Legume green manure can intensify the function of chemical nitrogen fertilizer substitution via increasing nitrogen supply and uptake of wheat

Achieving the green development of agriculture requires the reduction of chemical nitrogen(N)fertilizer input.Previous studies have confirmed that returning green manure to the field is an effective measure to improve crop yields while substituting partial chemical N fertilizer.However,it remains unclear how to further intensify the substituting function of green manure and elucidate its underlying agronomic mechanism.In a split-plot field experiment in spring wheat,different green manures returned to the field under reduced chemical N supply was established in an oasis area since 2018,in order to investigate the effect of green manure and reduced N on grain yield,N uptake,N use efficiency(NUE),N nutrition index,soil organic matter,and soil N of wheat in 2020-2022.Our results showed that mixed sown common vetch and hairy vetch can substitute 40%of chemical N fertilizer without reducing grain yield or N accumulation.Noteworthily,mixed sown common vetch and hairy vetch under reduced N by 20%showed the highest N agronomy efficiency and recovery efficiency,which were 92.0%and 46.0%higher than fallow after wheat harvest and conventional N application rate,respectively.The increase in NUE of wheat was mainly attributed to mixed sown common vetch and hairy vetch,which increased N transportation quantity and transportation rate at pre-anthesis,enhanced N harvest index,optimized N nutrition index,and increased activities of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase of leaf,respectively.Meanwhile,mixed sown common vetch and hairy vetch under reduced N by 20%improved soil organic matter and N contents.Therefore,mixed sown common vetch and hairy vetch can substitute 40%of chemical N fertilizer while maintaining grain yield and N accumulation,and it combined with reduced chemical N by 20%or 40%improved NUE of wheat via enhancing N supply and uptake.

Nutritional and Sensory Properties of Penne-Type Pasta Based on Cereals (Oryza sativa (L.), Digitaria exilis, Pennicetum glaucum), Tubers (Ipomoea batata, Manihot esculenta Crantz), and a Legume (Vigna unguiculata (L.))

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional and sensory characteristics of penne-type pasta produced from locally sourced cereals, tubers, and legumes. To achieve this, we formulated four different types of pasta with varying levels of incorporation ranging from 10 to 50% cereals such as millet, fonio, and rice, tubers such as manioc and sweet potato, and legumes such as cowpea. The results showed that the incorporation of local products considerably improved the nutrient content of penne without being rejected by consumers. Sensory analysis showed that the best results were obtained with mixtures of sweet potato, cowpea, and wheat, as well as with rice, manioc, cowpea, and sample wheat. These results are of great importance to manufacturers in a world where developing nutritious and attractive food products is a crucial challenge.

Impact on Soil Organic C and Total Soil N from Cool- and Warm-Season Legumes Used in a Green Manure-Forage Cropping System

Annual forage legumes are important components of livestock production systems in East Texas and the southeastern US. Forage legumes contribute nitrogen (N) to cropping systems through biological N fixation, and their seasonal biomass production can be managed to complement forage grasses. Our research objectives were to evaluate both warm- and cool-season annual forage legumes as green manure for biomass, N content, ability to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil N, and impact on post season forage grass crops. Nine warm-season forage legumes (WSL) were spring planted and incorporated as green manure in the fall. Forage rye (Secale cereale L.) was planted following the incorporation of WSL treatments. Eight cool-season forage legumes (CSL) were fall planted in previously fallow plots and incorporated as green manure in late spring. Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x Sorghum bicolor var. sudanense) was planted over all treatments in early summer after forage rye harvest and incorporation of CSL treatments. Sorghum-sudangrass was harvested in June, August and September, and treatments were evaluated for dry matter and N concentration. Soil cores were taken from each plot, split into depths of 0 to 15, 15 to 30 and 30 to 60 cm, and soil C and N were measured using combustion analysis. Nylon mesh bags containing plant samples were buried at 15 cm and used to evaluate decomposition rate of above ground legume biomass, including change in C and N concentrations. Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. [Wilczek]) had the highest shoot biomass yield (6.24 t DM ha-1) and contributed the most total N (167 kg∙ha-1) and total C (3043 kg∙ha-1) of the WSL tested. Decomposition rate of WSL biomass was rapid in the first 10 weeks and very slow afterward. Winter pea (Pisum sativum L. spp. sativum), arrow leaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi.), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) were the most productive CSL in this trial. Austrian winter pea produced 8.41 t DM ha-1 with a total N yield of 319 kg N ha-1 and total C production of 3835 kg C ha-1. The WSL treatments had only small effects on rye forage yield and N concentration, possibly due to mineralization of N from a large SOC pool already in place. The CSL treatments also had only minimal effects on sorghum-sudangrass forage production. Winter pea, arrow leaf and crimson clover were productive cool season legumes and could be useful as green manure crops. Mungbean and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) were highly productive warm season legumes but may include more production risk in green manure systems due to soil moisture competition.

