Agricultural Diversification Research Articles

Ownership and Objectivity: Judging Varieties for Plant Breeder's Rights in Australia

To receive intellectual property protection under the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, new plant varieties must pass a Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (‘DUS’) trial proving that they are distinct from existing varieties, uniform in their relevant characteristics, and stable across generations. This article examines how this scientific-legal judgement process occurs in Australia, contrasting its relatively decentralised approach with the centralised assessment systems used in most European countries. I argue that the pursuit of objective judgement is the central tenet of the plant breeder’s rights systems, and that calls to increase objectivity with technological changes can obscure embedded value judgement and power relations. The DUS criteria serve to reinforce this objectivity, and to discipline mutable and heterogenous plant life into a form which approximates a consistent and identifiable object – a necessity for the operation of intellectual property law, despite consequences for agricultural genetic diversity and resilience.

Household milk production, milk purchase and child nutrition:Panel data evidence from rural Uganda

The burden of low-quality diets and childhood undernutrition is widespread in rural areas in SubSaharan Africa, where households rely mostly on agriculture. Various empirical studies have shown the relative importance of the market, and hence food purchases, compared with farm diversification in raising dietary diversity. But are these findings applicable to all food markets? In the case of highly perishable milk, which characterises its production in rural Africa, and the low community ownership of cows, an important research question is whether milk is available in markets and whether milk purchases contribute to the nutrition of children in smallholder households. Using panel data from rural Uganda, we estimate conditional mixed-process models and find positive effects of both household milk production and milk purchases on height-for-age z-scores. We find that milk purchases and milk production are complements, and therefore a strategy combining increases in milk productivity, dairy market development and social protection programmes to increase economic access to milk markets could improve child nutrition.

Mapping the Progress and Direction of Sustainable Agriculture Research in Indonesia: A Bibliometric Analysis Perspective

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis aimed at mapping the progress and direction of sustainable agriculture research in Indonesia. With a focus on addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges while ensuring food security and agricultural productivity, sustainable agriculture has emerged as a critical area of focus globally. In Indonesia, a country rich in agricultural diversity and natural resources, sustainable agricultural practices are paramount to mitigate the impact of climate change, preserve biodiversity, and enhance the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities. Through systematic collection and analysis of relevant publications from academic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, this study identifies key thematic areas, trends, collaboration networks among researchers, and potential research gaps within sustainable agriculture research in Indonesia. The analysis spans from 1982 to 2023, covering a wide range of topics such as agroecology, organic farming, precision agriculture, and sustainable resource management. Results reveal a significant impact of Indonesian research contributions, highlighting collaborative efforts and interdisciplinary approaches towards addressing complex agricultural sustainability challenges. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to prioritize areas for further development, formulate evidence-based policies, and foster interdisciplinary partnerships in promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Indonesia.

Evaluation of in-feed supplementation of formic acid and thymol as non-antibiotic growth promoters and assessing their effect on antimicrobial resistant E.coli isolated in Turkey.

With the rampant usage of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry sector, there has been alarming concerns of antimicrobial resistant microbes such as Escherichia coli. Diversification of poultry farming due to consumer demand for safer products with higher protein content, turkey production is gaining popularity. Feed additives such as formic acid (FA) and thymol (TH) are effectively replacing AGPs due to their antimicrobial action. This directed the researchers to find alternatives to antibiotics such as thymol and formic acid because of their strong antimicrobial, anti-oxidative, digestive-stimulating properties. To assess the efficacy of FA and TH as growth promoters and their effect on the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) load, the current study (0-12 weeks) was conducted in CARI VIRAT turkey poults (n = 256; unsexed) those were randomly distributed into eight treatment groups: control(T1), AGP (T2), graded levels of FA (T3 to T5) @ 2.5, 5 and 7.5ml/kg and TH (T6 to T8) @ 120, 240 and 350mg/kg. Cloacal swab samples were collected at 0, 4th, 8th and 12th week interval and processed further for isolation, identification and assessment of resistance profile of E. coli. The final body weight, cumulative gain and FCR were significantly (p < 0.05) better for birds under supplementation. The Total plate count (TPC) and coliforms showcased a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the FA and TH supplement groups as compared to control and AGP group. The resistance profile indicated E. coli isolates from AGP group with significantly (p < 0.001) highest resistivity against antibiotics (viz. chloramphenicol, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, chlortetracycline) while isolates from FA (T5) and TH (T8) groups were the least resistant. blaAmpC gene was significantly (p < 0.001) harbored in T2 isolates whereas least detected in T5 and T8. It was inferred that formic acid (7.5ml/kg) and thymol (360mg/kg) can effectively replace AGPs and lower AMR burden in poultry.

