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• L. purpureus var. typicus genotype RCPD-6 has highest protein (25.46 g/100 g). • Typicus surpasses lignosus in protein, Fe, Ca, Vit- A and chlorophyll. • Significant zinc and protein correlation in Lablab purpureus var. typicus. • Chemometric techniques identified distinct genotype clusters of the two forms. • Var. typicus L. RCPD-1, RCPD-6, and RCPD-15 are key for biofortification. Growing health awareness has stimulated a focus on natural immune enhancement. Lablab beans { Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet}, abundant in bioactive compounds, were investigated for protein, mineral, and vitamin profiles. This research specifically conducted a comparative analysis between two distinct botanical forms: Lablab purpureus var. typicus L. and L. purpureus var. lignosus L, focusing on their nutritional profiles. Among L. purpureus var. typicus L. genotypes, RCPD-6 exhibited the highest protein content (25.46 ± 0.29 g/100 g) followed by RCPD-1 (23.74 ± 0.26 g/100 g). In contrast, L. purpureus var. lignosus L., L. purpureus var. lignosus L. particularly genotype RCPD-22, had lower protein content (19 ± 0.15 g/100 g). Significant variations in Fe content were observed within L. purpureus var. typicus L., ranging from 5.97 ± 0.01 to 10.5 ± 0.02 mg/100 g, with RCPD-2 reported the highest. Zn content ranged from 1.7 ± 0.01 to 3.65 ± 0.02 mg/100 g in both forms. The calcium content in L. purpureus var. typicus L. genotypes are found to be high, ranging from 372.72 ± 0.02 mg/100 g to 458.75 ± 0.03 mg/100 g, suggesting that var. typicus holds promise as a significant dietary source of Ca. P content exhibited variability, ranging from 317.12 ± 0.01 to 460.07 ± 0.06 mg/100 g. L. purpureus var. typicus L. shows correlated levels of protein/Zn, vitamins A/C, and antioxidant activities (DPPH/ABTS) suggesting targeted breeding for co-improved health benefits. It is noteworthy that L. purpureus var. typicus L., whose pods are consumed as vegetables, exhibits higher nutritional content in terms of protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. This clearly suggests that L. purpureus var. typicus L. surpasses L. purpureus var. lignosus L. in nutritional value. To strengthen findings, chemometric techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) were employed for differentiation between the two botanical forms. These methods highlight the disparities in their nutritional profiles and functional characteristics. PCA analysis demonstrated that the first three components encapsulated 80.67 % of the overall variability. Meanwhile, AHC grouped cultivars into two major clusters which can be divided into two sub-groups based on the evaluated parameters. The data obtained provide a significant contribution to the scientific evaluation of the two botanical forms of lablab bean, particularly in terms of their nutritional profiles and functional attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lablab bean (Lablab purpureus L.) is a multipurpose crop, commonly used for food, feed, and fodder, and its potential as a plant-based meat alternative. Its nutritional diversity, including high protein, starch, and phenolic content, makes it a suitable candidate for nutritional profiling, which is essential for developing nutritionally enhanced varieties. Traditional methods for analyzing its nutritional parameters are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. This study employs Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) as a rapid, non-destructive alternative to evaluate 112 Lablab bean genotypes. We developed prediction models for starch, amylose, protein, fat, and phenols using a Modified Partial Least Squares (MPLS) approach, with spectral pre-processing using Standard Normal Variate (SNV) to remove scatter effects and Detrending (DT) to reduce baseline shifts and noise. The models were optimized for derivatives, gap selection, and smoothing, and evaluated using independent test data and key performance metrics including coefficient of determination (R²), bias, and Residual Prediction Deviation (RPD). The best-performing models were: starch (R² = 0.959, RPD = 4.57), amylose (R² = 0.737, RPD = 1.76), protein (R² = 0.911, RPD = 3.09), fat (R² = 0.894, RPD = 2.92), and phenols (R² = 0.816, RPD = 2.36). Statistical tests, including paired t-tests, correlation, and reliability analysis, confirmed the robustness of these models. This study presents a first report offering rapid, multi-trait assessment method for evaluating Lablab bean germplasm, demonstrating high predictive accuracy for pre-breeding practices. It has broad applications in developing nutritionally enhanced varieties, supporting plant-based protein alternatives, and optimizing food production processes to meet the growing demand for healthier, sustainable foods.