Legume Green Manure and Intercropping for High Biomass Sorghum Production

Before the advent of cheap, synthetic fertilizers, legumes were commonly used as green manure crops for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N). A three-year study at Overton, TX examined legume integration into high-biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) production systems on a Lilbert loamy fine sand recently cultivated after a fertilized bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] pasture. In this split-split plot design, ‘Dixie’ crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) and ‘Iron and Clay’ cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) were integrated into a high-biomass sorghum production system to evaluate impacts on N concentration, C concentration, and yield of high-biomass sorghum and their impacts on soil total N and soil organic carbon (SOC). Main plots were split into crimson clover green manure (CLGM) and winter fallow (FALL) followed by three sub-plots split into warm-season crop rotations: cowpea green manure (CPGM), cowpea-sorghum intercrop (CPSR), and sorghum monocrop (SORG). Three N fertilizer treatments (0, 45, 90 kg N∙ha−1) were randomized and applied as sub-sub plots. The CLGM increased (P sorghum biomass yield (16.5 t DM∙ha−1) 28% in year three but had no effect in the first two years. The CPSR treatment reduced sorghum yield up to 62% compared to SORG;whereas CPGM increased sorghum yield 56% and 18% the two years following cowpea incorporation. Rate of N fertilizer had no effect on sorghum biomass yield. Decrease in SOC and soil N over time indicated mineralization of organic N and may explain why no N fertilizer response was observed in sorghum biomass yield. Cowpea showed strong potential as a green manure crop but proved to be too competitive for successful intercropping in high-biomass sorghum production systems.

Efficiency of Legumes in Increasing Yam Yield under Sandy Ferrasol in the Forest Zone of Southwestern Côte d’Ivoire

The cropping system is based on traditional farming in rural areas. In this way, yields of some food crops like yam are very low considering their high need for nutrients. The nutrient-rich land is under high land pressure as it is occupied by cash crops such as oil palm and rubber at the expense of food crops and soil fertility is declining. The study was conducted in Grand-Lahou to assess the effect of organic matter provided by legumes in increasing yam yield. The randomized complete block design included four (4) treatments: Arachis hypogaea + yam association (T1), Acacia mangium + yam association (T2), Arachis + Acacia mangium + yam association (T3) and pure yam crop (T0). The parameters measured were: the soil nutrients content, the rate of mineralization of organic matter through the C/N ratio as well as the yield of yam through different techniques that allowed the objective of the study to be achieved. It was noted a slight improvement of nitrogen and organic carbon in all treatments with a higher value recorded in the T2 treatment. The C/N ratio decreased to 12 in all treatments compared to the control, which reflects a normal decomposition of the organic matter. Treatment T1 increased yam yield (8.4 t/ha) in contrast to treatments T2 (4.1 t/ha) and T3 (2.8 t/ha). Legume-based treatments T2 and T3 were associated with a significant decrease in yam yield, resulting in losses of −46.34% to −25.09%, while treatment T1 resulted in a gain of 28.57%. As a result, the treatments involving legumes contributed to normalizing the organic matter content of the soil. The simultaneous association of these two legumes led to a decrease in yam production, contrary to the treatment associating only groundnut.