Agricultural plastic pollution in China: Sources, supply chain drivers, and mitigation strategies

Plastic pollution from agricultural production poses discernible risks to food security and safety. This work endeavors to address the gap of quantification and traceability of agricultural plastic pollution by estimating plastic loss associated with diverse farm activities and explore potential mitigation strategies. Results revealed that annual agricultural plastic pollution in China amounted to 570 kt. The main sources of the pollution were identified as the use of mulching film in agriculture production, farming practices employed for vegetable and fruit production, and the geographical distribution of agricultural activities, particularly in provinces of Xinjiang and Shandong in China. From a production perspective, thicker agricultural film substitution proved a more cost-effective mitigation than biodegradable alternatives for most provinces. Applying a nested multiregional input-output model, interprovincial and international final demand drivers of pollution were identified primarily from eastern China, the United States, and Japan. At the provincial level, the most significant sectoral driving force of provincial agricultural plastic pollution is primary agricultural products, followed by processed foods and textile-related products. The study highlights the imperatives for more inclusive plastic pollution monitoring and comprehensive consumption behavior guidance for sustainable agriculture.

Genetic structure and origin of emu populations in Japanese farms inferred from large-scale SNP genotyping based on double-digest RAD-seq

The emu is a novel poultry species in Japan. However, Japanese farmed emu populations have reduced genetic diversity owing to inbreeding. We have previously suggested that there are genetic resources in the Tohoku Safari Park (TSP) and Fuji/Kakegawa Kachoen Garden Park (FGP/KGP) to extend the genetic diversity of commercial emu farms based on microsatellite (SSR) and mitochondrial DNA. However, those markers provide relatively poor information. Thus, we investigated the genetic structure of farmed Japanese populations based on a large-scale genotyping system using RAD-seq and verified the usefulness of TSP and FGP/KGP as genetic resources for expanding genetic diversity. Admixture, phylogenetic, and principal component analyses based on 28,676 SNPs showed that TSP individuals were ancestors in the Okhotsk Emu Farm (OEF). FGP/KGP individuals showed a unique genetic component that differed from that of the others. We have previously reported that the mitochondrial haplotypes of FGP/KGP were shared with an isolated wild population in eastern Australia. These results suggest that FGP/KGP individuals originated from an eastern Australia isolated population different from other populations including ancestral of OEF/TSP. Our results would provide information for the development of Japanese emu farms and industry and for the conservation of genetic resources in the Australian wild emu.

Mixed farmers' perception of the ecological-economic performance of diversified farming

Diversified Farming (DF) practices are strategies to support biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Despite the potential ecological benefits of DF practices, their acceptance among farmers remains limited. Therefore, understanding farmer's perceptions is essential for effective policy decision-making and applicable agri-environmental policies. We conducted structured face-to-face interviews with 145 farmers in Lower Saxony to estimate the ecological-economic performance of DF practices based on farmers' perceived changes in yield, variable costs, and gross margin of cereal production. Farmers expected diversified crop rotation to increase gross margin (20%), while reduced tillage, direct seeding and flower strips would decrease it (58%, 61% and 13%). Cover crops were expected to provide ecological benefits with only slightly reduced profit (1%). Farm soil fertility was positively related to the perceived gross margin, while farmers' risk attitude and the number of DF practices applied showed no significant influence. Farmers working on mixed farms, i.e., integrating livestock and crops, expected lower variable costs than farmers working on arable farms. Our findings highlight that DF practices can be valued differently, with the greatest benefits seen in improved crop rotation. The acceptance of DF practices that farmers perceive as negative, such as reduced tillage and direct seeding, would require adapted agri-environmental incentives.

