Legume Crops, Importance and Use of Bacterial Inoculation to Increase Production

Introductory Chapter: Characterization and Improvement of Legume Crops

“…Legumes are agriculturally grown flowering plants that are found in most of the archaeological record of plants [1]. Various ecosystems, including rain forests, arctic/alpine regions, and deserts have been colonized by legumes [1,2]. The most two popular flowering plants are Asteraceae and Orchidaceae [1].…”

“…Various ecosystems, including rain forests, arctic/alpine regions, and deserts have been colonized by legumes [1,2]. The most two popular flowering plants are Asteraceae and Orchidaceae [1]. The third in terms of popularity is Leguminosae or Fabaceae with 670-750 genera and 18,000-19,000 species, respectively [1].…”

“…The third in terms of popularity is Leguminosae or Fabaceae with 670-750 genera and 18,000-19,000 species, respectively [1]. Legumes are utilized efficiently as (a) food crops for humans and animals; (b) pulps for paper, wood, and timber manufacturing; (c) sources for fuel and oil production; (d) ornamental plants used as living barriers and firebreaks, among others [3]; and (e) cover crops such as cereals and other staple foods [1]. Additionally, they can be utilized for other purposes including production of massive amounts of organic nitrogen.…”

“…Additionally, they can be utilized for other purposes including production of massive amounts of organic nitrogen. This is because legumes can be intercropped with rhizobia resulting in high yield productivity, soil organic matter improvement, modification of soil osmosis and texture, nutrient reuse, decrease of soil pH and soil pressure, microorganism differentiation, and alleviation of disease problems [1,4]. Furthermore, legumes can produce amounts of organic nitrogen at a slow rate when rotated with cereals.…”

“…Furthermore, legumes can produce amounts of organic nitrogen at a slow rate when rotated with cereals. Such nitrogen produced can be utilized in prospective cropping technologies for improving the production of these crops, recognizing their potential role in promoting better human nutrition and soil health [1,5].…”