ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses cool season food legumes (CSFL) which are generally considered to comprise four principal species: Cicer arietinum L., Pisum sativum L., Lens culinaris Medikus, and Vicia faba L. Grain legumes or pulses, second only to the cereals in importance as food for humans and livestock, comprise a wide range of genera and species. In subsequent phases of the research, genetic engineering of pea and other CSFLs for resistance to other insect pests is envisaged. The germplasm stocks of CSFLs have been indispensable for insect resistance screening and they are beginning to be searched for new plant defensive traits for potential use in breeding resistant cultivars. The world’s germplasm stocks are likely to become more important as the main supplier of germplasm for insect resistance through both conventional plant breeding and plant biotechnology. Several biological and technological factors constrain the transfer of resistance-conferring genes from wild plants and other nonadapted germplasm to adapted backgrounds.
