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One of the most important scientific contributions to future generations that the current generation must leave to its successors is a protected, improved and sustainable genetic diversity of legume crop plants. This endeavor can be augmented by establishing efficiently analyzed morpho-physiological and molecular data that provide concrete insights that underline mechanisms playing a critical role in enabling crops to effectively react and respond to biotic and abiotic stresses. Research projects involving genetic improvement of legumes represents some of the advances and technologies aimed at providing new avenues to efficiently improve the growth and yield of these crops. This book consists of eight well-structured and written chapters which discuss different perspectives and management of legume crops. The book embodies a diversity of views, bringing new ideas and sharing new important original information involving cultivation, physiology, nutritional quality, medicinal benefits, traditional uses and in vivo priming for enhanced legume production. This book is intended for use as a reference book for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, together with researchers in the field.

Grain legumes are characterised by their nutritional value, an ability to grow rapidly and improve soil health by fixing nitrogen. This makes them a key rotation crop in promoting food security amongst smallholders in particular. However, yields are constrained by factors such as pests and diseases as well as vulnerability to poor soils, drought and other effects of climate change. This collection reviews the wealth of research addressing these challenges. Volume 2 assesses key research on particular types of grain legume with chapters on developing improved varieties as well as improvements in cultivation techniques Part 1 covers common beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans and groundnuts. Part 2 discusses cowpea, faba beans and pigeonpea. With its distinguished editorial team and international range of expert authors, this will be a standard reference for the grain legume research community and farmers of these important crops as well as government and other agencies responsible for agricultural development. It is accompanied by a companion volume which reviews general advances in breeding and cultivation techniques.

In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of the types, nutritional composition and health benefits of legumes. Topics discussed include legumes (Bituminaria bituminosa) for grazing and health; nutritional characterization of wild legumes (lathyrus and vicia genera); legumes leading the war against'Diabesity-the obesity-diabetes epidemic'; soybeans nutritional profile and implications for nutrition and health effects; fermentation of lesser known legumes; dark and bright facets of nutritional value of grass pea (lathyrus sativus L.) seeds; lentils (Lens culinaris L.) and their link to better human health; Medicago truncatula as a model organism to study the biology of agriculturally important legume crops; antihypertensive potential of protein hydrolysates from Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens); use of the herbicide Roundup on soil metals lability and on radish metal uptake; chemical and structural composition of arabinogalactan proteins (AGP) of mesquite (Prosopsis spp); common bean as an emerging model grain legume; the health benefits of legumes; and current update in methodologies for extraction and analysis of proteins and isoflavones.