View source for Legume

{{Short description |Plant in the family Fabaceae}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Various legumes.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|A selection of dried pulses and fresh legumes]]
'''Legumes''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|ɡ|j|uː|m|,_|l|ə|ˈ|ɡ|j|uː|m}}) are plants in the family [[Fabaceae]] (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called '''pulses'''. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, but also as livestock forage and [[silage]], and as soil-enhancing [[green manure]]. Well-known legumes include [[beans]], [[chickpeas]], [[Peanut|peanuts]], [[lentils]], [[lupins]], [[mesquite]], [[carob]], [[tamarind]], [[alfalfa]], and [[clover]]. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a [[Fruit#Simple fruits |simple dry fruit]] that develops from a simple [[carpel]] and usually [[Dehiscence (botany) |dehisces]] (opens along a seam) on two sides.
Most legumes have [[Symbiosis |symbiotic]] [[nitrogen fixation |nitrogen-fixing]] bacteria in structures called [[root nodule]]s. Some of the fixed nitrogen becomes available to later crops, so legumes play a key role in [[crop rotation]].
== Terminology ==
{{See also|Bean#Terminology}}
The term ''pulse'', as used by the United Nations' [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO), is reserved for legume crops harvested solely for the dry seed.<ref name="pulsecanada">{{cite web |title=What is a Pulse? |url=https://pulsecanada.com/pulse/what-is-a-pulse |website=Pulse Canada |access-date=3 March 2022 |ref=pulsecanada |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303174844/https://pulsecanada.com/pulse/what-is-a-pulse |url-status=live}}</ref> This excludes [[green bean]]s and [[Pea |green peas]], which are considered [[vegetable]] crops. Also excluded are seeds that are mainly grown for oil extraction ([[oilseed]]s like [[soybean]]s and [[peanut]]s),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oilseed Crops - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/oilseed-crops |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}</ref> and seeds which are used exclusively for sowing [[forage]] ([[clover]]s, [[alfalfa]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forage Crops - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/forage-crops |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}</ref> However, in common usage, these distinctions are not always clearly made, and many of the varieties used for dried pulses are also used for green vegetables, with their beans in pods while young.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boston |first1=677 Huntington Avenue |last2=Ma 02115 +1495‑1000 |date=2019-10-28 |title=Legumes and Pulses |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/legumes-pulses/ |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=The Nutrition Source |language=en-us |archive-date=2022-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421110226/https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/legumes-pulses/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Some Fabaceae, such as [[Cytisus scoparius |Scotch broom]] and other [[Genisteae]], are leguminous but are usually not called legumes by farmers, who tend to restrict that term to food crops.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leguminous Plant Puns {{!}} A list of puns related to "Leguminous Plant" |url=https://punstoppable.com/leguminous-plant-puns |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=punstoppable.com}}</ref>
The FAO recognizes 11 primary pulses, excluding green vegetable legumes (e.g. green peas) and legumes used mainly for oil extraction (e.g., soybeans and groundnuts) or used only as seed (e.g., clover and alfalfa).<ref name="FAODEF">{{cite web |date=1994 |title=Pulses and Derived Products |url=http://www.fao.org/es/faodef/fdef04e.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207071652/http://www.fao.org/es/faodef/fdef04e.htm |archive-date=2015-12-07 |access-date=2018-07-22 |work=Definition and Classification of Commodities |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]}}</ref>
# Dry beans (FAOSTAT code 0176, ''[[Phaseolus]]'' spp. including several species now in ''[[Vigna]]'')
#* [[Kidney bean]], [[navy bean]], [[pinto bean]], [[black turtle bean]], haricot bean (''[[Phaseolus vulgaris]]'')
#* [[Lima bean]], butter bean (''[[Phaseolus lunatus]]'')
#* [[Adzuki bean]], azuki bean (''[[Vigna angularis]]'')
#* [[Mung bean]], golden gram, green gram (''[[Vigna radiata]]'')
#* [[Urad (bean) |Black gram]], urad (''[[Vigna mungo]]'')
#* [[Scarlet runner bean]] (''Phaseolus coccineus'')
#* [[Ricebean]] (''Vigna umbellata'')
#* [[Moth bean]] (''Vigna aconitifolia'')
#* [[Tepary bean]] (''Phaseolus acutifolius'')
# Dry [[Vicia faba |broad beans]] (code 0181, ''Vicia faba'')
#* Horse bean (''Vicia faba equina'')
#* Broad bean (''Vicia faba'')
#* Field bean (''Vicia faba'')