Application of Principal Component Analysis as Properties and Sensory Assessment Tool for Legume Milk Chocolates

Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to examine the effect of nutritional and bioactive compounds of legume milk chocolate as well as the sensory to document the extend of variations and their significance with plant sources. PCA identified eight significant principle components, that reduce the size of the variables into one principal component in physiochemical analysis interpreting 73.5% of the total variability with/and 78.6% of total variability explained in sensory evaluation. Score plot indicates that Double Bean milk chocolate in-corporated with MOL and CML in nutritional profile have high positive correlations. In nutritional evaluation, carbohydrates and fat content shows negative/minimal correlations whereas no negative correlations were found in sensory evaluation which implies every sensorial variable had high correlation with each other.

Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions Under Maize-Legume Intercropping System in the North China Plain

Many studies have focused on various agricultural management measures to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide （N2O） emission. However, few studies have investigated soil N2O emissions in intercropping systems in the North China Plain. Thus, we conducted a ifeld experiment to compare N2O emissions under monoculture and maize-legume intercropping systems. In 2010, ifve treatments, including monocultured maize （M）, maize-peanut （MP）, maize-alfalfa （MA）, maize-soybean （MS）, and maize-sweet clover （MSC） intercropping were designed to investigate this issue using the static chamber technique. In 2011, M, MP, and MS remained, and monocultured peanuts （P） and soybean （S） were added to the trial. The results showed that total production of N2O from different treatments ranged from （0.87＆#177;0.12） to （1.17＆#177;0.11） kg ha-1 in 2010, while those ranged from （3.35＆#177;0.30） to （9.10＆#177;2.09） kg ha-1 in 2011. MA and MSC had no signiifcant effect on soil N2O production compared to that of M （P＆lt;0.05）. Cumulative N2O emissions from MP in 2010 were signiifcantly lower than those from M, but the result was the opposite in 2011 （P＆lt;0.05）. MS signiifcantly reduced soil N2O emissions by 25.55 and 48.84%in 2010 and 2011, respectively （P＆lt;0.05）. Soil N2O emissions were signiifcantly correlated with soil water content, soil temperature, nitriifcation potential, soil NH4＋, and soil NO3-content （R2=0.160-0.764, P＆lt;0.01）. A stepwise linear regression analysis indicated that soil N2O release was mainly controlled by the interaction between soil moisture and soil NO3-content （R2=0.828, P＆lt;0.001）. These results indicate that MS had a coincident effect on soil N2O lfux and signiifcantly reduced soil N2O production compared to that of M over two growing seasons.

Food legume production in China

Food legumes comprise all legumes grown for human food in China as either dry grains or vegetables,except for soybean and groundnut.China has a vast territory with complex ecological conditions.Rotation,intercropping,and mixed cropping involving pulses are normal cropping systems in China.Whether indigenous or introduced crops,pulses have played an important role in Chinese cropping systems and made an important contribution to food resources for humans since ancient times.The six major food legume species(pea,faba bean,common bean,mung bean,adzuki bean,and cowpea) are the most well-known pulses in China,as well as those with more local distributions;runner bean,lima bean,chickpea,lentil,grass pea,lupine,rice bean,black gram,hyacinth bean,pigeon pea,velvet bean,winged bean,guar bean,sword bean,and jack bean.China has remained the world's leading producer of peas,faba beans,mung beans,and adzuki beans in recent decades,as documented by FAO statistics and China Agriculture Statistical Reports.The demand for food legumes as a healthy food will markedly increase with the improvement of living standards in China.Since China officially joined the World Trade Organization(WTO) in2001,imports of pea from Canada and Australia have rapidly increased,resulting in reduced prices for dry pea and other food legumes.With reduced profits for food legume crops,their sowing area and total production has decreased within China.At the same time,the rising consumer demand for vegetable food legumes as a healthy food has led to attractive market prices and sharp production increases in China.Vegetable food legumes have reduced growing duration and enable flexibility in cropping systems.In the future,production of dry food legumes will range from stable to slowly decreasing,while production of vegetable food legumes will continue to increase.

