New Delhi: Researchers from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have showcased the advancement in legume genetics to tackle food security and sustainability at the 11th International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics (ICLGG) in Brisbane, Australia. The researchers presented machine-harvestable and disease-resistant chickpeas or kabuli chana, the first pigeonpea (arhar or toor dal) hybrids, and peanuts with high levels of oleic acids. ICRISAT works closely with the agricultural sector to develop food crops that are more resistant to climate change and extreme weather events, are more resilient to diseases and pests, and containing greater nutritional value.
Deputy Director General of Research at ICRISAT, Stanford Blade said, “For more than 50 years, ICRISAT has been at the fore of innovative legume science. As we confront the dual challenge of climate change and a growing global population, our research will play a pivotal role in enhancing global food and nutrition security, while promoting the sustainable management of natural resources.” The delegation from ICRISAT presented research on advances in structural and functional genomics, beneficial symbiosis, the defence mechanisms of plants, the tolerance of crops to abiotic stress, legume evolution and plant metabolism. There valuable insights are expected to drive further research and genetically improve legumes.
Why legumes are important
Legumes are a family of plants that have edible seeds that grow in pods. These include a wide variety of staple food crops around the world including beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts. Legumes form symbiotic relationships with communities of bacteria in the roots, that allow for the use of atmospheric nitrogen as a nutrient. Legumes naturally enrich the soil that they grow in, which significantly reduces the dependence on fertilizers for production. Legumes are also rich sources of plant proteins, are resilient to a range of environmental conditions, and have a much lower water footprint than other sources of proteins. Legumes are also affordable sources of food. The combination of these characteristics make legumes important to meet sustainability goals and ensure food security for all humans on the planet.