# Dry peas (code 0187, ''Pisum'' spp.)
#* [[Pea |Garden pea]] (''Pisum sativum'' var. ''sativum'')
#* Protein pea (''Pisum sativum'' var. ''arvense'')
# [[Chickpea]], garbanzo, Bengal gram (code 0191, ''Cicer arietinum'')
# Dry [[cowpea]], [[black-eyed pea]], blackeye bean (code 0195, ''Vigna unguiculata'')
# [[Pigeon pea]], Arhar/Toor, cajan pea, Congo bean, gandules (code 0197, ''Cajanus cajan'')
# [[Lentil]] (code 0201, ''Lens culinaris'')
# [[Bambara groundnut]], earth pea (code 0203, ''Vigna subterranea'')
# [[Vetch]], common vetch (code 0205, ''Vicia sativa'')
# [[Lupin]]s (code 0210, ''Lupinus'' spp.)
# Pulses NES (code 0211), Minor pulses, including:
#* Lablab, hyacinth bean (''[[Lablab purpureus]]'')
#* Jack bean (''[[Canavalia ensiformis]]''), sword bean (''[[Canavalia gladiata]]'')
#* Winged bean (''[[Psophocarpus tetragonolobus]]'')
#* Velvet bean, cowitch (''[[Mucuna pruriens]] var. utilis'')
#* Yam bean (''[[Pachyrhizus erosus]]'')
== Distribution ==
Legumes are widely distributed as the third-largest [[land plant]] family in terms of number of species, behind only the [[Orchidaceae]] and [[Asteraceae]], with about 751 [[genera]] and some 19,000 known species,<ref name="Christenhusz-Byng2016">{{cite journal |last1=Christenhusz |first1=M.J. |last2=Byng |first2=J.W. |year=2016 |title=The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase |journal=Phytotaxa |publisher=Magnolia Press |volume=261 |issue=3 |pages=201–17 |doi=10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Stevens 2001">{{cite journal |last=Stevens |first=P.F. |title=Fabaceae |url=http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/orders/fabalesweb.htm#Fabaceae |url-status=live |journal=Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 7 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020512040017/http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/orders/fabalesweb.htm#Fabaceae |archive-date=12 May 2002 |access-date=28 April 2008}}</ref> constituting about seven percent of flowering plant species.<ref name="Judd2002">{{cite book |last=Judd |first=Walter S. |author-link=Walter Stephen Judd |url=https://archive.org/details/plantsystematics0002unse/page/287 |title=Plant systematics: a phylogenetic approach |publisher=Sinauer Associate |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-87893-403-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/plantsystematics0002unse/page/287 287–92] |display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref name="Magallónsperm">{{cite journal |last1=Magallón |first1=S. |last2=Sanderson |first2=M.J. |date=September 2001 |title=Absolute diversification rates in angiosperm clades |journal=Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution |volume=55 |issue=9 |pages=1762–80 |doi=10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00826.x |pmid=11681732 |s2cid=38691512 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
== Ecology ==
=== Nitrogen fixation ===
{{main|Nitrogen fixation|Green manure|Fertilizer tree}}
[[File:Soil fertility - nitrogen fixation by root nodules on Wistaria roots, with hazelnut to show size.JPG |thumb |Root nodules on a ''[[Wisteria]]'' plant (a [[hazelnut]] pictured for comparison) |189x189px]]
Many legumes contain [[symbiosis |symbiotic]] bacteria called ''[[Rhizobia]]'' within [[root nodule]]s of their [[root |root systems]] (plants belonging to the genus ''[[Styphnolobium]]'' are one exception to this rule). These bacteria have the special ability of [[nitrogen fixation |fixing nitrogen]] from atmospheric, molecular nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>) into [[ammonia]] (NH<sub>3</sub>).<ref>{{cite web |last=Deacon |first=Jim |title=The Nitrogen cycle and Nitrogen fixation |url=http://archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon/microbes/nitrogen.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316145133/http://archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon/microbes/nitrogen.htm |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=March 1, 2015 |publisher=Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Edinburgh}}</ref> The chemical reaction is:
:{{chem2 |N2 + 8 H+ + 8 e- -> 2 NH3 + H2}}
Ammonia is converted to another form, [[ammonium]] ({{chem2 |NH4+}}), usable by (some) plants by the following reaction:
:{{chem2 |NH3 + H+ -> NH4+}}
This arrangement means that the root nodules are sources of nitrogen for legumes, making them relatively rich in [[plant proteins]]. All proteins contain nitrogenous [[amino acid]]s. Nitrogen is therefore a necessary [[ingredient]] in the production of proteins. Hence, legumes are among the best sources of plant protein.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
