Food Legumes Research Articles

Land Configuration and Nutrient Management on Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Green Gram under Sodic Soil

Background: Pulses, endowed with unique ability of nitrogen fixation constitute an important component of crop diversification and resource conservation in farming systems. Green gram [Vigna radiate], a drought resistant crop, is one of the thirteen food legumes grown in India and the third most important pulse crop after chickpea and pigeon pea It is a protein rich staple food which contains about 25 percent protein and plays a crucial role in enhancing soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation. Sodic soils typically exhibit poor nutrient availability as essential cations are displaced by sodium ions. They significantly influence green gram productivity, posing challenges to its sustainability, with the potential for sodification extending into subsoil layers, impeding plant root development and requiring remedial action. Appropriate land configuration and nutrient management could mitigating the challenges posed by sodic soils for pulse crops. Understanding the effects of land configuration and nutrient management on its growth, yield andeconomic viability is vital for sustainable agriculture. Keeping this in view, the field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different land configuration and nutrient management for their impact on plant height, dry matter production, grain yield, haulm yield, net income andBenefit Cost ratio with nutrient uptake under sodic condition. Methods: The land configuration factor consists of the three treatments viz., flat bed, ridges and furrows and broad bed furrow system. The second factor nutrient management comprising of five treatments like 100% RDF + 1% DAP, 100% RDF + 1% MAP, 75% RDF + 2% MAP, 100% RDF + 1% MKP, 75% RDF + 2% MKP. The RDF for green gram was 25 kg N + 50 kg P2O5 + 25 kg K2O per hectare. Result: Higher plant height, dry matter production, grain and haulm yield, protein yield, economic and nutrient uptake was recorded in broad bed furrow over farmer’s practice of flatbed method. N 4 - 100% RDF + 1% MKP foliar spray twice at (plant height, dry matter production, grain and haulm yield, protein yield, economic and nutrient uptake ) were observed than farmer’s practice. Hence, Broad bed furrow and nutrient management practice of 100% RDF + 1% MKP has the potential to enhance the productivity green gram under sodic condition.

P1223 Maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and offspring’s risk of paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease - a cohort study

Abstract Background The association between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and offspring’s risk of paediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (pIBD) is largely unknown. Therefore, we explored this link in mother-child dyads from the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC). Methods The DNBC is a nationwide cohort of pregnant mothers from Denmark enrolled between 1996 and 2002. In gestational week 25, a food frequency questionnaire assessed maternal intakes of >360 foods during the previous four weeks. The foods were divided into 37 groups, and intakes of the food groups (g/day) were z-score normalised to make them comparable. K-means cluster analysis determined maternal dietary patterns by grouping mother-child dyads into mutually exclusive clusters based on maternal intakes of the 37 food groups. The children were followed from birth to their 18-year birthday through national patient registries using their personal identification number. Medical information from the registries was used to identify the children who developed pIBD, defined as ≤18 years of age when they received their first IBD diagnosis (n=182). Cox proportional hazards model analysed associations of maternal dietary patterns with offspring’s hazard ratios (HR) for pIBD, using the most common pattern as the reference. Analyses were adjusted for parental IBD diagnosis and maternal educational level, gestational weight gain, smoking, energy intake, nutritional supplement use, and antibiotics use. Results The study included 63,877 singleton mother-child dyads from the DNBC. K-means cluster analysis identified five dietary patterns among the mothers: a diverse dietary pattern (n=16,386), a Western-like dietary pattern (n=22,901), a plant-rich dietary pattern (n=17,541), an animal-based dietary pattern (n=4,473), and a non-recommended dietary pattern (n=2,576). Mothers with a diverse dietary pattern had high intakes of most food groups, especially meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, potatoes, desserts, and legumes. This dietary pattern reduced offspring’s risk of pIBD by 44% compared to the Western-like dietary pattern (HR 0.56; 95% CI: 0.35-0.91), which was attributed to a decreased risk of Crohn’s disease (HR 0.41; 95% CI: 0.22-0.76) but not ulcerative colitis (HR 0.73; 95% CI: 0.38-1.39). No associations with pIBD were found for the plant-rich, animal-based, and non-recommended dietary patterns compared to the Western-like dietary pattern (p > 0.05). Conclusion In this prospective cohort study, we found that adhering to a diverse diet during pregnancy, characterised by high intakes of various food groups, protects the offspring against pIBD. Future studies should explore whether specific food groups or nutrients drive this association.