Plant growth and soil microbial community structure of legumes and grasses grown in monoculture or mixture

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate the in?uence of soil moisture content on plant growth and the rhizosphere microbial community structure of four plant species (white clover, alfalfa, sudan grass, tall fescue), grown individually or in a mixture. The soil moisture content was adjusted to 55% or 80% water holding capacity (WHC). The results indicated that the total plant biomass of one pot was lower at 55% WHC. At a given soil moisture, the total plant biomass of white clover and tall ...

Effects of Plant Age and Rock Phosphate on Quality and Nutrient Release of Legume Residue

An incubation experiment was carried out on plateau and slope fields to investigate the effect of plant age and rock phosphate （RP） on the organic resource （OR） quality and available N and P release of the legume residues, including standing biomass and surface litter. The legumes, Mueuna pruriens （L.） and Lablab purpureus （L.）, were treated with or without Togo rock phosphate （RP） and were sampled at 12, 18, 24 and 30 weeks after planting. Results showed that the application of RP significantly affected the P content of the legume residues on the plateau field for the first 18 weeks, but not the other OR quality parameters, nor their N mineralization, or P release parameters. Although application of RP led to higher P contents in both legumes on the plateau field, the P contents were still far below those observed on the slope field. For both species, the biomass age appeared to have a major impact on their N, P, and polyphenol contents, but not on the liguin content. At 24 weeks, both legume N and P contents dropped to about half their values at 12 weeks of age. Residue age also significantly affected N mineralization both with and without RP addition and the net Olsen-P with RP addition. The younger residues generally led to higher N mineralization and net Olsen-P content than the older residues. The best immediate responses to herbaceous legume addition were expected from younger materials, but often at the cost of the total biomass produced and the possibility to produce seeds. The production of seeds, however, could be potentially implemented on a small area of legumes, thus invariably allowing for maturity and seed production.

Bowman-Birk inhibitors from legumes as colorectal chemopreventive agents

Aberrant functioning of serine proteases in inflammatory and carcinogenic processes within the gastrointestinal tract(GIT)has prompted scientists to investigate the potential of serine protease inhibitors,both natural and synthetic,as modulators of their proteolytic activities.Protease inhibitors of the Bowman-Birk type,a major protease inhibitor family in legume seeds,which inhibit potently and specifically trypsin-and chymotrypsin-like proteases,are currently being investigated as colorectal chemopreventive agents.Physiologically relevant amounts of Bowman-Birk inhibitors(BBI)can reach the large intestine in active form due to their extraordinary resistance to extreme conditions within the GIT.Studies in animal models have proven that dietary BBI from several legume sources,including soybean,pea,lentil and chickpea,can prevent or suppress carcinogenic and inflammatory processes within the GIT.Although the therapeutic targets and the action mechanism of BBI have not yet been elucidated,the emerging evidence suggests that BBI exert their preventive properties via protease inhibition;in this sense,serine proteases should be considered as primary targets in early stages of carcinogenesis.The validation of candidate serine proteases as therapeutic targets together with the identification,within the wide array of natural BBI variants,of the most potent and specific protease inhibitors,are necessary to better understand the potential of this protein family as colorectal chemopreventive agents.