When a legume plant dies in the field, for example following the [[harvest]], all of its remaining nitrogen, incorporated into [[amino acid]]s inside the remaining plant parts, is released back into the soil. In the soil, the amino acids are converted to nitrate ({{chem2 |NO3-}}), making the nitrogen available to other plants, thereby serving as fertilizer for future crops.<ref>{{cite book |last=Postgate |first=John |title=Nitrogen Fixation |date=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-64853-0 |edition=3rd}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Smil |first=Vaclav |title=Cycles of Life |publisher=Scientific American Library |year=2000}}</ref>
[[File:Nitrogen Cycle.jpg |thumb |upright=1.75 |Legumes play a key role in the [[nitrogen cycle]], making nitrates available to other plants in the soil.]]
In many traditional and [[organic farming]] practices, [[crop rotation]] or [[polyculture]] involving legumes is common. By alternating between legumes and non-legumes, or by growing both together for part of the growing season, the field can receive a sufficient amount of nitrogenous compounds to produce a good result without adding nitrogenous fertilizer. Legumes are often used as [[green manure]].{{cn|date=September 2024}}
Sri Lanka developed the [[polyculture]] practice known as coconut-soybean [[intercropping]]. Grain legumes are grown in coconut (''Cocos nuficera'') groves in two ways: intercropping or as a cash crop. These are grown mainly for their protein, vegetable oil and ability to uphold soil fertility.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Soybean in tropical and subtropical cropping systems : proceedings of a symposium Tsukuba, Japan, 26 September – 1 October 1983 |publisher=Shanhua, Taiwan : Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center |year=1986 |isbn=92-9058-022-4<!-- per https://worldveg.tind.io/record/1600/ --> |pages=57 |oclc=475699754 |id=AVRDC No.86253}}</ref> However, continuous cropping after 3–4 years decrease grain yields significantly.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shanmugasundaram |first=S |title=Vegetable soybean : research needs for production and quality improvement ; proceedings of a workshop held at Kenting, Taiwan, 29 April – 2 May 1991 |publisher=Taipei : The Center |year=1991 |isbn=929058047X |pages=59}}</ref>
=== Pests and diseases ===
A common pest of grain legumes that is noticed in the tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa, Australia and Oceania are minuscule flies that belong to the family ''[[Agromyzidae]]'', dubbed "bean flies". They are considered to be the most destructive. The host range of these flies is very wide amongst cultivated legumes. Infestation of plants starts from germination through to harvest, and they can destroy an entire crop in early stage.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goot |first=P.van der |title=Agromyzid flies of some native legume crops in Java |publisher=Shanhua, Taiwan : Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center |year=1984 |isbn=92-9058-006-2}}</ref> [[Black bean aphid]]s are a serious pest to broad beans and other beans. Common hosts for this pest are fathen, thistle and dock. [[Pea weevil]] and [[bean weevil]] damage leaf margins leaving characteristics semi-circular notches. [[Stem nematode]]s are very widespread but will be found more frequently in areas where host plants are grown.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pest and disease control on legumes, onions, leeks, outdoor salad crops and minor vegetables. |publisher=Alnwick : Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ADAS |year=1984 |location=Great Britain |pages=11–13}}</ref>
Common legume diseases include [[anthracnose]], caused by ''[[Colletotrichum trifolii]]''; [[common leaf spot]] caused by ''[[Pseudomonas syringae]] pv. syringae''; [[crown wart]] caused by ''[[Physoderma alfalfae]]''; [[downy mildew]] caused by ''[[Peronospora trifoliorum]]''; [[fusarium root rot]] caused by ''[[Fusarium]]'' spp.; rust caused by ''[[Uromyces striatus]]''; [[sclerotina crown]] and stem rot caused by ''[[Sclerotinia trifoliorum]]''; [[Southern blight]] caused by ''[[Sclerotium rolfsii]]''; pythium (browning) [[root rot]] caused by ''[[Pythium]]'' spp.; [[fusarium wilt]] caused by ''[[Fusarium oxysporum]]''; [[root knot]] caused by ''[[Meloidogyne hapla]]''. These are all classified as biotic problems.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nyvall |first=Robert F |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldcropdisease0000nyva/page/9 |title=Field crop diseases handbook |publisher=Series: AVI sourcebook and handbook series |year=1979 |isbn=0-87055-336-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fieldcropdisease0000nyva/page/9 9–22] |url-access=registration}}</ref>
