OAR@ICRISATImproving protein content and nutrition qualityJBurstinauthorKGallardoauthorR RMirauthorR KVarshneyauthorGDucauthorIn most centres of crop domestication, legumes and cereals have been domesticated together (Gepts, 2004). Associated with cereals, legumes constitute the main component of traditional dishes throughout the world, where maize and beans, rice and lentils, barley and peas, wheat and chickpeas are eaten together. Legumes are consumed in many forms: seedling and young leaves are eaten in salads, fresh immature pods and seeds provide a green vegetable, and dry seeds are cooked in various dishes. However, researches have been mainly devoted to the dry seeds. Legume seeds provide an exceptionally varied nutrient profile, including proteins, fibres, vitamins and minerals (Mitchell et al. 2009). Nitrogen that is used by the young seedling during germination is stored in the seed in the form of storage proteins. Seeds contain from 16% to 50% of protein and provide one third of all dietary protein nitrogen (Graham and Vance, 2003). Anticipating the increasing demand for protein food sources, the Protein Advisory Group of the United Nations has identified the improvement of legumes as a critically important area of researchFood Legumes2011CAB InternationalBook Section

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