Marama Bean (Tylosema esculentum, Fabaceae) seed crop in Texas

Abstract

The marama bean, Tylosema esculentum, is a drought- tolerant legume native to southern Africa. Its seeds are comparable to soybeans in protein content and quality, its oil content approaches that of peanuts, and the plants might be desirable as a forage legume. Although the marama bean has great potential as an arid land crop in the United States, studies of the species are extremely limited. The current investigations have demonstrated that the plants can be grown successfully in an arid region of the United States, at least under experimental conditions, and that a healthy seed crop can be expected in about 4.5 years.