Abiotic problems include nutrient deficiencies, (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese, boron, zinc), pollutants (air, water, soil, pesticide injury, fertilizer burn), toxic concentration of minerals, and unfavorable growth conditions.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sherf |first1=Arden F. |title=Vegetable diseases and their control |last2=Macnab |first2=Alan A. |publisher=New York : J. Wiley |year=1986 |isbn=0-471-05860-2 |edition=Second |pages=79–82}}</ref>
== Storage ==
Seed viability decreases with longer storage time. Studies done on [[vetch]], [[broad bean]]s, and peas show that they last about 5 years in storage. Environmental factors that are important in influencing germination are relative humidity and temperature. Two rules apply to moisture content between 5 and 14 percent: the life of the seed will last longer if the storage temperature is reduced by 5 degree Celsius. Secondly, the storage moisture content will decrease if temperature is reduced by 1 degree Celsius.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Cereal and grain-legume seed processing : technical guidelines. |publisher=Rome : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=1981 |isbn=92-5-100980-5 |location=Rome |pages=43}}</ref>
== Uses ==
[[File:Pulse in Nanglo.jpg |thumb |Pulses in a [[Nanglo]] tray]]
Cultivated legumes encompass a diverse range of [[Agriculture |agricultural]] classifications, spanning [[forage]], [[grain]], flowering, pharmaceutical/industrial, fallow/green manure, and timber categories. A notable characteristic of many commercially cultivated legume species is their versatility, often assuming multiple roles concurrently. The extent of these roles is contingent upon the stage of maturity at which they are harvested.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
=== Human consumption ===
[[File:Peanut 9417.jpg |thumb |Freshly dug [[peanut]]s (''Arachis hypogaea''), [[indehiscent]] legume fruits]]
Grain legumes are cultivated for their seeds,<ref name="crops">{{cite web |title=List of Grain Legumes or Pulses |url=https://www.cropsreview.com/grain-legumes.html |website=CropsReview.Com |date=25 August 2021 |access-date=19 February 2019 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716073414/https://www.cropsreview.com/grain-legumes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> for humans and animals to eat, or for oils for industrial uses. Grain legumes include [[bean]]s, [[lentil]]s, [[lupin]]s, [[pea]]s, and [[peanut]]s.<ref>{{cite book |veditors=Kurlovich BS, Repyev SI |title=The Gene Bank and Breeding of Grain Legumes (lupine, vetch, soya and bean). |series=Theoretical basis of plant breeding |date=1995 |location=St. Petersburg |publisher=N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry |pages=438 |volume=111 }}</ref>
Legumes are a key ingredient in vegan meat and dairy [[Meat analogue|substitutes]]. They are growing in use as a plant-based protein source in the world marketplace.<ref name="sc-australian">{{Cite web |last=Nicholas |first=Lorna |date=2020-05-18 |title=Wide Open Agriculture enters multi-billion-dollar plant-based protein market |url=https://smallcaps.com.au/wide-open-agriculture-enters-multi-billion-dollar-plant-based-protein-market/ |access-date=2021-02-27 |website=Small Caps}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-06 |title=Full of beans: Pulses come with flavor challenge |url=https://www.fooddive.com/news/full-of-beans-pulses-come-with-flavor-challenge/439604/ |access-date=2021-03-08 |website=Food Dive}}</ref> Products containing legumes grew by 39% in Europe between 2013 and 2017.<ref name="eu-growth">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=George |date=2018-02-13 |title=Pulse raising: Grain legume market grows by 37 per cent in Europe - Meat substitutes have helped drive soaring market interest in pulses, or grain legumes, across Europe, a recent study has found. |url=https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/64600/legume-market-grows-37-per-cent/ |access-date=2021-03-08 |website=New Food Magazine}}</ref>