Studies on life history traits of the oophagous parasitoid, <i>Gryon fulviventre</i> Crawford (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), a potential biocontrol agent of the cowpea pod-sucking bug, <i>Clavigralla tomentosicollis</i> Stäl. (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in Burkina Faso

The pod-sucking bug, Clavigralla tomentosicollis, is a key pest of cowpea, an important food legume in West Africa. Gryon fulviventre, an egg parasitoid of this pest is a potential biological control agent and proved that inoculative or inundative releases in cowpea fields boost its natural parasitism rates. The current study aimed to determine some biological parameters of G. fulviventre on C. tomentosicollis eggs under laboratory conditions, and the effects of host age and host density on the parasitic abilities of the parasitoid. On average, G. fulviventre development time from egg to adult emergence was 13.14 ± 0.41 days. Female fecundity averaged 27.5 ± 11.21 eggs over their lifetime, with most eggs laid during the first two days of life. The average sex ratio was 73.82% female. The 24-h-old eggs of C. tomentosicollis are preferred by G. fulviventre females for oviposition. The intrinsic rate of population increase (rm) was 0.206 ± 0.01 and the population doubling time was 3.37 ± 0.19 days. The functional response of G. fulviventre females was dependent on host density. Thus, G. fulviventre exhibits some characteristics that may make it a good biological control agent. The results will contribute to the mass production of this beneficial agent, an essential step before implementing the parasitoid release strategies.

Analysis of Combining Ability and Gene Action for Seed Yield and its Component Traits in Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh

Background: Pigeonpea is one of India’s most essential pulse crops and it is the handiest food legume with widespread uses as food, feed, fodder and fuel. To fulfil the peoples nutrient demand, the urgent need for developing nutritious and higher productive cultivar become imperative. Therefore, this research paper seeks to explore the combining ability with the ultimate goal of advancing the development of improved varieties. Methods: An experiment was carried out in pigeonpea using Line x Tester mating design to estimate combining ability. 20 hybrids were developed by using five female lines crossed with four male testers. Result: The analysis of variance revealed significant differences of genotypes for all characters studied, indicating sufficient genetic variability for the characters. Based on results, Seed yield per plant showed a positive and significant correlation with the number of pods per plant, pod length and the number of seeds per pod. While, parents GT 102, Vaishali, GT 1 and BDN 2004-01 were found to be good general combiners. Whereas, crosses viz., GT 102 x SKNP 1408 and GT 103 x BDN 2004-01 were the most promising specific combiners for seed yield per plant.

Multifunctional coreid bug pheromones for efficient bioprotection against legume pests and enhanced food productivity

BackgroundIn Africa, food legumes such as cowpeas and beans constitute important sources of proteins for millions of rural and urban populations. However, attacks by multiple pest species can reduce yields by up to 80%. Small-holder farmers protect their crops against pests using conventional insecticides, thereby contributing to insecticide resistance and jeopardizing food safety. To date, no alternative sustainable practices are available to reduce insecticide use in the management of legume pests. This study aimed to provide a sustainable alternative to insecticide use based on semiochemicals to manage multiple legume pest species and enhance food productivity.ResultsUsing coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and coupled GC-electroantennographic detection (EAD) analyses, we identified 2-methylbutyl 2-methylbutanoate as the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the legume pest, Clavigralla elongata, a coreid bug species specific to East Africa. In multi-site field trials conducted in West Africa and East Africa, 2-methylbutyl 2-methylbutanoate and its analogue, isopentyl butanoate, previously identified from the pan-tropical coreid bug, C. tomentosicollis, both lured multiple legume insect pest species including from the Clavigralla genus, the legume pod-borer Maruca vitrata, flower thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti, and whitefly Bemisia tabaci into traps. Additionally, both pheromones lured the Clavigralla natural enemy parasitoid Gryon fulviventris into traps. The whitefly was only captured in pheromone-baited traps in East Africa. Deployment of an optimized pheromone trapping system significantly reduced legume pests and increased natural enemy density by up to sixfold compared to farmer practice (insecticide-treatment) and control. Legume yields for pheromone and insecticide treatments were comparable, ~ 320–590% higher than untreated controls.ConclusionThese findings establish coreid bug pheromones as effective novel multifunctional semiochemical-based tools for sustainable legume pest management and production without insecticide use.Graphical abstract

