ABSTRACT
Legumes are important crops worldwide, having a major impact on agriculture, the environment, animal/human nutrition and health. Legumes can interact symbiotically with specifi c soil-borne bacteria, the rhizobia, which allow the plant to fi x atmospheric nitrogen and may help to protect them against some fungal pathogens (Chakraborty et al. 2003). They constitute a signifi cant source of nitrogen and play an essential role in both the structure of ecosystems and sustainable agriculture. Among the grain crops, grain legumes (also known as pulses or food legumes) rank third in world production behind cereals and oilseeds, and constitute an important dietary component for humans and animals. Pulses are richer in
1Area de Genética, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de León, 240171 León, Spain. ae-mail: ml.ruiz@unileon.es *Corresponding author
protein than cereals and represent an important source of dietary protein, especially when intake from animal or fi sh sources is low or not available. Proteins of grain legumes are generally high in lysine, but low in methionine and cysteine. However, combined with cereals they offer a balanced diet of energy and protein.
