ABSTRACT
Grain legumes will have an increasing role in agriculture in both less developed and developed regions of the world. A major reason for this prediction is that grain legumes can fulfil several roles: they can be an immediate seed crop for consumption or marketing, a means to increase soil fertility as a result of its nutrient-rich residues, and a key component of livestock feed. In many cropping systems, grain legumes are likely to be needed to fulfil all three roles of increased seed yield, enhanced soil fertility, and cattle feed (Sinclair and Vadez, 2012). A potential constraint on their use is their response to drought in the more arid conditions predicted in some parts of the world due to climate change (Chaves et al., 2002; Hulme, 2005).