Mean Performance of Field pea (Pisum sativum L) Advanced Genotypes for Yield and Yield-related Traits in Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is the second most important cool-season food legume in Ethiopia after faba bean, both in terms of production area and annual yield. The study comprises 13 advanced field pea genotypes that were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications across four different environments during two consecutive main cropping seasons (2020–2021). The primary objectives were to identify a field pea genotype with a reliable, high grain yield that could be subsequently released as a new cultivar for farmers in specific areas of Ethiopia. A combined analysis of field pea grain yield revealed a significant difference (P < 0.01) between genotypes and environments, suggesting that the genetic composition of the genotypes varied and the environments were distinct. The average grain yield ranged from 1614 kg/ha to 2412 kg/ha, with a mean of 2032.69 kg/ha. Genotype G13 had the highest average grain yield (2412 kg/ha) compared to the standard check varieties Bilalo (2190 kg/ha) and Bursa (2100 kg/ha), indicating its potential for developing adaptable varieties suited to specific environments. This outcome may aid breeders in choosing the most appropriate cultivars for particular environments, resulting in higher field pea yields and productivity. Nonetheless, the research also indicates that to create broadly adaptable and climate-resilient varieties, it is crucial to carry out trials in various locations and across multiple years.

Genotype and grain pretreatment effects on digestibility of sorghum proteins in the Ethiopian fermented bread

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesSorghum is the principal food source for smallholder farmers in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Animal proteins are beyond economic reach, and only few food legumes are well‐adapted in major sorghum‐growing regions. Hence, sorghum serves as the primary source of protein and calories. However, the low digestibility of its proteins renders the communities vulnerable to protein malnutrition. Several factors, including genotypes and processing methods, have been shown to affect the digestibility of proteins in sorghum food products. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of grain pretreatment on the protein digestibility of Ethiopian fermented flatbread.FindingsThe effect of four grain pretreatment processes: decortication, sprouting, parching, and untreated control was compared using four diverse sorghum genotypes milled to medium (2 mm) and fine (0.5 mm) particle sizes. The in‐vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) was significantly lower in the parched samples compared to the unprocessed control, while sprouting significantly increased IVPD. Decortication appears to have no impact on IVPD. Finer particle size tended to enhance IVPD in all genotypes and for all pretreatement methods. The treatments had no significant effect on protein content except the sprouting consistently but marginally increased total protein.ConclusionsSprouting sorghum grains can significantly improve the protein digestibility of fermented breads. Given that it involves little cost, the process can be readily adopted by the local community, provided that they are educated about the impact of protein deficiency on the health and productivity of the community.Significance and NoveltyLow‐cost grain pretreatment procedures such as sprouting can have a significant impact on the availability of nutrients, especially protein, the most limiting nutrient in smallholder communities. Combining the procedure with genetically enhanced varieties and improved cropping systems that integrate food legumes can significantly enhnace protein nutrition for smallholder farmers.

Advancing Chickpea Breeding: Omics Insights for Targeted Abiotic Stress Mitigation and Genetic Enhancement.

Chickpea is a major source of proteins and is considered the most economically vital food legume. Chickpea production is threatened by several abiotic and biotic factors worldwide. The main constraints limiting worldwide chickpea production are abiotic conditions such as drought, heat, salinity, and cold. It is clear that chickpea is treasured for its nutritive value, in particular its high protein content, and hence study of problems like drought, cold and salinity stresses are very important concerning chickpeas. In this regard, several physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms are reviewed to confer tolerance to abiotic stress. The most crippling economic losses in agriculture occur due to these abiotic stressors, which affect plants in many ways. All these abiotic stresses affect the water relations of the plant, both at the cellular level as well as the whole-plant level, causing both specific and non-specific reactions, damage and adaptation reactions. These stresses share common features. Breeding programs use a huge collection of over 100,000 chickpea accessions as their foundation. Significant advancements in conventional breeding, including mutagenesis, gene/allele introgression, and germplasm introduction, have been made through this method. Abiotic tolerance and yield component selection are made easier by creating unique DNA markers for the genus Cicer, which has been made possible by developments in high-throughput sequencing and molecular biology. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have also made it possible to identify particular genes, proteins, and metabolites linked to chickpea tolerance to abiotic stress. Chickpea abiotic stress tolerance has been directly and potentially improved by biotechnological applications, which are covered by all 'Omics' approaches. It requires information on the abiotic stress response at the different molecular levels, which comprises gene expression analysis for metabolites or proteins and its impact on phenotype. Studies on chickpea genome-wide expression profiling have been conducted to determine important candidate genes and their regulatory networks for abiotic stress response. This study aimed to offer a detailed overview of the diverse 'Omics' approaches for resilience's to abiotic stresses on chickpea plants.