Farm Diversification Programmes in Haryana: A Review

The Green Revolution in the late 1960s enabled India to overcome a severe food shortage and achieve food grain self-sufficiency. Recent trends in crop farming witnessed a multifold shift towards paddy and wheat specialization in Haryana. The sustainability of the future agricultural production system in terms of soil, water, climate and market characteristics is threatened by continuous mono cropping of the rice-wheat cropping system. Increased rice-wheat mono cropping trend necessitates diversification on account of ecological concerns. So, farm diversification is an important strategy to maintain sustainability of the Haryana state agriculture. This article briefly discusses the various diversification initiatives performed in Haryana and their effects.

Hemp cultivation opportunities for marginal lands development.

Agricultural diversification and high-quality products deriving from sustainable crops such as hemp can represent a solution to revitalize marginal areas and reverse land abandonment. This study aimed at comparing four different hemp cultivars (Carmagnola Selezionata, "CS"; Futura 75, "FUT"; Felina 32, "FEL"; Secuieni Jubileu, "JUB") to provide information to select the best suited cultivar for cultivation in mountain marginal areas and for specific end-use applications. Hemp cultivars were cultivated in a single experimental field to compare their ecological and agronomic behavior (duration of life cycle phases, plant size and biomass allocation, and plant resource-use strategies). Through metabolomic analysis of both vegetative and reproductive parts of the plants we tested the presence of substances of nutraceutical interest and traced seed nutritional profile. The four cultivars had different ecological and agronomic behavior, and nutritional profile. We found several compounds with potential pharmaceutical and nutraceutical values in all parts of the plant (leaves, inflorescences, and stems). JUB resulted the most suitable for seed production while CS showed the highest content of bioactive compounds in flowers and leaves. FUT, showed the best suitability for multi-purpose cultivation, while FEL seemed to be not appropriate for the cultivation in mountain area. The multi-disciplinary approach we adopted was effective in distinguish across hemp cultivars and provided information to farmers for the selection of the best hemp cultivar to select. Hemp had a high potential for cultivation in marginal lands, demonstrating to be an economic resource due to its multi-purpose use and to the possibility to generate high-added values products. Our results could serve as a stimulus for the reintroduction of this culture in the study area and in other similar environments.

A comparative study of essential oil components of selected promising small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) landraces in Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) of South India

Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton originated in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of South India. In order to compare the percentage of essential oil and its components of selected small cardamom landraces, the study was conducted at the Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Myladumpara, Idukki Dt. of Kerala. Essential oil components of nine farmer's varieties such as Njallani Green Gold, Thiruthali, Panikulangara Green Bold No.1, Wonder Cardamom, Elarajan, Arjun, Pappalu, PNS Vaigai, Pachaikkai; and ICRI-5 as control were compared to evaluate the quality of genotypes. Essential oil content was significantly higher in Najllani Green Gold (9.18%), followed by Wonder Cardamom (8.36%). GC-MS profiling identified twenty-five compounds contributing to 90-93% of essential oil. The higher percentage of 1,8-cineole was observed in PNS Vaigai (38.04%) and the control ICRI-5 (38.99%), while Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 had the lowest percentage (24.30%). α- terpinyl acetate was higher (43.39%) in Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 followed by Thiruthali (39.21%), and was lowest in ICRI-5 (35.97%). Panikulangara Green Bold 1 had a higher percentage of α-terpineol, Geranyl acetate, Geraniol and Linalyl acetate than other genotypes. The percentage of sabinene was higher in Njallani Green Gold (7.56%), and in the genotype, Elarajan (5.46%) was lowest. Due to the medicinal and flavour-contributing properties, the essential oil components can be used in medicinal and food industries.