IntroductionMalnutrition continues to be a significant concern at unacceptably high levels globally. There is significant potential for addressing malnutrition of human population through the biofortification of climate-resilient vegetables using strategic breeding strategies. Lablab bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet], a underutilized nutrient-dense crop holds great potential in this aspect. Despite its advantageous nutritional profile, the production, research, and consumption of lablab bean are currently limited. Addressing these limitations and unlock the nutritional benefits of lablab beans needs to prioritized for fighting malnutrition in local inhabitants on a global scale.Materials and methodsTwenty five genotypes of lablab bean collected through exploration survey in Eastern India and were evaluated in 2020–2021. Among them, the nine highly diverse well adapted genotypes were again evaluated at the experimental farm of ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India in 2021–2022. Horticultural important traits of lablab bean were recorded by using the minimum descriptors developed by ICAR-NBPGR in New Delhi and biochemical analysis was done by using standard protocols. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation and path coefficient analysis was done used understand relationships, interdependencies, and causal pathways between different traits. The outcome was revalidated by using principal component analysis (PCA).ResultsDescriptive statistics revealed substantial heterogeneity across the traits of lablab bean evaluated. Vitamin A content showed nearly a five-fold variation, Fe ranged from 5.97 to 10.5 mg/100 g, and Vitamin C varied from 4.61 to 9.45 mg/100 g. Earliness and dwarf growth was observed in RCPD-1 (60 cm) and early flowering (41 days). RCPD-3 and RCPD-12 had high pod yield due to their high number of pods and pod weight. Pod yield was significantly correlated with number of pod per plant (NPP) (rg = 0.995) and with average pod weight (APW) (rg = 0.882). A significant positive correlation was also found between protein and Zn content (rg = 0.769). Path coefficient analysis revealed that average pod weight had the most direct positive effect on pod yield, followed by NPP and protein content. The reaction of lablab bean genotypes to collar rot disease was also evaluated and significant differences in disease intensity were observed among the genotypes, with the resistant check RCPD-15 exhibiting the lowest disease intensity.DiscussionThe study highlights the substantial heterogeneity in lablab bean traits, particularly in nutritional components such as vitamin A, iron, and vitamin C concentrations. Early flowering and dwarf growth habit are desirable qualities for lablab bean, and certain genotypes were found to exhibit these traits. Positive correlations, both phenotypic and genotypic, existed among different traits, suggesting the potential for simultaneous improvement. Path coefficient and PCA revealed genotypes with high yield and nutritional traits. Finally, resistant and moderately resistant lablab bean genotypes to collar rot disease were identified. These findings contribute to the selection and breeding strategies for improving lablab bean production and nutritional value.