There is a [[List of common misconceptions|common misconception]] that adding salt before cooking prevents them from cooking through. Legumes may not soften because they are old, or because of [[hard water]] or [[acid]]ic ingredients in the pot; salting before cooking results in better [[seasoning]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Clay |first=Xanthe |date=March 13, 2022 |title=Everything you need to know about cooking pulses |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/everything-need-know-cooking-pulses/ |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Melissa |title=How to Cook Beans |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/21-how-to-cook-beans |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240118223035/https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/21-how-to-cook-beans |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
==== Nutritional value ====
Legumes are a significant source of [[Protein (nutrient) |protein]], [[dietary fiber|dietary fibre]], [[carbohydrate]]s, and [[dietary minerals]]; for example, a 100 gram serving of cooked [[chickpea]]s contains 18 percent of the [[Daily Value]] (DV) for protein, 30 percent DV for dietary fiber, 43 percent DV for [[folate]] and 52 percent DV for [[manganese]].<ref name="nd">{{cite web |url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2 |title=Nutrition facts for Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, 100 g, USDA Nutrient Database, version SR-21 |publisher=Conde Nast |date=2014 |access-date=15 January 2015 |archive-date=5 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205034610/https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Legumes are an excellent source of [[resistant starch]]; this is broken down by [[gut flora |bacteria]] in the [[large intestine]] to produce [[short-chain fatty acid]]s (such as [[butyrate]]) used by intestinal cells for [[food energy]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Birt |first=Diane F. |last2=Boylston |first2=Terri |last3=Hendrich |first3=Suzanne |last4=Jane |first4=Jay-Lin |last5=Hollis |first5=James |last6=Li |first6=Li |last7=McClelland |first7=John |last8=Moore |first8=Samuel |last9=Phillips |first9=Gregory J. |last10=Rowling |first10=Matthew |last11=Schalinske |first11=Kevin |last12=Scott |first12=M. Paul |last13=Whitley |first13=Elizabeth M. |display-authors=6 |title=Resistant Starch: Promise for Improving Human Health |journal=Advances in Nutrition |volume=4 |issue=6 |date=2013 |pmid=24228189 |pmc=3823506 |doi=10.3945/an.113.004325 |pages=587–601}}</ref>
=== Forage ===
[[File:TrifoliumRepensFlowers.jpg |thumb |White [[clover]], a forage crop]]
Forage legumes are of two broad types. Some, like [[alfalfa]], [[clover]], vetch (''[[Vicia]]''), stylo (''[[Stylosanthes]]''), or ''[[Arachis]]'', are sown in [[pasture]] and grazed by livestock. Others, such as ''[[Leucaena]]'' or ''[[Albizia]]'', are woody shrubs or trees that are either broken down by livestock or regularly cut by humans to provide fodder. Legume-based feeds improve animal performance over a diet of perennial grasses. Factors include larger consumption, faster digestion, and higher [[feed conversion rate]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Biological N Function in Forage livestock systems |publisher=American Society of Agronomy |year=1976 |isbn=089118046X |page=42}}</ref>
The type of crop grown for animal rearing depends on the farming system. In cattle rearing, legume trees such as ''[[Gliricidia sepium]]'' can be planted along edges of fields to provide shade for cattle, the leaves and bark are often eaten by cattle. Green manure can be grown between harvesting the main crop and the planting of the next crop.<ref>{{cite book |title=Methodologies for screening soil-improving legumes |last=Sarrantonio |first=Marianne |location=Kutztown, Pennsylvania |publisher=Rodale Institute |year=1991 |isbn=0-87857-989-3 |pages=15}}</ref>
===Other uses===
[[File:Flower garden in Ushuaia (5542996965).jpg |thumb |right |[[Lupin]] flower garden]]
Legume species grown for their flowers include [[lupin]]s, which are farmed commercially for their blooms as well as being popular in gardens worldwide. Industrially farmed legumes include ''[[Indigofera]]'' and ''[[Acacia]]'' species, which are cultivated for [[dye]] and [[natural gum]] production, respectively. [[Fallow]] or [[green manure]] legume species are cultivated to be tilled back into the soil in order to exploit the high levels of captured atmospheric nitrogen found in the roots of most legumes. Numerous legumes farmed for this purpose include ''[[Leucaena]]'', ''[[Cyamopsis]]'', and ''[[Sesbania]]'' species. Various legume species are farmed for timber production worldwide, including numerous ''[[Acacia]]'' species and ''[[Castanospermum australe]]''.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