Advantages of Maize-Legume Intercropping Systems

An experiment was conducted during Kharif seasons of 2009 and 2010 on sandy loam soil of West Bengal, India to evaluate the productivity and economic viability of maize ＋ legume intercropping systems in additive as well as in replacement series with different row proportions. Maize （Zea rnays L.） cv. ＂Vijay＂ （composite）, green gram （Vigna radiata L.） cv. ＂Samrat＂, black gram （Vigna mungo L.） cv. ＂Sarada＂, soybean （Glycine max L. Merril） cv. ＂PK 327＂ and peanut （Arachis hypogaea L.） cv. ＂JL 24＂, were tested in monoculture as well as in intercropping situations with 1：1 （additive series） and 1：2 ratios （replacement series）. The result indicated that intercropped legumes improved the yield components of maize and offered some bonus yield. The highest maize grain yield （2,916.28 kg/ha） and maize equivalent yield （4,831.45 kg/ha） were recorded with maize ＋ green gram （1：1） and maize ＋ peanut （1：I）, respectively. The values of all the competition functions were always greater than unity and maize ＋ black gram （1：2） recorded the highest values of land equivalent ratio （1.433）, area time equivalent ratio （1.374） and land equivalent coefficient （0.421）. Maximum monetary advantage （Rs. 10,579.13） was found with maize ＋ green gam （l：1）. Maize ＋ peanut （1：2） combination recorded the highest relative net return （2.01）, net return （Rs. 28,523.08）, benefit-cost ratio （2.76） ad per day return （Rs. 259.30）.

Editorial: Food Legume Diversity and Legume Research Policies

This special issue is focused on grain legumes,which belong to the Fabaceae family.Legumes are the second largest family of plants in the world after the grasses and are key components of manmade and natural ecosystems[1–3].They provide the environmental service of nitrogen fixation,so essential to soil construction and fertility maintenance,and are thus essential to agricultural systems[4,5].Different species of legumes range from huge trees to shrubs

Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Upland Farmland as Affected by Summer Legume Crop Cultivation

A field study was conducted to investigate the effects of leguminous crop cultivation on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from upland agricultural soils. Results demonstrated that N2O emission sequences were that peanut crop> soybean>upland rice in terms of N2O-N flux, being 25.9, 21.2 and 18.4μg/m2·h respectively . While in terms of seasonal emission, the sequence was that soybean > peanut crop > upland rice, being 0.77, 0.70 and 0.55 kg/ha respectively. Results also demonstrated that legume crop treatment emitted much more N2O than non-legume upland rice treatment and that N fertilized treatments emitted more than unfertilized treatments, average N2O-N flux being 25.8 and 17.9μg/m2·h respectively. Legume crop cultivation and N fertilizer, therefore, were one of the important sources of N2O emissions from agricultural fields.

Bio-Morphological Characters of Alien Legume Species, Influencing Their Invasion in Natural Plant Communities

Five alien legume species, actively invading in natural plant communities in European part of Russia, were studied—Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., Galega orientalis Lam., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Amorpha fruticosa L. and Caragana arborescens L. Distribution ranges (considering their invasive status) were mapped. Not a single bio-morphological character to forecast invasion success in natural plant communities within secondary distribution range was found. The data of key value/importance for explaining invasive success of the species studied were obtained. Two hypotheses— Propagule Pressure and Evolution of Invasiveness—were critically analyzed in view of the received data.

Production Performance of Root Systems of Four Forage Legume Species and Their Development Characteristics in Loess Plateau,China