[Display omitted] • Maiden use of Transformers in nutritional profiling of agricultural products. • Used Transformers for protein prediction using NIRS of Lablab purpureus L. • Transformer model achieved highest predictive accuracy (RSQ = 0.977, RPD = 13.92). • Transformer models outperformed CNN by 22.86% and MPLS by 32.21% in RPD. Lablab bean (Lablab purpureus L.), known for its higher protein content provides a promising alternative to reduce reliance on animal-based proteins and support sustainable agriculture. Nowadays, traditional methods for nutritional profiling have been outperformed by Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) integrated with Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS). However, an advanced technique called Transformers, despite their potential, remains underexplored for prediction of key quality traits of crops. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to predict lablab bean protein content using a Transformer-based model (termed ProTformer) coupled with NIRS. The Dumas combustion method was used to determine protein content from 112 lablab bean genotypes. The performance of this model was compared with 1D CNN and Modified Partial Least Squares (MPLS)-based models. These models were evaluated using the Coefficient of Determination (RSQ), Residual Prediction Deviation (RPD), bias, and Corrected Standard Error of Prediction (SEP(C)). Our findings show that the Transformer-based model achieved the highest predictive accuracy (RSQ = 0.977, RPD = 13.92), surpassing the 1D CNN (RSQ = 0.956, RPD = 11.33) and MPLS (RSQ = 0.943, RPD = 10.53)- based models by 22.86% and 32.21% in RPD, respectively. The multi-head self-attention mechanism present in the Transformer-based model enables it to concurrently focus on different spectral regions, resulting in superior predictive performance. This study shows the potential of using Transformer-based models coupled with NIRS for nutritional profiling which could be effectively adapted for other crops for rapid screening of large germplasm available at global repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Country bean is a grain legume extensively farmed for its multi-purpose uses, yet the traits related to yield are are poorly studied and yet unexplored. A study on the diversity of qualitative and quantitative morphological characteristics concerning yield among the country bean germplasms collected from Bangladesh identified considerable variation in the studied traits across the germplasms and identified a complex correlation between the qualitative and quantitative traits. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) detected five components that contributed 66.38% qualitative traits and six components contributed 74.49% quantitative traits to total variations. Eigenvalues indicated that a majority of color-related qualitative traits included cotyledon, leaf, vein, seed, flower, and petals contributed, in contrast,a majority of the seed, leaf, flower, and inflorescence-related quantitative traits contributed to the total diversity of the Lablab germplasms. Among the quantitative traits, the highest coefficient of variation (CV%) was found in average pod weight (50.98%), followed by the total number of spikes per plant (43.82%), while seed length, pod weight, length, width, thickness, number of flower/spike, spike length, and total no of spikes/plant all had more than 20.00 percent CV, suggesting suitability to use in the breeding of high yielding genotypes. The germplasms are grouped into four and three clusters based on quantitative and qualitative traits, suggesting quantitative characters offer better clustering of genotypes. Considering the above traits, our research found that the BD-10804, BD-10807, BD-11091, BD-10808, BD-10815, and BD-11089 and cultivar Goal Goda Lablab beans germplasms produced higher pod weight with corresponding higher pod length, width, and thickness suggesting to use them as high yielding genotypes for food and fodder purposes.

Yield potential of lablab bean is adversely affected by the most significant disease namely Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV). Fifteen genotypes of lablab bean (Lablab purpureus L.) were used for genetic analysis and detection of bc-3 gene conferring resistance to bean common mosaic virus. Thirteen yield contributing traits were evaluated for enumerating genetic variability and trait association. Phenotypic variations were greater than the genotypic variations indicating the existence of environmental effect on trait expression. Five pairs of characters showed significant correlation and path analysis revealed both direct positive and negative effects of the yield contributing traits on seed yield. For detection of bc-3 resistance gene, two SCAR primers ROC11 and SG6 were used. Nine genotypes were produced expected bands for SG6 primer indicating the partial resistance due to presence of recessive bc-3 allele. These results could be helpful for further crop improvement program of lablab bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was carried out to study the effect of insecticidal spray on population of natural enemies in lablab bean ecosystem during Rabi season of 2017-18 and 2018-19 at Botany farm, College of Agriculture, Dapoli. The results indicated that the mean population of coccinellids during both the years was highest (13.37) coccinellids population plant-1 recorded in