Every year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates what probably seems like an odd occasion to many: World Pulses Day.
But, as a researcher focused on forgotten and underutilized pulses, I think the initiative is an important step towards food security. Getting people to eat more legumes may ultimately help achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.
First, for clarity, “pulses” and “pulses” have different meanings. “Legumes” are all plants belonging to the family Legumes Or Fabaceae, while “legumes” are the dried seeds of legumes. Legumes include beans, lentils and chickpeas.
One of the reasons legumes hold so much promise for eliminating hunger is that they don’t need good soil or nitrogen fertilizers. Plants need nitrogen to make important molecules such as proteins and DNA. Most legumes can thrive in poor soil by fixing nitrogen gas from the air for their own use. This happens through a symbiotic interaction with friendly bacteria known as rhizobia. Rhizobia are housed inside structures called nodules on the roots of the plant.
Thanks to their ability to fix nitrogen, legumes are nutritional powerhouses: rich in protein and fibre, and low in fat.
But that’s not the only interesting thing about legumes and legumes. In honor of World Pulses Day 2023, I would like to highlight five pulses that have unique properties and stories.
1. The African yam bean: protein-rich beans and underground tubers
The African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) offers two servings of food: beans and underground tubers. Tubers have a higher protein content than all non-legume tuber crops like potato and cassava, and beans are also high in protein. Their nutritional value has been proven during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) when beans were cooked with amaranth, telfaria or cassava leaves to feed malnourished people in war-affected areas.
This crop originated in Africa and was once cultivated throughout the African continent. Researchers have proposed that it could have been domesticated several times in West and Central Africa. Today it’s mainly grown as a security or subsistence crop, rather than commercially. But its high protein content and drought tolerance are attracting growing interest.
2. Common bean: diversity and environmental versatility
The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) comes in many varieties around the world. Examples are black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans – they look different but are the same species. What is special about them is that they can pair with more rhizobia species that other legumes can. This may have helped the common bean to thrive outside of its native land and to diversify into various habitats around the world. It is able to fix nitrogen in different environments, which makes it a resistant legume species.
3. The pea: a role in the early understanding of genetics
Pea (Pisum sativum) is one of the oldest domesticated crops in the world. He contributed to the understanding of genetics, thanks to by Gregor Mendel famous experience with pea plants. Mendel observed how the various physical properties of pea plants were inherited: pod shape, seed shape, seed color, unripe pod color, flower color, stem length, and placement. of the flower. He crossed two pea plants that had different properties and observed the seven traits in subsequent generations for two years. From this experience, he establishes Mendel’s Inheritance Rules – still applicable in modern genetic study.
The rich genetic diversity of pea is also a valuable resource for important crop characteristics which can withstand various weather conditions due to climate change.
4. Chickpeas: cut for drought
Many legumes are drought tolerant and use less water for production than animal-based proteins, especially beef. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is known to be very resistant to drought. Most of this crop is grown under rainfed conditions in arid and semi-arid areas. This special ability to grow where water is scarce is greater in wild chickpea species. Wild chickpeas can also tolerate temperatures up to 40°C – another valuable genetic resource for improved drought tolerance in modern chickpeas.
However, the yield of chickpea is strongly compromised in the event of a lack of water. SO, scientists are looking for beneficial traits which can reduce yield loss of chickpeas during drought. This can contribute to a more secure food source in the midst of climate change.
5. Lupins: roots of special clusters to search for nutrients
White lupins (Lupinus albus), yellow lupines (yellow lupine) and pearl lupins (Lupinus mutabilis) can form special roots to get more nutrients without the need for additional fertilizers. Plants need not only nitrogen but also phosphorus. Usually it is given to plants in fertilizer to increase crop yield. Phosphate fertilizer is made from phosphate rock — a non-renewable resource that is rapidly depleting due to agricultural use. White, yellow, and pearly lupins have unique root modifications called cluster roots that can release phosphorus from soil particles when the nutrient is low. These roots look like a bottle brush and only form when the level of phosphorus in the soil is low. These cluster roots give off a negatively charged compound called carboxylate which can release phosphorus from the soil and make it available for the plant to use. Thus, lupines are not dependent on phosphate fertilizers and can even help neighboring plants by increasing the level of phosphorus in the soil.
Food safety
Pulses deserve our attention not only on February 10, but every day. The five legumes I have featured here can serve as sustainable protein sources and make food systems more diverse. They can greatly contribute to better food security in the future.