Production performance of four forage legumes species of Medicago sativa,Onobrychis viciifolia,Lotus corniculatus and Galega officinalis were determined,including plant height,above-ground biomass per unit area,tillers per unit area,fertile tillers per unit area,shoot /leaf ratio and fresh /dry matter weight ratio,and the distribution characteristics of their root systems in 0- 100 cm soil layers with 10 cm interval were studied. Results showed that the average aboveground fresh biomass(4 a and 5 a) of four forage legumes species successively were L. corniculatus 】 M. sativa 】 O. viciifolia 】 G. officinalis. The average plant heights in two years successively were O. viciifolia 】 M. sativa 】 G. officinalis 】 L. corniculatus. Tillers per unit area of four forage legume species in two years successively were M. sativa 】 L. corniculatus 】 O. viciifolia 】 G. officinalis. Fertile tillers per unit area in two years were O. viciifolia 】 M. sativa 】 L. corniculatus 】 G. officinalis. Average shoot /leaf ratio in two years were G. officinalis 】 M. sativa 】 O. viciifolia 】 L. corniculatus. Average moisture contents of four forage legume species in two years successively were G. officinalis 】 L. corniculatus 】 M. sativa = O. viciifolia. The distribution characteristics of root systems of four forage legumes species in 0- 100 cm soil layers were as follows: the root weights of M. sativa in 0- 40 cm soil layers accounted for about 98. 3% of total root weight,that of O. viciifolia in 0- 30 cm soil layers was 85. 8%,that of L. corniculatus in 0- 10 cm soil layers was 80%,and that of G. officinalis in 0- 40 cm soil layers was 81. 4%. The results suggested that L. corniculatus was suited to plant in slighter degraded pasture to control water and soil erosion in early stage,G. officinalis with strong lateral roots was adapted to degraded grassland in the Loess Plateau where soil nutrient was poor,while O. viciifolia and M. sativa with potentially strong main root were fit for water and soil conservation in the losses plateau for long term.

Iron and Folate Contents of Tajik Legumes

Seven varieties of Tajik legumes and two Tajik snack type ready-to-eat (RTE) whole/split chickpeas were analyzed for iron in raw and cooked legumes and for naturally occurring folate content in cooked legumes. Iron was measured according to AACC method 40 - 41B. Folate contents were determined by microbiological (Lactobacillus casei subsp. Rhamnosus ATCC 7469) and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis utilizing a tri-enzyme treatment (pro-tease, α-amylase and conjugase). Folate derivatives of tetrahydrofolate, 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyl- -tetrahydrofolate were identified and quantified. Iron content for Tajik legumes ranged from 5.52 to 13.27 mg/100 g for raw;2.81 to 4.12 mg/100 g for cooked and 4.37 and 4.76 mg/100 g for RTE chickpeas. The total folate content of cooked legumes ranged from 53 to 81 μg/100 g for beans;133 to 203 μg/100 g for peas, and from 39 to 22 μg/100 g for small and large lentils, respectively. The predominant form of folate in legumes was tetrahydrofolate, followed by 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate.

The Effect of Supplementation of Different Legume Leaves on Feed Intake, Digestion and Growth of Kacang Goats Given Mulato Grass

The use of Mulato （Brachiaria mulato）, a new improved grass that has currently been introduced in Indonesia, in goats feeding system is lacking. This study aimed to examine the effects of supplementation of different legume leaves on feed intake, digestibility and daily liveweight gain of goats given Mulato grass as the basal diet. Twenty four male Kacang goats of approximately seven months old with initial body weight of 15.85 ± 0.56 （SE） kg were used. The experiment was a randomized block design with four treatments, and each treatment was replicated six times. The goats were randomly distributed into six groups according to their initial body weight rank. The dietary treatments tested were： TI： Mulato grass ad libitum （M）, T2： M ＋ Desmantus pernambucanus leaves （1.5% of body weight/day） （MD）, T3： M ＋ Gliricidia sepium leaves （1.5% of body weight/day） （MG）, and T4： M ＋ Leucaena leucocephala leaves （1.5% of body weight/day） （ML）. The animals were confined in individual metabolic crates during the study, which consisted of two weeks adaptation period and eight weeks measurement period. Parameters measured were feed dry matter intake （DMI）, dry matter digestibility （DMD）, estimated metabolisable energy intake （MEI）, metabolisable energy retention （MER） and daily liveweight gain （DLG）. Results showed that supplementation with different legume leaves to the goats receiving Mulato grass significantly increased （P 〈 0.05） total DMI, DMD, MEI, MER and DLG of the animals. Total DMI for goats treated with TI, T2, T3 and T4 were 3.61%, 3.85%, 3.98% and 3.89% of body weight/day, respectively. Feed DMD for the four treatments were 57.68%, 63.66%, 65.74% and 64.81% for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. DLG were 51.98, 69.84, 84.92 and 75.40 g/day for goats treated with T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. It was concluded that supplementation of legume leaves to Kacang goats fed Mulato grass significantly increased feed DMI, DMD and the animals＇ DLG, but there were no significant differeces among the legume leaves as feed supplements.