treatment T9 (Control water spray) which was significantly superior over rest of the treatments. The mean population of mirid bugs during both the years was revealed that the highest (11.33) mirid bug population plant-1 recorded in treatment T9 (Control water spray), which was significantly superior over the rest of the treatments and at par with treatment T2 (Azadirachtin 10,000 ppm) recorded 9.87 mirid bugs plant-1. The mean population of spiders and syrphids during both the years was revealed that the highest (18.97) spider population plant-1 and (12.33) syrphids plant-1 recorded in treatment T9 (Control water spray), which was significantly superior over rest of the treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Malnutrition continues to be a significant concern at unacceptably high levels globally. There is significant potential for addressing malnutrition of human population through the biofortification of climate-resilient vegetables using strategic breeding strategies. Lablab bean [ Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet], a underutilized nutrient-dense crop holds great potential in this aspect. Despite its advantageous nutritional profile, the production, research, and consumption of lablab bean are currently limited. Addressing these limitations and unlock the nutritional benefits of lablab beans needs to prioritized for fighting malnutrition in local inhabitants on a global scale., Materials and Methods: Twenty five genotypes of lablab bean collected through exploration survey in Eastern India and were evaluated in 2020-2021. Among them, the nine highly diverse well adapted genotypes were again evaluated at the experimental farm of ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India in 2021-2022. Horticultural important traits of lablab bean were recorded by using the minimum descriptors developed by ICAR-NBPGR in New Delhi and biochemical analysis was done by using standard protocols. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation and path coefficient analysis was done used understand relationships, interdependencies, and causal pathways between different traits. The outcome was revalidated by using principal component analysis (PCA)., Results: Descriptive statistics revealed substantial heterogeneity across the traits of lablab bean evaluated. Vitamin A content showed nearly a five-fold variation, Fe ranged from 5.97 to 10.5 mg/100 g, and Vitamin C varied from 4.61 to 9.45 mg/100 g. Earliness and dwarf growth was observed in RCPD-1 (60 cm) and early flowering (41 days). RCPD-3 and RCPD-12 had high pod yield due to their high number of pods and pod weight. Pod yield was significantly correlated with number of pod per plant (NPP) ( r g  = 0.995) and with average pod weight (APW) ( r g  = 0.882). A significant positive correlation was also found between protein and Zn content ( r g  = 0.769). Path coefficient analysis revealed that average pod weight had the most direct positive effect on pod yield, followed by NPP and protein content. The reaction of lablab bean genotypes to collar rot disease was also evaluated and significant differences in disease intensity were observed among the genotypes, with the resistant check RCPD-15 exhibiting the lowest disease intensity., Discussion: The study highlights the substantial heterogeneity in lablab bean traits, particularly in nutritional components such as vitamin A, iron, and vitamin C concentrations. Early flowering and dwarf growth habit are desirable qualities for lablab bean, and certain genotypes were found to exhibit these traits. Positive correlations, both phenotypic and genotypic, existed among different traits, suggesting the potential for simultaneous improvement. Path coefficient and PCA revealed genotypes with high yield and nutritional traits. Finally, resistant and moderately resistant lablab bean genotypes to collar rot disease were identified. These findings contribute to the selection and breeding strategies for improving lablab bean production and nutritional value., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer PC declared a shared parent affiliation with the authors to the handling editor at the time of review., (Copyright © 2024 Shubha, Choudhary, Dubey, Tripathi, Kumar, Kumar, Mukherjee, Tamta, Kumar, Kumar, Layek and Das.)

Germplasm characterization is an important component of crop breeding program. In characterizing indigenous beans lablab which is used for vegetables as well pulses in Nepal. Twenty three lablab beans germplasm were evaluated for different qualitative and quantitive physico-morphological charecteristics for two years during 2011 and 2012 at Horticulture Research Station, Malepatan, Pokhara. The germplasm showed considerable variations in most of the qualitative and quantitative traits. Leaf size, vine color, flower color, pod color, pod shape, pod type and seed color varied among the genotypes. Variation was also observed in yield attributing characters eg, pod length and width, 10 fresh pod weight, seeds per pod and 100-seed weight. Days to 50% flowering ranged from 81 to 130 days indicating the presence of early varieties. Fresh pod weight of 10 pods was ranged from 45.0 g to 162.5 g. Multivariate analysis indicated four groups in these genotypes, among with ML-02 and ML-10 were distinct in comparioson with other genotypes. Simple selection may be considered to develop high yielding, early type varieties from these gentopypes.

