The new generation of legumes is supposed to have a better ability to adapt to a changing climate and at the same time offer growers a higher and sustainable yield, increased resistance and better nutritional properties. According to experts, the current production of legumes in Europe significantly lags behind their potential in the area of population nutrition, in which cereals have long played a vital role. However, their production requires the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers, which has a negative impact on the environment.
Despite the indisputable benefits that leguminous cultivation brings to farmers and final consumers, these agricultural crops currently occupy only two to three percent of the cultivated area in Europe. “This is partly because investment in breeding has been minimal to date. The Legume Generation consortium now wants to change that," said Mária Škrabišová, who leads a research group focused on legume genomics at the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Science, UP.
The international group Legume Generation has already created new structures for cooperation between legume breeders and public research. The pillar of the project is six innovation communities focused on specific types of legumes. Each will combine genetic resources and expertise in data analysis and genomics. In this way, more effective, more accurate - and thus faster breeding is achieved. The research group in Olomouc has extensive experience with soybean genomics, thanks to its long-term cooperation with experts from the USA. “Until now, we have used soybean as a model for analysing genomic data. Our applied genomics strategy has proven to be essential to making breeding more efficient. We have also successfully tested the strategy on other crops such as rice or cotton. Therefore, as part of the Legume Generation project, in addition to soy, we want to support other legumes intended for cultivation in Europe," pointed out Škrabišová.
According to scientists, increasing the production of legumes will help to diversify crop production and at the same time reduce the dependence on nitrogen fertilizers, the current high consumption of which is related to the cultivation of traditional cereals. "At the same time, the increase in the production of legumes for grain for food purposes corresponds well with the growing demand for foods rich in plant proteins," the scientist pointed out.
“Protein contains about 16 percent nitrogen, but most of this chemical element is lost to the environment when protein is used to feed animals. Replacing animal proteins with plant proteins is thus a logical solution to many problems," Škrabišová pointed out. According to her, the large area of fields needed to grow cereals to feed livestock also prevents other uses of the land, such as the restoration of the natural environment. “This directly or indirectly causes changes in land use, which include deforestation. As we have seen recently, our agro-food system dependent on the cultivation of cereals is also vulnerable to nearby and more distant geopolitical conflicts," the scientist added.
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Source: https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/veda-skoly-vedci-z-olomouce-chteji-spolu-se-zahranicnimi-kolegy-urychlit-slechteni-lustenin-40453882