The future of the sugarcane industry in Fiji: climatic, non-climatic stressors, and opportunities for transformation

This study explores the complex dynamics of Fiji’s sugarcane industry, shedding light on the challenges it faces and the implications for agricultural system resilience and sustainability. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between climatic and non-climatic stressors and farmers’ decisions to abandon sugarcane farming. A total of 900 farmers were surveyed, which corresponds to approximately 7.5% of the sugarcane farming population in the country. Farmers were sampled using a stratified disproportional random sampling technique, by surveying 300 farmers from each of the three primary sugarcane mill regions in Fiji (Labasa, Lautoka, and Rarawai). Results depict an aging farming population with small land holdings, and limited income and agricultural diversification. While only 4% of farmers are currently considering abandoning sugarcane farming, a further 17.9% are uncertain about their future in the industry. The majority of farmers have been impacted by climate hazards, primarily tropical cyclones and floods, but the degree to which these hazards have affected livelihoods has had an effect on farmers’ willingness to remain in the industry and on the extent to which they implement reactive or anticipatory responses to hazards. The study highlights the need for coordinated efforts to support sustainable intensification and planned adaptation, especially in the face of climate-induced vulnerabilities, this should be a priority as the sector continues to navigate sustainability issues. Additionally, it underscores the importance of transforming the industry to address both climatic and non-climatic stressors. Ultimately, this research offers valuable insights into the multifaceted issues confronting Fiji’s sugarcane sector, and the broader agricultural systems it represents.

Agroforestry: Enhancing Farm Tree Diversity and its Role in Rural Livelihoods

Agroforestry represents a land use strategy grounded in ecological principles, offering benefits such as increased crop yields, consistent financial returns, and broader agricultural diversification. This study was conducted in Makawanpurgadhi rural municipality, from Makawanpur district, Nepal, which aimed to evaluate various agroforestry systems, the diversity of farm trees, and their impact on rural income. Field observation, interviews with key informants, and questionnaire survey were employed to augment socio-economic information, with a randomly selected sample of 106 households (i.e. Landowners). Farm tree diversity was assessed using the Shannon Wiener Diversity Index. The study identified five important agroforestry systems: homegarden, silvi-pasture, agrisilviculture, silvofisheries, and agrisilvihorticulture. The Silvi-pasture system reported as a promising agroforestry approach demonstrating greater species richness and diversity of farm tree compared to homegarden and agrisilvihorticulture. Moreover, agroforestry systems contributed significantly to household income, with 36.92% (NRs. 25,700 or USD 193 per household per year) attributed to agriculture and 28.88% (NRs. 16,900 or USD 127 per household per year) to livestock raring. It is recommended that agroforestry systems have a great deal of potential to conserve biodiversity and enhance rural livelihoods.

Rotational complexity across US counties is currently insufficient to observe yield gains in major crops

Landscape complexity promotes ecosystem services and agricultural productivity, and often encompasses aspects of compositional or configurational land cover diversity across space. However, a key agricultural diversification practice, crop rotation, extends crop land cover complexity concurrently across space and time. Long-term experiments suggest that complex crop rotations can facilitate yield increases in major crops. Using a compiled county-annual panel dataset, we examined whether yield benefits of crop rotational complexity were apparent on a landscape scale in the conterminous US for four major crops between 2008 and 2020. We found that the benefit of rotational complexity was only apparent for cotton and winter wheat, and that the benefit for wheat was driven by one region. Corn exhibited the opposite pattern, wherein higher yields were consistently obtained with lower rotational complexity, while soybean yield appeared relatively insensitive to rotational complexity. Effects of rotational complexity were sometimes influenced by agrochemical usage. Positive effects of rotational complexity were only apparent with high fertilizer for soybean and wheat, and with low fertilizer for cotton. Corn yield in high-complexity, low-yielding counties appeared to improve with high fertilizer inputs. For the overwhelming majority of acres growing these major crops, crop rotation patterns were quite simple, which when combined with the short time span of available data, may explain the apparent discrepancy between long-term experiments and nationwide data. Current demand and incentives that promote highly intensified and specialized agriculture likely hinder realization of the benefits of rotational complexity for production of key crops in the US. Increasing rotational complexity where major crops are grown thus remains an underutilized approach to mitigate landscape simplification and to promote ecosystem services and crop yields.