[Objectives] The aim was to explore the biological mechanism of green manure on improving soil fertility in paddy soil. [Methods] Early rice (chemical fertilizer) was used as a control to study the effects of returning green manure crops of mung bean, lablab bean to paddy fields and organic manure application on the bulk density, nutrient content, nutrient content and yield of rice soil. [Results] The soil bulk density in each treatment was significantly lower than that of the basic soil. The soil bulk density of treatment I was the least of 1.52 g/cm³. The nitrogen content of rice in treatment IV was significantly higher than that of treatment I, treatment II, and treatment III. The phosphorus and potassium contents of rice in treatment III and treatment IV were significantly higher than those of treatment I and treatment II. Returning green manure crops to field and applying organic fertilizers could increase the polished rice ratio and reduce the chalkiness degree, chalkiness ratio and protein content of rice. The gel consistency of rice grain in treatment I was significantly higher than that of treatment II, treatment III and treatment IV. The rice of treatment III had the highest number of effective panicles per plant, 1 000-grain weight, theoretical yield and actual yield, respectively, 14.07 panicles/plant, 32.58 g, 6 236.27 kg/hm² and 5 086.80 kg/hm². [Conclusions] This study provided a theoretical basis for proposing good green manure varieties suitable for the continuous improvement of paddy soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lablab bean (Dolichos lablab) seeds is a potential source of protein globulin.The bean’s protein content is 20.86 %, and the amount of globulin was more than 60% from the total protein, having major fractions of 7S and 11S. The objectives of this research were to explore the 7S globulin fractions, to study interaction between 7S globulin fractions with xanthan gum, and to observe the functional properties of the product of the interaction. The research was conducted in 2 steps. The first step was to fractionate the 7S fractions from globulin. The second steps was to interact 7S globulin fraction with xanthan gum. The yield of these interaction were examined for its physicochemical and functional properties. The results showed that the 7S globulin fractions could be interacted by xanthan gum at pH 7. The interacted product of globulin 7S fraction 10 % with xanthan gum 0,75 % had good functional properties than globulin 7S fraction, such as oil holding capacity, foaming capacity, and emulsion activity. Water holding capacity could not be detected because the yield became soluble. However,the foaming and emulsifying stability were still lower than those of soybean protein isolates. The research concluded that xanthan gum could be used to improve the physicochemical and functional properties of globulin 7S fraction.

An affinity purified mannose/glucose specific lectin from the seeds of Dolichos lablab (Indian bean/lablab bean) resolves into five subunits upon SDS-PAGE in the range of M r 12–20 kDa. Partial de novo sequencing of subunits resulted in 88% and 73% sequence coverage for α and β subunits of the cDNA derived FRIL (Flt3 receptor interacting lectin) sequence, respectively and suggested that four bands correspond to the α-subunits while the band of lowest molecular mass is designated as β. It was proposed in an earlier study on FRIL that the difference in molecular mass of α-subunits is due to differences in C-terminal processing and differential N -glycosylation i.e. numbers of N -glycans present (Colucci et al., 1999). Thus, differential N -glycosylation of the purified mannose/glucose specific lectin was unravelled by in-gel trypsin/chymotrypsin digestion of the α-subunits followed by desalting and ZIC-HILIC enrichment of N -glycopeptides. Subsequently, analyses by nano electrospray ionisation quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry and low-energy collision-induced dissociation experiments revealed the presence of a typical paucimannose type N -glycan (Man 2 (Xyl)GlcNAc 2 (Fuc)) in α subunits 2–4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Country bean is a grain legume extensively farmed for its multi-purpose uses, yet the traits related to yield are are poorly studied and yet unexplored. A study on the diversity of qualitative and quantitative morphological characteristics concerning yield among the country bean germplasms collected from Bangladesh identified considerable variation in the studied traits across the germplasms and identified a complex correlation between the qualitative and quantitative traits. