Chapter 15 - Lablab bean (Lablab purpureus L.)—An untapped resilient protein reservoir

Abstract

Lablab bean (Lablab purpureus L.) is an important summer-growing annual or occasional short-lived perennial forage legume grown primarily in the arid and semi-arid tropics. It is an excellent source of vegetable proteins in the human diet because its seeds and pods contain 20%–28% protein. The crop is also a potent source of carbohydrates, fats, fibers, and minerals (phosphorus, calcium, iron). Notably, the crop is eaten by many vegetarian populations in India. Lablab bean is used primarily as a vegetable, forage, and potent nitrogen-fixer. This multifunctional legume also has a wide spectrum of therapeutic features. Despite its economic and social importance in developing parts of the world, Lablab bean has received relatively little attention from a research standpoint. This underexploited crop could produce relatively large genetic gains from modest investments in applied plant breeding and molecular genetics. While Lablab bean is resistant to several biotic and abiotic stresses, environmental constraints limit its potential. A major goal of Lablab bean breeding and improvement programs is combining resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, pests and diseases, and other desirable traits, such as those governing maturity, photoperiod sensitivity, plant type, and seed quality. New opportunities for improving Lablab bean exist by leveraging the emerging genomic tools, agronomic practices, and knowledge gained through research on other major legume crops and model species. The use of marker-assisted selection and other molecular breeding systems for tracking single gene traits and quantitatively inherited characteristics will likely increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of Lablab bean improvement programs and provide new opportunities to develop Lablab bean as a food staple and economic resource. This chapter comprehensively reviews the botany, nutritional significance, and global distribution of Lablab bean. Moreover, it details plant production technologies, biotechnology and molecular studies, agronomic practices, and scientific strategies that confer biotic and abiotic stress tolerance.