High-throughput phenotypic traits estimation of faba bean based on machine learning and drone-based multimodal data

Faba bean is a global food legume crop, and it is essential to accurately and timely determine its plant height, above-ground biomass (fresh and dry weight) and yield for enhancing cultivation practices and planning the next planting season. Traditional ground sampling is a time-consuming and labor-intensive approach. However, the utilization of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a high-throughput technique offers a promising alternative strategy for estimating crop phenotypic traits. In this study, a two-year experiment was conducted from 2020 to 2022, where UAV-based multimodal data were collected using red–green–blue, multispectral and thermal infrared sensors. The variables derived from these three sensors and their combinations were used to estimate the fresh weight, dry weight and yield of faba bean based on extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest, multiple linear regression and k-nearest neighbor algorithms. The following findings were obtained: (1) The use of the maximum percentile crop surface model resulted in the highest estimation accuracy for faba bean plant height. (2) Fusion data from multiple sensors increased the estimation accuracy of faba bean fresh weight, dry weight and yield, the coefficient of determination (R2) improved by 14.22%, 1.45%, and 18.76%, respectively, compared with the best estimation accuracy of a single sensor. (3) The XGBoost algorithm outperformed the other algorithms in estimating fresh weight, dry weight and yield of faba bean. These results demonstrate that multiple sensors and appropriate algorithms can be used to effectively estimate faba bean phenotypic traits and provide valuable insights for agricultural remote sensing research.

The use of dextran in 3D printing for dysphagia foods: Relationships between its structure and physicochemical properties

Novel naturally sourced polysaccharides are gaining attention for their safety and improvement in food texture. This study investigated the correlations between the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties of dextran GS128 derived from Leuconostoc citreum SH12, and assessed its applicability in three-dimensional (3D) printed whole grain and legume-based (whole grain oat, chickpea and soybean) foods designed for dysphagia patients. The findings revealed that GS128 had a non-crystalline amorphous nature and high thermostability, suggesting its food processing potential. GS128 aqueous solution showed shear thinning and elastic gel behavior, and excellent thixotropic and structural recovery properties, and their effects were positive dose-dependent at the concentration of 4∼10 wt%, which were determined by its nearly linear structure mainly composed of 87.74% α-(1 → 6) linkages with a high molecular weight of 3.02 × 108 Da. Moreover, the addition of 4∼10 wt% GS128 not only retained the shape of 3D printed whole grain and legume food, but also improved the swallowability by 33.26–74.60% compared with food without GS128, indicating the usage potential for dysphagia people. Overall, GS128 as a texture modifier has significant potential for application in the food industry, especially in the development of 3D-printed dysphagia diets.

Dietary pattern trajectories in French adults of the NutriNet-Santé cohort over time (2014-2022): role of socio-economic factors.

Despite the urgent need for plant-based dietary shifts, few studies have examined current diet trajectories using longitudinal data. This study analyzed dietary transitions of French adults over 8 years (2014-2022), assessing diet quality and the role of various socio-economic factors. Consumption data from 17187 NutriNet-Santé cohort participants, weighted for the French Census, were collected via FFQ in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Adopting a gender-specific approach, consumption changes in twenty-three food groups were assessed over time. Diet quality was evaluated using the Comprehensive Diet Quality Index score, categorising foods into 'healthy' and 'unhealthy'. Socio-economic analysis targeted four food groups (red meat (including fresh beef, pork, offal and lamb), processed meat (e.g. sausages, ham and bacon), legumes and whole-grain products), strongly linked to mortality risk and recognised as significant markers of the sustainable diet transition. All analyses were conducted using multi-adjusted mixed-effects models. Consumption of some healthy plant-based foods (nuts +59 %, legumes +22 %, whole-grain products +7 %) significantly increased over time, while consumption of some unhealthy foods (red meat -19 %, refined cereals -18 %, sweetened drinks -15 %) decreased. Conversely, consumption of prepared and mixed dishes (+16 %) and processed meat (+35 %) increased. These changes differed in magnitude between genders and translated into an improved diet quality score (Comprehensive Diet Quality Index). Occupational status was linked to longitudinal changes in food consumption, showing increased consumption of plant-based foods among students and higher socio-professional categories. Our findings provide accurate data on trends and factors for targeted initiatives, guiding strategic interventions for a sustainable dietary transition.

