish, pre-introduction screening tools, such as the fish invasiveness scoring kit (FISK), can be used to ensure that species are not introduced, which may develop invasive populations. Following the introduction of non-native fish that do develop invasive populations, management responses are typified by either a remediation or a mitigation response, although these are often difficult and expensive to implement, and may have limited effectiveness.

Current knowledge on non-native freshwater fish introductions

This volume provides a wide-ranging survey of all the major grain legumes from the standpoint of both their evolution and their potential for further development and improvement as economically important food crops. The legumes have a vital role to play in both the developed and developing worlds by providing an alternative nitrogen source to the artificial fertilizers, which, although boosting cereal yields, often have had adverse environmental effects. The grain legumes are a valuable crop possessing the ability to fix nitrogen by Rhizobium biosynthesis and thus contribute to the natural nitrogen cycle. The book surveys the changes which have occurred in the course of domestication of the plants which have evolved into our pulse crops and oilseed legume crops. The author then discusses the benefits to be gained from evaluation and improvement of grain legume genetic resources. It is through this comparative approach that the overall potential of these crops is highlighted.

Grain Legumes: Evolution and Genetic Resources

List of contributors. Series forward. Preface. Groundnut production and trade. The origin and history of the groudnut. Botany - morphology and anatomy. Biosystematics and genetic resources. Reproductive biology and development. The composition and nutritive value of groundnut kernels. Mineral nutrition. Nitrogen fixation. Groundnut water relations. Diseases. Groundnut pests. Industrial utilization and processing. Mycotoxins in groundnuts, with special reference to aflatoxin. Groundnut breeding. Utilization of Arachis species as forage. The groundnut in farming systems and the rual economy - a global view. The future of the groundnut crop. Index.

The groundnut crop : a scientific basis for improvement

The need for increased consumption of pulses. Molecular approaches to improving the nutritional and functional properties of oilseeds, grains and legumes. African yam bean. Horse bean and moth bean. Lima bean. Winged bean. Chick pea, Escumite bean and other local Mexican legumes. Wild Mexican legumes with a potential for nutritional use. Melon seeds, oil and meal. Fluted pumpkin seed, oil and meal. Gourd seeds, oil and meal. Oil bean. Salseed, oil and mead. Safflower seed, oil and meal. Sunflower seed, oil and meal. Soybean, oil and meal. Peanut, oil and meal. Rice bean. Velvet bean. Mung, hyacinth and faba beans. Jack bean. Common bean. Cowpea. Lentil and chickpea. Pigeon pea. Bengal, black, green and red gram. African breadfruit and Polynesian breadfruit. Rubber seed, oil and meal. Babassu seed, oil and meal. Babassu seed, oil and meal. Castor seed, oil and meal. Lupine seed, oil and meal. Coconut kernel, oil and meal. Palm nuts, oil and meal. Almond, walnut, macademia and other minor nuts. Rapeseed (canola), oil and meal. Flax seed, oil and meal.

Food and Feed from Legumes and Oilseeds

The evolution of the Mediterranean pulses, the common pea (Pisum sativum L.), the faba bean (Vicia faba L.), the grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.), the lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), is considered from the points of view of geographic origin and subsequent dissemination. All appear to have originated in the Fertile Crescent, the most significant subsequent spread being to the north of the Mediterranean basin in the case of the common pea and the faba bean and to the east of it in the case of the other three species. The wild progenitor type is known for all species except the faba bean. In the grass pea the extent of divergence between wild and cultivated populations is small, possibly due to its use predominantly for forage and less as a pulse. Considerable divergence has occurred in other species, where use as a pulse is more important.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0014479700017968

J. Smartt

Papers

Grain Legumes: Evolution and Genetic Resources

The groundnut crop : a scientific basis for improvement

Food and Feed from Legumes and Oilseeds

Evolution of grain legumes. I: Mediterranean pulses

The Groundnut Crop