Some legume trees, like the [[honey locust]] (''[[Gleditsia]]'') can be used in [[agroforestry]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Gleditsia triacanthos'' (honey locust) |url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/25272 |access-date=10 September 2022 |publisher=CABI |date=10 December 2019}}</ref> Others, including the [[Robinia pseudoacacia |black locust]] (''[[Robinia pseudoacacia]]''),<ref>{{cite web |title=Are black locust trees toxic? |url=https://www.poison.org/articles/are-black-locust-trees-toxic-221 |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=www.poison.org |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910173026/https://www.poison.org/articles/are-black-locust-trees-toxic-221 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Kentucky coffeetree]] (''[[Kentucky coffeetree |Gymnocladus dioicus]]''),<ref>{{cite web |title=Kentucky coffeetree {{!}} Department of Horticulture |url=https://www.uky.edu/hort/Kentucky-Coffeetree |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=www.uky.edu |archive-date=2022-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001022031/https://www.uky.edu/hort/Kentucky-Coffeetree |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Laburnum]],''<ref>{{cite web |title=Laburnum anagyroides (Common Laburnum, Golden Chain Tree, Golden Rain Tree) |website=North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/laburnum-anagyroides/ |access-date=2022-09-10 |archive-date=2022-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910173026/https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/laburnum-anagyroides/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the woody climbing vine ''[[Wisteria]]'', have [[poison]]ous elements.
== History ==
[[Neanderthal]]s and [[early modern humans]] used wild pulses when cooking meals 70,000 to 40,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hunt |first1=Katie |date=2022-11-22 |title=Neanderthals cooked meals with pulses 70,000 years ago |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/world/prehistoric-diets-plants-neanderthals-scn/index.html |work=cnn.com}}</ref> Traces of pulse production have been found around the [[Ravi River]] ([[Punjab (region) |Punjab]]), the seat of the [[Indus Valley civilisation]], from {{circa}} 3300 BC. Meanwhile, evidence of lentil cultivation has also been found in Egyptian [[Pyramid |pyramids]] and [[cuneiform]] [[recipe]]s.<ref name="Albala2007">{{cite book |last=Albala |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Albala |title=Beans: A History |publisher=[[Berg Publishers]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-85785-078-2 |location=New York |page=18 |chapter=Lentils: Fertile Crescent |quote=The earliest culinary texts to have survived are in the form of three cuneiform tablets dated to about 1600 BCE. ... [T]ucked away among a series of porridges there is one recipe for husked lentils ... [I]n any case it is the very oldest explicit legume recipe on earth. ... The Egyptians also used lentils as funerary offerings and in meals to feed the dead in the underworld. Large stores were found beneath Zoser's pyramid |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hTBv607RId8C&pg=PT18}}</ref> Dry pea seeds have been discovered in a Swiss village that are believed to date back to the [[Stone Age]]. Archaeological evidence suggests that these peas must have been grown in the eastern Mediterranean and [[Mesopotamia]]n regions at least 5,000 years ago and in Britain as early as the 11th century.<ref name="b1">{{cite book |last=Chaudhry |first=Mat |title=Green Gold: Value-added pulses |publisher=Quantum Media |isbn=1-61364-696-8}}</ref> The soybean was domesticated around 5,000 years ago in China from a descendant of the wild vine ''Glycine soja.''<ref>{{cite journal |last=Jeong |first=Soon-Chun |last2=Moon |first2=Jung-Kyung |last3=Park |first3=Soo-Kwon |last4=Kim |first4=Myung-Shin |last5=Lee |first5=Kwanghee |last6=Lee |first6=Soo Rang |last7=Jeong |first7=Namhee |last8=Choi |first8=Man Soo |last9=Kim |first9=Namshin |last10=Kang |first10=Sung-Taeg |last11=Park |first11=Euiho |display-authors=6 |date=2019 |title=Genetic diversity patterns and domestication origin of soybean |journal=Theoretical and Applied Genetics |volume=132 |issue=4 |pages=1179–1193 |doi=10.1007/s00122-018-3271-7 |issn=0040-5752 |pmc=6449312 |pmid=30588539}}</ref>