Genome-Wide Identification of the Peanut ASR Gene Family and Its Expression Analysis under Abiotic Stress.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important oil and food legume crops worldwide. ASR (abscisic acid, stress, ripening) plays extremely important roles in plant growth and development, fruit ripening, pollen development, and stress. Here, six ASR genes were identified in peanut. Structural and conserved motif analyses were performed to identify common ABA/WDS structural domains. The vast majority of ASR genes encoded acidic proteins, all of which are hydrophilic proteins and localized on mitochondria and nucleus, respectively. The cis-element analysis revealed that some cis-regulatory elements were related to peanut growth and development, hormone, and stress response. Under normal growth conditions, AhASR4 and AhASR5 were expressed in all tissues of peanut plants. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results indicated that peanut ASR genes exhibited complex expression patterns in response to abiotic stress. Notably, under drought and cadmium (Cd) stress, the expression levels of AhASR4 and AhASR5 were significantly upregulated, suggesting that these genes may play a crucial role in the peanut plant's resistance to such stressors. These results provide a theoretical basis for studying the evolution, expression, and function of the peanut ASR gene family and will provide valuable information in the identification and screening of genes for peanut stress tolerance breeding.

Demystifying the nutritional and anti-nutritional genetic divergence of Pakistani chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genetic resource via multivariate approaches.

Chickpeas are a highly versatile functional food legume that possesses the capacity to boost human health and has the potential to alleviate malnutrition-related deficiencies. To investigate whole seed-based nutritional and anti-nutritional composition, a set of 90 chickpea genotypes (66 desi and 24 kabuli) was collected from different research organizations in Pakistan. Significant variation (Tukey HSD test, p < 0.05) was perceived among genotypes for traits under investigation. The genotypes, with maximum total soluble proteins (TSPs) (34.92%), crude proteins (CPs) (30.13%), and reducing sugars (17.33 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., Punjab-2000 (desi); total free amino acids (TFAs) (3.34 g/100 g DW), i.e., Wild Hybrid-15 (desi), albumins (227.67 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., Sheenghar-2000 (desi); globulins (720 g s. wt.), i.e., ICCV-96030 (desi); salt-soluble proteins (200 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., ILWC-247 (desi); total soluble sugars (TSSs) (102.63 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., CM1051/11 (desi); non-reducing sugars (95.28 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., NIAB-CH2016 (desi); starch content (83.69%), i.e., CH55/09 (kabuli); and the genotypes with least value of anti-nutritional factors glutelin (3.33 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., Wild Hybrid-9 (desi); hordein (1.38 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., Noor-2013 (kabuli); tannins (5,425 uM/g s. wt.), i.e., Wild Hybrid-1 (desi); and phytic acid (PA) (0.18 mg/g s. wt.), i.e., Bhakhar-2011 (desi), could be the promising genotypes to formulate health-promoting plant-based food products. Data were also analyzed for principal component analysis (PCA), correlation, and agglomerative hierarchical clustering. PC-1 revealed the highest contribution (20.83%) toward cumulative variability, and maximum positive factor loading was delivered by TSSs (0.85) followed by starch content (0.729). Genotypes were grouped into three distinct clusters based on high average values of traits under investigation. Cluster I encompassed genotypes with a high mean value of CP content, albumins, hordein, and glutelin; Cluster II encompassed genotypes with a high mean value of TSPs, TSSs, non-reducing sugars, globulins, salt-soluble sugars, starch, and TFAs; Cluster III encompassed genotypes with high tannins, reducing sugars, and PA. Identified desi and kabuli genotypes exhibiting superior seed quality traits and minimal anti-nutritional factors can be used in chickpea breeding programs aimed at improving seed nutritional quality in future breeding lines.

