Grain legumes are crop plants belonging to the legume family with papilionaceous flowers and pods containing seeds. Most legumes do not need industrial fertilisers thanks to their natural symbiosis with Rhizobium which provides them with organic proteins made directly from atmospheric nitrogen. Grain legumes are cultivated primarly for their seeds which are rich in energy and protein. More...

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All living organisms need nitrogen in one form or another to build cellular constituents necessary for life, but most of them can assimilate only mineral nitrogen. In leguminous plants, a symbiotic relationship between a bacterium (called Rhizobium or Bradyrhizobium) and the plant enables the plant to benefit directly from the air as a source of nitrogen. In this natural Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) process, the bacteria form nodules on the root system and convert the nitrogen in the air (nitrogen gas) into molecules (mineral nitrogen) that can be absorbed by the plant. More...

All species ranged by latin and english name. More...

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Two model legume species, Medicago trucatula and Lotus japonicus have been developed independently and are extremely important for research in the areas of legume genetics and genomics and legume breeding. More...