Evolution of Grain Legumes. II. Old And New World Pulses of Lesser Economic Importance

Abstract

SUMMARYA consideration of the apparent lack of general success of minor pulse crops can lead to a better appreciation of the factors which have made the major pulses successful. The relevant factors are both biological and economic. High productivity based on an efficient physiology, amenability to local agronomic practices and a satisfactory range of ecological tolerance are prime prerequisites for success. Aspects of quality, palatability, lack of toxic factors (or ease of detoxification), ease of preparation and cooking and the more imponderable questions of consumer preference are equally important. If any of these prerequisites are not adequately met success in cultivation is improbable. At the present time the lack of more extensive success of the winged bean appears to be due to some deficiency in ecological tolerance, and of the horse-gram and jack and sword beans to a lack of palatability; the Hausa groundnut (Kersting's groundnut) suffers from a probably inefficient physiology while limited consumer acceptance has possibly restricted production of pigeonpea and hyacinth bean. The rather limited evolutionary advance achieved by this group of pulses is probably directly related to their somewhat restricted production and the relatively low level of selection pressures to which they have been subjected.

Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Marker Assay-Based Genetic Diversity among Dolichos Bean (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet) Advanced Breeding Lines Differing for Productivity per se Traits

“…Dolichos bean is one of the ancient crops widely distributed in Indian subcontinent, Africa, and Southeast Asia (Smartt, 1985), where it has been used as a grain legume and vegetable for more than 3500 years (Fuller, 2003). Despite its wide distribution in the tropics and range of adaptability and diversity, it remains as an important, but underutilized crop in many of these regions (Engle and Altoveros, 2000), as evidenced from limited area planted to this crop and efforts towards its genetic improvement (Ramesh and Byregowda, 2016).…”

Horse gram- an underutilized nutraceutical pulse crop: a review

“…Horse gram mainly grown in India, Africa, Australia, Burma, Malaysia, Mauritius, and the West Indies (Jeswani and Baldev 1990) under low soil fertility status with few inputs (Witcombe et al 2008). It is adapted to wide range of temperature regimes (Smartt 1985) where other crops invariably fail to survive. In India, it is generally sown late in the rainy season by resource-poor farmers in marginal and drought-prone condition.…”

Determining Sources of Diversity in Cultivated and Wild Lablab purpureus Related to Provenance of Germplasm by using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism

“…Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet is an ancient domesticate widely distributed in Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia (NAS 1979;Smartt 1985), where it has been used as a grain legume and vegetable for more than 3500 years (Fuller 2003). To date, it remains an important, but minor, crop in many of these regions (Engle and Altoveros 2000).…”

“…It is also used as animal fodder and green manure in mixed crop-livestock systems (Purseglove 1968) and, over the past 50 years, it has become an important annual forage crop in Australia (English 1999) and the Americas. Despite its wide distribution in the tropics, its adaptability and diversity, L. purpureus is considered a neglected crop with underused potential (NAS 1979;Smartt 1985). However, its capacity to be used as a vegetable, pulse and/or forage crop in tropical regions with humid to semi-arid climates has resulted in re-assessing its potential in tropical farming systems (Pengelly and Lisson 2003).…”