Low molecular weight carbohydrates and abiotic stress tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus): a review.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is a nutrient-rich, cool-season food legume that is high in protein, prebiotic carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. It is a staple food in many parts of the world, but crop performance is threatened by climate change, where increased temperatures and less predictable precipitation can reduce yield and nutritional quality. One mechanism that many plant species use to mitigate heat and drought stress is the production of disaccharides, oligosaccharides and sugar alcohols, collectively referred to as low molecular weight carbohydrates (LMWCs). Recent evidence indicates that lentil may also employ this mechanism - especially raffinose family oligosaccharides and sugar alcohols - and that these may be suitable targets for genomic-assisted breeding to improve crop tolerance to heat and drought stress. While the genes responsible for LMWC biosynthesis in lentil have not been fully elucidated, single nucleotide polymorphisms and putative genes underlying biosynthesis of LMWCs have been identified. Yet, more work is needed to confirm gene identity, function, and response to abiotic stress. This review i) summarizes the diverse evidence for how LMWCs are utilized to improve abiotic stress tolerance, ii) highlights current knowledge of genes that control LMWC biosynthesis in lentil, and iii) explores how LMWCs can be targeted using diverse genomic resources and markers to accelerate lentil breeding efforts for improved stress tolerance.

Effect of cooking conditions on chickpea flour functionality and its protein physicochemical properties.

Chickpea is an important food legume that usually undergoes various processing treatments to enhance nutritional value and functional properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different cooking conditions on physicochemical, structural, and functional properties of chickpea, especially its protein macromolecules. Kabuli chickpea seeds were processed by water cooking at different temperatures (63, 79, 88, and 96°C), followed by evaluating flour solubility, water-holding capacity (WHC), pasting property, as well as the total protein profile and fractionated protein distributions. Cooking treatments significantly decreased flour solubility (from 39.45 to 25.21g/100g flour) and pasting viscosity (peak and final viscosities, from 1081 to 300.5cP and 1323 to 532cP, respectively), while increasing WHC (from 0.862 to 1.144g H2O/g flour) of chickpea flour (p<0.05). These behaviors were enhanced by increasing cooking temperature. Meanwhile, cooking induced a significant change of chickpea proteins, modifying the albumin- and globulin-like fractions of chickpea protein to display glutelin-like behavior. The current study provides potential approaches for manipulating chickpea flour functionalities (e.g., solubility, viscosity, and WHC) to address the process and product challenges and favor product innovation.

Dietary Recommendations for Glioma: A Mini-Review.

Glioma is the most common type of brain cancer, associated with a high mortality rate. Diet is one of the most modifiable factors that can influence the risk of various cancers, including glioma. While the relationship between diet and glioma has been explored in recent years, the number of studies in this area remains limited, and the findings are often controversial. Moreover, all existing studies are observational, which means they may be influenced by a range of confounding variables. In this mini-review, we aim to provide a comprehensive and informative overview of the dietary recommendations related to glioma that have been published to date. Research suggests that adherence to healthy dietary patterns-such as the Mediterranean diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, Paleolithic diet, high-protein dietary patterns, and vegetarian dietary patterns-may be associated with a reduced risk of glioma. These diets are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants. Additionally, certain food groups, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, eggs, fresh fish, tea, and coffee, are emphasized for their protective effects against glioma. Conversely, adherence to unhealthy dietary patterns, such as the Western diet, or diets with high inflammatory potential, glycemic and insulinemic loads, and high consumption of grains (especially refined grains), processed meats, and processed fish, has been linked to an increased risk of glioma. Current studies suggest that following a healthy diet may reduce the odds of developing glioma. However, due to the limited number of studies and the observational nature of the existing research, further investigations with more robust designs, such as randomized controlled trials, are needed to clarify these associations.

Adaptive gene loss in the common bean pan-genome during range expansion and domestication

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a crucial legume crop and an ideal evolutionary model to study adaptive diversity in wild and domesticated populations. Here, we present a common bean pan-genome based on five high-quality genomes and whole-genome reads representing 339 genotypes. It reveals ~234 Mb of additional sequences containing 6,905 protein-coding genes missing from the reference, constituting 49% of all presence/absence variants (PAVs). More non-synonymous mutations are found in PAVs than core genes, probably reflecting the lower effective population size of PAVs and fitness advantages due to the purging effect of gene loss. Our results suggest pan-genome shrinkage occurred during wild range expansion. Selection signatures provide evidence that partial or complete gene loss was a key adaptive genetic change in common bean populations with major implications for plant adaptation. The pan-genome is a valuable resource for food legume research and breeding for climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture.