Scale Construction to Measure the Attitude of Farmers towards Agricultural Diversification

Attitude plays an important role in persuasion of one’s behaviour in respect to a particular psychological object. The attitude of farmers’ may influence their decision to adopt different practices to diversify their farms. Therefore, the investigation was carried out to expand a reliable and suitable mechanism to measure the farmers’ attitude towards Agricultural Diversification in their areas. The “Likert’s summated rating approach” was followed for a step by step procedure of developing uniform attitude degree. A total 67 statements reflecting belief of the farmers towards agricultural diversification were collected and out of which, 50 statements were retained after editing. The statements were sent to eighty Judges to judge its proper relevancy. Based on the relevancy test of 50 statements, only 35 statements were selected. The 18 statements were retained after the‘t’ test where 11 were positive and 7 were negative statements. The reliability of the scale was confirmed by the use of split half method while validity was studied by content validity. The reliability coefficient was found to be 0.82 which showed the reliability of the scale. Therefore other academicians and researchers can be using this identical magnitude with or without modifications to measure attitude of farmers headed for Agricultural Diversification.

Acting pre-emptively reduces the long-term costs of managing herbicide resistance

Globally, pesticides improve crop yields but at great environmental cost, and their overuse has caused resistance. This incurs large financial and production losses but, despite this, very diversified farm management that might delay or prevent resistance is uncommon in intensive farming. We asked farmers to design more diversified cropping strategies aimed at controlling herbicide resistance, and estimated resulting weed densities, profits, and yields compared to prevailing practice. Where resistance is low, it is financially viable to diversify pre-emptively; however, once resistance is high, there are financial and production disincentives to adopting diverse rotations. It is therefore as important to manage resistance before it becomes widespread as it is to control it once present. The diverse rotations targeting high resistance used increased herbicide application frequency and volume, contributing to these rotations’ lack of financial viability, and raising concerns about glyphosate resistance. Governments should encourage adoption of diverse rotations in areas without resistance. Where resistance is present, governments may wish to incentivise crop diversification despite the drop in wheat production as it is likely to bring environmental co-benefits. Our research suggests we need long-term, proactive, food security planning and more integrated policy-making across farming, environment, and health arenas.

Farm diversification through agritourism: innovation synergies

Abstract Agritourism is considered an effective strategy for revitalizing traditional agriculture, enhancing rural economics, and achieving sustainable livelihoods. While the processes of how the conventional agrarian industry has taken up diversified management and affiliated with the creative supply of tourist services remain unclear, the theoretical interpretations of the diversification processes have yet to be articulated. This study explores agritourism innovation and proposes a conceptual framework of agritourism diversification built upon the connotations of integration of production sectors and the multi-functionality of rural and land resources. Different styles of agritourism innovation detail the progress of agritourism diversification and how various functions of farm resources are initiated and capitalized upon. Results show that diversification through agritourism has brought considerable economic returns to farms, and increased their resilience in the face of possible business challenges.

Social strategies to access land influence crop diversity in northwestern Morocco

Abstract Much evidence supports the ecological and agronomic benefits of diversity, of both crops and environments, for building resilience and sustainability in agroecosystems. Farmers' knowledge about crop diversity is well‐documented, but aside from studies on how farmers exchange seeds and knowledge through networks, the interactions of social factors and the diversity of crops and cultivated environments have been mainly overlooked. One factor receiving attention is farmers' access to land, but in only one of its dimensions, the security of access. Here we address the different strategies by which farmers gain access to land. How does the plurality of modes of access to land influence crop choices, and thereby crop diversity? How does this plurality influence the range of environments available to individual farmers for cultivating crop diversity? Analysing data from 51 interviews with farmers and 312 plots in agrosilvopastoral systems in northwestern Morocco, we described eight different modes of access. Each mode offers different opportunities and constraints concerning the kind of crops that can be grown on the plot. We found that an increase in the number of modes of access to land increases the crop diversity of farmers' holdings, regardless of the total area each farmer cultivates. Accessing additional plots contributed to both environmental heterogeneity and to crop diversity of farms. In striving to gain access to land and to grow diverse crops, farmers are motivated by their notion of what it means to be a ‘real farmer’, that is, the relation to their identity. Farmers mobilize not only their economic power but also their social relationships to gain access to plots of land. Their choices are also based on their relationships to tree crops such as olive, which are economic and cultural keystone species, as well as markers of land ownership and control. Multiple modes of access to land characterize many smallholder farming systems, which support a large fraction of the world's population. Recognizing diverse social practices of access to land that allow farmers to continue to mobilize multiple modes of access can increase resilience against unpredictable events and help maintain sustainable agroecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Biodynamic, organic and integrated agriculture effects on cv. Italia table grapes juice, over a 3-year period experiment: an 1H NMR spectroscopy-based metabolomics study

