Fabales“bean or pea family”.ppt

Fabales“bean or pea family” Family, Fabaceae Old name, Leguminosae 3 subfamilies What is a legume? Ca. 18,000 known species Dicots Distinctive flowers and pods Seeds rich in oil (up to ca. 50%) and protein (e.g., 15-50%) Flowers are bilaterally symmetrical Legume examples Foods peas peanuts soybeans kidney pinto beans green beans fava beans lima beans chick-peas (Garbanzo beans) black-eyed peas lentils Forage alfalfa red clover white clover sweet clovers vetches cowpeas Agroforestry Leguminous trees are important agroforestry species. left, Albizzia alba maintains its green growth through the dry season in Burkina faso, providing fodder for livestock; the residues in the foreground are of millet which is grown during the rainy season. right: Leucaena leucocephala in the Philippines: these trees, less than 2 years old, will be cut to provide firewood. Legumes: The Nitrogen Specialists Free nitrogen gas (N2) + lots of energy yields ammonia (NH3) Catalyzed by the enzyme, nitrogenase, produced by bacteria in root nodules NH3 attached to amino acids, to yield high-N amino acids, proteins, plants Nitrogen fixation N-fixing bacteria (e.g., Rhizobium species) infect roots of legumes induce formation of specialized nodules Process relieves legumes of dependence on available forms of soil nitrogen Ammonium, nitrate Correlates with ‘high protein’ 17-31% Nitrogen fertilizer Energy intensive, from industrial process With increasing energy costs, movement to grow more legumes Soybean “poor man’s meat” cooked to inactivate trypsin inhibitor Far East Liquid: drinks, sauces Powder Curd, cheese Immature plants (Sprouts) West Oil Meal Non-food uses Ink Cosmetics Fabric Biodiesel fuel Soy sauce Fermenting soybeans in brine Soy milk raw soy beans soaked overnight then drained. beans pulverized as boiling water poured over them. resultant mash will have the consistency of mashed potatoes. mash is ladled into boiling water, like dumplings, and allowed to boil gently f