Methodological impact of starch determination on starch content and ileal digestibility of starch in grain legumes for growing pigs

Background： Grain legumes represent a valuable energy source in pig diets due to their high starch content. The present study was conducted to determine the content and apparent ileal digestibility（AID） of starch in different grain legume cultivars for pigs by means of both a polarimetric and enzymatic method for starch determination.Methods： Three experiments were conducted with six barrows each which were fitted with ileal T-cannulas. In total, 18 diets including six different cultivars of faba beans（Vicia faba L.） and peas（Pisum sativum L.）, five different cultivars of lupins（Lupinus luteus L., Lupinus angustifolius L.）, and one diet with a soybean meal（SBM） were fed.Results： The starch content of faba beans and peas was greater（P ＆lt; 0.05） when determined polarimetrically than enzymatically（438 vs. 345 g/kg dry matter（DM） in faba beans and 509 vs. 390 g/kg DM in peas, respectively）.Considerable lower starch contents were obtained in lupins and SBM, with 82 and 48 g/kg DM（analyzed polarimetrically） and ＆lt;1.1 and 3 g/kg DM（analyzed enzymatically）, respectively. Mean values for contents of neutral detergent fiber（NDF） and acid detergent fiber（ADF） in grain legumes ranged from 111 and 79 g/kg DM in peas to248 and 207 g/kg DM in lupins, respectively. Contents of condensed tannins in the colored flowered faba bean cultivars ranged from 2.1 to 7.4 g/kg DM. The AID of starch was greater（P ＆lt; 0.05） in pea than in faba bean cultivars,and using the polarimetric starch determination method resulted in greater（P ＆lt; 0.05） digestibility values than using enzymatic starch analysis（84 vs. 80% in faba beans and 86 vs. 83% in peas）. Moreover, AID of starch differed（P ＆lt; 0.05）within pea cultivars and starch digestibility in faba beans decreased linearly（P ＆lt; 0.05） as the content of condensed tannins increased. However, there was no relationship between contents of NDF and ADF and AID of starch in pea and faba bean cultivars.Conclusion： Both contents and AID of starch in grain legumes can vary as influenced by the analytical method used for starch determination. Generally, starch digestibility is greater when measured by polarimetric rather than enzymatic methods.

Phenotypic, Stress Tolerance and Plant Growth Promoting Characteristics of Rhizobial Isolates from Selected Wild Legumes of Semiarid Region, Tirupati, India

Rhizobia are vital for nitrogen input, fertility of soil and legume plant growth. Knowledge on rhizobial diversity from arid and semiarid areas is important for dry land agriculture in the context of climatic change and for economic utilization. This study provides morphological, biochemical, stress tolerance and plant growth promoting characteristics of fifteen rhizobial isolates from the nodules of same number of wild legumes and one isolate from cultivated Arachis hypogea from semi-arid region, Tirupati. The bacterial isolates were confirmed as rhizobia based on colony morphology and biochemical tests. Based on the colour change of YMA-BTB medium, eight isolates were identified as slow growers and six were fast growers. The isolates differed in growth pattern, colony morphology, antibiotic resistance at higher concentrations and uniformity in utilization of carbon and nitrogen sources. The isolates are tolerant to NaCl up to one percent, displayed normal growth at temperatures 28℃ - 30℃, at neutral pH and poor growth at pH 5and 9. The isolates varied in the production of EPS and IAA, positive for phosphate solubilization and siderophore formation. This functional diversity displayed by the isolates can be utilised for the legume crop production by cross inoculation.