BackgroundThe new trend demanding for “natural” agri-food products has encouraged the application of more sustainable and eco-friendly farming methods, which limit or avoid the use of synthetic chemicals. This approach is increasing in viticulture, one of the sectors with the highest commercial value since grapes and derived products are largely consumed foodstuffs, with appreciated nutritional and sensory features. In this work, 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) was applied for the metabolic profiling of cv. Italia table grapes samples, from the same origin area, cultivated with different treatments (biodynamic, organic and integrated) and collected in three subsequent vintages. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed on NMR-data with the aim of comprehensively researching the possible influences on metabolites due to the use of diverse agricultural practices.ResultsBoth inter-annual variability (2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages) and different vineyard treatments (biodynamic, organic and integrated) resulted as significant drivers for samples differentiation in the preliminary unsupervised analysis of the (1H NMR spectra derived) metabolic profile data. Nevertheless, supervised data analyses showed that inter-vineyards variability, due to application of diverse farming methods, had a comparable discriminating effect with respect to harvesting years. Ethanol, sugars (as α-/β-glucose), organic acids (as malate) and amino acids (as arginine, leucine, glutamine) resulted the most viticultural practices-dependent metabolites. Interestingly, results from pairwise comparisons between treatments indicated the biodynamic samples with respect to the organic ones as the best-observed differentiation. This was followed by the biodynamic vs integrated and organic vs integrated samples comparisons, in decreasing discrimination order, as confirmed by the descriptiveness and predictive ability parameters of the corresponding pairwise OPLS-DA models.ConclusionsResults highlighted that metabolites’ composition in cv. Italia table grapes juice is significantly affected by the use of different kinds of vineyard managements (biodynamic, organic and integrated, here investigated). Metabolomics study, here employing 1H NMR spectroscopy combined with multivariate statistical analysis, offers powerful tools to elucidate the metabolic differences among classes of samples.Graphical

Production Choices and Food Security: A Review of Studies Based on a Micro-Diversity Perspective.

Given the 'subsistence' character of smallholder production, agricultural production diversification is often seen as an effective strategy for smallholders to improve their diets' diversity and nutritional status, yet the existing evidence remains inadequate. The study applies bibliometric data from the "Web of Science" database to synthesize 46 papers from developing countries to explore the relationship between production diversity, dietary diversity, and nutrition in smallholder households. The study identifies the most influential journals, authors, organizations, and countries and reveals research themes related to agricultural production and food security. This data analysis can help researchers target potential collaborators and access influential literature in agricultural production diversity and dietary diversity research. In addition, the results showed that agricultural production diversity potentially influences households' dietary diversity, with mixed results: Agricultural production diversification is the primary way to improve food and nutritional security among smallholder families with low socio-economic status, inaccessible transportation, and poverty; market access and trade have more potential to improve dietary diversity among smallholder households with well-developed markets and higher income levels; the significant measures of agricultural production diversity include Crop Counts, FGPD, SI, and SWDI; the significant measures of dietary diversity include HDDS and IDDS. This paper provides a roadmap for agricultural production and food security researchers by conducting a systematic review of the literature, summarizing some research methods and perspectives applicable to local socio-economic development.

A genomic toolkit for winged bean Psophocarpus tetragonolobus

A sustainable supply of plant protein is critical for future generations and needs to be achieved while reducing green house gas emissions from agriculture and increasing agricultural resilience in the face of climate volatility. Agricultural diversification with more nutrient-rich and stress tolerant crops could provide the solution. However, this is often hampered by the limited availability of genomic resources and the lack of understanding of the genetic structure of breeding germplasm and the inheritance of important traits. One such crop with potential is winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), a high seed protein tropical legume which has been termed ‘the soybean for the tropics’. Here, we present a chromosome level winged bean genome assembly, an investigation of the genetic diversity of 130 worldwide accessions, together with two linked genetic maps and a trait QTL analysis (and expression studies) for regions of the genome with desirable ideotype traits for breeding, namely architecture, protein content and phytonutrients.