Chromosome-scale reference genome of an ancient landrace: unveiling the genetic basis of seed weight in the food legume crop pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan).

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) is a nutrient-rich and versatile food legume crop of tropical and subtropical regions. In this study, we describe the de novo assembly of a high-quality genome for the ancient pigeonpea landrace 'D30', achieved through a combination of Pacific Biosciences high-fidelity (PacBio HiFi) and high-throughput chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) sequencing technologies. The assembled 'D30' genome has a size of 813.54Mb, with a contig N50 of 10.74Mb, a scaffold N50 of 73.07Mb, and a GC content of 35.67%. Genomic evaluation revealed that the 'D30' genome contains 99.2% of Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) and achieves a 29.06 long terminal repeat (LTR) assembly index (LAI). Genome annotation indicated that 'D30' encompasses 431.37Mb of repeat elements (53.02% of the genome) and 37 977 protein-coding genes. Identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions/deletions (indels), and structural variations between 'D30' and the published genome of pigeonpea cultivar 'Asha' suggests that genes affected by these variations may play important roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses. Further investigation of genomic regions under selection highlights genes enriched in starch and sucrose metabolism, with 42.11% of these genes highly expressed in seeds. Finally, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to facilitate the identification of 28 marker-trait associations for six agronomic traits of pigeonpea. Notably, we discovered a calmodulin-like protein (CcCML) that harbors a dominant haplotype associated with the 100-seed weight of pigeonpea. Our study provides a foundational resource for developing genomics-assisted breeding programs in pigeonpea.

Characterizing Dry Pea (Pisum sativum L.) for Improved Nutritional Traits and the Potential for Biofortification

ABSTRACTDry pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a highly nutritious cool season food legume or pulse crop within the Fabaceae family that features high levels of protein (20%–25%), prebiotic carbohydrates, and a range of minerals and vitamins. Dry pea is cultivated globally in temperate climates and consumed as a whole food, snack, or protein powder. Dry pea is featured in plant‐based meat items such as the “beyond” branded plant‐based meats. Dry pea is an excellent candidate for plant‐based protein alternatives due to the high protein and low‐fat concentrations present in the mature seed, but improvements are still needed for more widespread use. Breeding efforts are ongoing to further improve dry pea proteins' quality, quantity, and digestibility through biofortification. Global dry pea germplasm contains a wide array of accessions that are vital for dry pea breeding efforts focused on developing cultivars enriched with the most bioavailable forms of plant‐based proteins. The objective of this review is to summarize prior research exploring the factors that contribute to the nutritional value of the dry pea—especially protein quality and quantity.

Response of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) genotypes for grain yield in a multi-environment trial in Southeastern Ethiopia

Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a key cool-season food legume grown in Ethiopia, particularly in the Southeastern Arsi Zone. Although there is potential for field pea production in the area, adopting new and improved varieties is challenging because local farmers frequently prioritize cereal crops over field peas. To tackle this issue, a study was conducted to identify and promote high-yielding, improved field pea varieties suitable for the Southeastern farming community and similar agro-ecologies. The study focused on assessing the relationship between genotype and environment as well as the stability pattern of 14 advanced field pea genotypes. The genotypes were evaluated in eight environments in two consecutive cropping seasons (2014–2015) in southeast Ethiopia. The study utilized a randomized complete block design consisting of four replications. Various parametric stability analyses were used, including joint regression, additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), and additive main effect and multiplicative interaction stability value (ASV). The grain yield was significantly influenced by genotype, location, and their interactions. The average grain yield ranged from 2809.5 kg ha−1 to 3509.1 kg ha−1. Eberhart's stability analysis identified stable genotypes: G3, G4, and G8, while G14 was unstable. According to additive main effect and multiplicative interaction stability value (ASV) and yield stability index (YSI), genotypes G12 and G13 had very low ASV values, whereas genotype G4 had very low ASV and YSI values. The AMMI and GGE biplot graphs showed that the principal component axes (PC1) and (PC2) accounted for 64.1 % and 61.36 % of the total variation, respectively. The results indicated that genotypes responded differently to environmental conditions and that the environment also influenced genotype performance. Genotypes G4 and G3 consistently performed well and exhibited remarkable stability, making them excellent cultivars for improving field pea productivity.