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) detected five components that contributed 66.38% qualitative traits and six components contributed 74.49% quantitative traits to total variations. Eigenvalues indicated that a majority of color-related qualitative traits included cotyledon, leaf, vein, seed, flower, and petals contributed, in contrast,a majority of the seed, leaf, flower, and inflorescence-related quantitative traits contributed to the total diversity of the Lablab germplasms. Among the quantitative traits, the highest coefficient of variation (CV%) was found in average pod weight (50.98%), followed by the total number of spikes per plant (43.82%), while seed length, pod weight, length, width, thickness, number of flower/spike, spike length, and total no of spikes/plant all had more than 20.00 percent CV, suggesting suitability to use in the breeding of high yielding genotypes. The germplasms are grouped into four and three clusters based on quantitative and qualitative traits, suggesting quantitative characters offer better clustering of genotypes. Considering the above traits, our research found that the BD-10804, BD-10807, BD-11091, BD-10808, BD-10815, and BD-11089 and cultivar Goal Goda Lablab beans germplasms produced higher pod weight with corresponding higher pod length, width, and thickness suggesting to use them as high yielding genotypes for food and fodder purposes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

A half diallel was taken up with eight parents with a view to obtain best heterotic crosses for vegetable yield and its attributing traits. Heterosis over better parent and standard check were estimated for yield and its contributing characters in 28 cross combinations. The hybrids viz., NBI-57 × NBI-69, NBI-69 × NBI-80, NBI-41 × NBI-69, NBI-32 × NBI-54 and NBI-23 × NBI-54 were the most heterotic for green pod yield per plant. The crosses exhibited highest heterosis due to increase in number of pods per plant significantly associated with increase in pod yield. In some crosses primary branches per plant, average pod weight, seeds per pod and pod length also contributed towards green pod yield per plant. The crosses showing highest heterotic effects and per se performance, these crosses could be considered for exploitation of hybrid vigour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was conducted to determine silage fiber characteristics and fermentation profiles of corn (Zea mays L.) grown in mixture with lablab bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet] at different planting densities. The experiment was conducted in two environments in 2005. ‘Rongai’ lablab bean and corn were intercropped at eight different planting densities; 20/80, 40/0, 40/40, 40/80, 60/0, 60/40, 60/80, and 80/80 thousand corn/lablab bean plants/ha. Corn in monoculture or in mixture with bean was harvested between 1/2 and 3/4 milk line. Two 1-L glass jar mini-silos per treatment per replicate plot were filled at a density of 500g/L, eight jars per treatment per location, and stored for 40 days at room temperature (∼22°C). At the time of ensiling a 500-g fresh sub-sample was also taken for dry matter (DM) and initial characterization of the corn and corn–bean mixtures. Each silo was analyzed for fiber characteristics, pH, and fermentation products. Silage crude protein (CP) concentration was on average 17.5% (86.4g/kg DM) greater in the mixture than monoculture corn (73.5g/kg DM). The in vitro true digestible DM (IVTDDM) concentrations in the mixtures were on average 4.6% less (796g/kg DM) than that of monoculture corn (834g/kg DM), but neutral detergent fiber digestibility was not different between monoculture corn and corn–lablab mixtures (P>0.05). Lactate concentration was 21.2% higher in the corn–lablab bean mixtures (60.5g/kg DM) than monoculture corn (49.9g/kg DM). The contribution of the lablab bean to the mixture increased as corn planting density decreased. Thus the maximum benefits to increased CP occurred in the mixtures with the lowest corn planting densities, but those mixtures also had the greatest reductions in IVTDDM. However all treatments fermented well in spite of significant (P<0.05) differences in pH and fermentation products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]