The oldest-known domesticated beans in the Americas were found in [[Guitarrero Cave]], an archaeological site in [[Peru]], and dated to around the second millennium BCE.<ref name="Chazan">{{cite book |last=Chazan |first=Michael |title=World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time |publisher=Pearson Education, Inc. |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-205-40621-0}}</ref> Genetic analyses of the common bean ''Phaseolus'' show that it originated in [[Mesoamerica]], and subsequently spread southward, along with [[maize]] and squash, traditional companion crops.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bitocchi |first1=Elena |last2=Nanni |first2=Laura |last3=Bellucci |first3=Elisa |last4=Rossi |first4=Monica |last5=Giardini |first5=Alessandro |last6=Zeuli |first6=Pierluigi Spagnoletti |last7=Logozzo |first7=Giuseppina |last8=Stougaard |first8=Jens |last9=McClean |first9=Phillip |last10=Attene |first10=Giovanna |last11=Papa |first11=Roberto |date=3 April 2012 |title=Mesoamerican origin of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is revealed by sequence data |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=14 |pages=E788–E796 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1108973109 |pmc=3325731 |pmid=22393017 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In the United States, the domesticated soybean was introduced in 1770 by [[Benjamin Franklin]] after he sent seeds to Philadelphia from France.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lazor |first=Jack |title=The Organic Grain Grower |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-60358-365-7 |location=White River Junction,Vermont |pages=299}}</ref>
=== International Year of Pulses ===
{{main |International Year of Pulses}}
[[File:Pulses for Sale in Market - Darjeeling - West Bengal - India (12431603075).jpg |thumb |Pulses for sale in a [[Darjeeling]] market]]
The International Year of Pulses 2016 was declared by the [[Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly]].<ref name="iyp">{{cite web |title=The International Year of Pulses |url=https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F68%2F231&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fevents%2Fobservances%2Fyears.shtml&Lang=E |publisher=United Nations |access-date=14 December 2015 |archive-date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128184349/https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F68%2F231&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fevents%2Fobservances%2Fyears.shtml&Lang=E |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]] was nominated to facilitate the implementation of the year in collaboration with governments, relevant organizations, non-governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders. Its aim was to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of [[sustainable food systems |sustainable food]] production aimed towards [[food security]] and [[nutrition]]. The year created an opportunity to encourage connections throughout the food chain that would better use pulse-based proteins, further global production of pulses, better use [[Crop rotation |crop rotations]] and address challenges in the global trade of pulses.<ref name=iyp/><ref name="fao">{{cite web |title=International Year of Pulses 2016 – IYP2016 |url=http://www.fao.org/pulses-2016/en/ |access-date=14 December 2015 |archive-date=6 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206083417/http://www.fao.org/pulses-2016/en/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Legume lectin]]
* [[List of dried foods]]
* [[List of legume dishes]]
* [[Peanut allergy]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Further reading ==
* {{cite web |publisher=[[NHS Choices]] |title=Pulses |access-date=January 9, 2017 |url=http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/pulses.aspx |date=April 30, 2013 |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126223158/http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/pulses.aspx |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Varshney |first1=R.K. |last2=Kudapa |first2=H. |title=Legume biology: the basis for crop improvement. |journal=Functional Plant Biology |date=December 2013 |volume=40 |issue=12 |pages=v–iii |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |doi=10.1071/FPv40n12_FO |pmid=32481187 |doi-access=free |ref=none}}
== External links ==
* {{wiktionary inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline |Legumes}}
{{fruits}}
{{Vegetarianism}}
{{Plant-based diets}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Legumes |Legumes ]]
[[Category:Fruit morphology]]
[[Category:Staple foods]]
[[Category:Vegetables]]
[[Category:Vegetarian cuisine]]