Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus): Is there a case for further crop improvement?

Euphytica (2012) 186:647654 DOI 10.1007/s10681-012-0702-4

REVIEW

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus): Is there a case for further crop improvement?

R. J. Hillocks M. N. Maruthi

Received: 28 June 2011 / Accepted: 19 April 2012 / Published online: 8 May 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Abstract An ideal legume for resource-poor farmers, grass pea [Lathyrus sativus] is a drought tolerant crop that thrives with minimal external inputs. It is grown on 1 million ha throughout South Asia, mainly as a relay crop after rice. It is also grown extensively in Ethiopia, where it is an important legume for human consumption. Traditionally used for human consumption and as a source of animal feed, this protein-rich legume is favoured for its excellent avour. There is great potential for an expansion in the utilization of grass pea in drought-prone economies, such as Ethiopia. However, L. sativus produces small quantities of a neurotoxin, b-N-oxalyl L-a-diaminopropanoic acid (ODAP), which, when consumed alone in large quantities, may cause lathyrism, an irreversible paralysis of the legs. Lathyrism is a medical condition closely associated with poverty in rural areas. Despite efforts in some countries to discourage production ofL. sativus, poor farming communities continue to rely on the crop to supplement their meagre diets. As local land races with high toxin levels generally outperform introduced varieties with lower toxin levels, farmers have little option but to continue to grow their locally-adapted varieties. While there has been some success in breeding grass pea lines with low levels of ODAP,

crop improvement programmes are scarce and under-resourced. Facing rising food prices and more frequent natural disasters associated with climate change, we should not neglect the ability of grass pea to provide human and animal feed, under conditions unsuitable for economic production of other legume crops.

Keywords Grass pea Lathyrus sativus

Production Utilization Improvement Markers

Introduction

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a drought-tolerant legume grown on 1 million ha in some of the drier parts of Asia and is also grown extensively in Ethiopia (Tesgaye et al. 2005). In Bangledesh and India the ability of grass pea to establish in water-logged soil makes it an ideal cover crop in paddy rice. Because of its tolerance of harsh conditions, grass pea provides a source of protein when other crops...