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Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a Neolithic plant that has survived millennia of cultivation and has spread over three continents. It is a robust legume crop that is considered one of the most resilient to climate changes and to be survival food during drought-triggered famines. The hardy penetrating root system allows the cultivation of grass pea in various soil types, including marginal ones. As an efficient nitrogen fixer, it meets its own nitrogen requirements and positively benefits subsequent crops. However, already in ancient India and Greece, overconsumption of the seeds and a crippling neurological disorder, later coined neurolathyrism, had been linked. Overemphasis of their suspected toxic properties has led to disregard the plant’s exceptionally positive agronomic properties and dietary advantages. In normal socio-economic and environmental situations, in which grass pea is part of a balanced diet, neurolathyrism is virtually non-existent. The etiology of neurolathyrism has been oversimplified and the deficiency in methionine in the diet has been overlooked. In view of the global climate change, this very adaptable and nutritious orphan crop deserves more attention. Grass pea can become a wonder crop if the double stigma on its reputation as a toxic plant and as food of the poor can be disregarded. Additionally, recent research has exposed the potential of grass pea as a health-promoting nutraceutical. Development of varieties with an improved balance in essential amino acids and diet may be relevant to enhance the nutritional value without jeopardizing the multiple stress tolerance of this promising crop.

Grass pea ( Lathyrus sativus L.) stands out as an excellent choice for sustainable agriculture, thanks to its favorable agronomic characteristics, including a robust root system that penetrates deeply into the soil and its resilience against various biotic and abiotic stressors. In this study, dry-matter yield and seed yield of 16 grass pea genotypes were evaluated in rain-fed conditions at “Gachsaran”, “Mehran”, “Kuhdasht”, and “Shirvan-Chardavol” locations in Iran for three consecutive years. The experimental field trials were carried out using a randomized complete block design, and each experimental setup was replicated three times. The descriptive statistics showed a mean value of 4.030 (ton/ha) and 1.530 (ton/ha), with phenotypic coefficients of 54.77 and 61.56 for dry-matter yield and seed yield, respectively. The projection of geographical, climatic, and edaphic variables into yield measurements depicted remarkable divergence among the four studied environments. Elevation exerts a greater influence on both dry matter and seed yields in the Mehran location as compared to other environments. The climatic factors of rainfall and relative humidity played an important role in “Gachsaran” and “Shirvan-Chardavol”, respectively. While for seed yield, the temperature-related attributes were more significant in the “Mehran” location. Low broad-sense heritability was observed, and the R 2 for genotype-environment interaction showed the existence of GEI for dry-matter yield (0.126) and seed yield (0.223). Both AMMI1 and AMMI2 could recognize unstable genotypes from other ones, and both AMMI’s identified genotypes G10 and G3 as high-yielding and stable genotypes. BLUP-based stability indices revealed G10 and G13 as superior genotypes for seed yield and dry-matter yield, respectively. Three and two mega-environments were identified using a GGE biplot for dry-matter yield and seed yield. For dry-matter-identified mega-environments, the G1, G13, and G2, and for seed-yield-recognized mega-environments, the G10 and G15 can be introduced. “Mehran” and “Gachsaran” out of the studied locations possessed diverse distributions considering dry-matter yield and seed yield and for further GE interaction studies, it is better to establish adaptability trials in these locations. The study concludes that for the promotion of sustainable agriculture in rain-fed regions, taking into account the influence of environmental factors, cultivation of the identified grass pea genotypes holds promise.

Rain-fed regions have a low quantity of rainfall with an asymmetric distribution. Therefore, by promoting plants like Lathyrus sativus L., as a legume adapted to unfavorable environments, genotypes with high fodder capacity under such conditions would assist food security worldwide. Here, 16 grass pea genotypes were examined in four rain-fed regions during 2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2018–2019. Dry fodder yield (DY), plant height (PH), days to flowering (DF), and wet fodder yield (WY) were recorded across 12 test environments. Regarding MLM analysis of variance, LRT ENV and LRT ENV×GEN were significant for all studied traits. Phenotypic variance ranged between 1.42 (DY) to 86.9 (PH). Results showed the possibility of grass pea improvement through selection regarding calculated accuracy of selection (> 0.5). PLS regression emphasized the significant role of rainfall during December, January, February, March and April on DY and WY of grass pea. The DY of 16 genotypes across environments varied between 3.4 t/ha (G12 and G16) to 4.6 t/ha (G11). The WY also varied between 16.9 t/ha (G12) and 22.0 t/ha (G8). AMMI analysis revealed G2, and G6 and BLUP-based indices showed G8, and G11 as climate-resilient genotypes with stable DY and WY in rain-fed regions. In this study, WAASB×DY and WAASB×WY plots with equal weights of 50/50 for stability and performance showed G2, G6 as stable genotypes with high DY and WY values. Simultaneous selection based on overall recorded traits using MTSI index addressed G9 > G2 as promising genotypes. Although the polygon view of genotype by yield*trait depicted G1 and G11 as promising grass pea genotypes but G2, and G9 also had positive intermediate superiority indexes without any weakness considering studied traits. It is concluded WAASB×yield > AMMI > BLUP in terms of comprehensiveness in yield stability analysis of grass pea. Also, superiority index as complementary statistics could be incorporated into simultaneous multi-trait stability approaches for achieving exact selection. The identified grass pea genotypes have promising potential in rain-fed regions and could be good candidates for commercial production.

Background Tribe Fabeae comprises about 380 legume species, including some of the most ancient and important crops like lentil, pea, and broad bean. Breeding efforts in legume crops rely on a detailed knowledge of closest wild relatives and geographic origin. Relationships within the tribe, however, are incompletely known and previous molecular results conflicted with the traditional morphology-based classification. Here we analyse the systematics, biogeography, and character evolution in the tribe based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences. Results Phylogenetic analyses including c. 70% of the species in the tribe show that the genera Vicia and Lathyrus in their current circumscription are not monophyletic: Pisum and Vavilovia are nested in Lathyrus , the genus Lens is nested in Vicia . A small, well-supported clade including Vicia hirsuta , V. sylvatica , and some Mediterranean endemics, is the sister group to all remaining species in the tribe. Fabeae originated in the East Mediterranean region in the Miocene (23–16 million years ago (Ma)) and spread at least 39 times into Eurasia, seven times to the Americas, twice to tropical Africa and four times to Macaronesia. Broad bean ( V. faba ) and its sister V. paucijuga originated in Asia and might be sister to V. oroboides . Lentil ( Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris ) is of Mediterranean origin and together with eight very close relatives forms a clade that is nested in the core Vicia , where it evolved c. 14 Ma. The Pisum clade is nested in Lathyrus in a grade with the Mediterranean L. gloeosperma , L. neurolobus , and L. nissolia . The extinct Azorean endemic V. dennesiana belongs in section Cracca and is nested among Mediterranean species. According to our ancestral character state reconstruction results, ancestors of Fabeae had a basic chromosome number of 2n=14, an annual life form, and evenly hairy, dorsiventrally compressed styles. Conclusions Fabeae evolved in the Eastern Mediterranean in the middle Miocene and spread from there across Eurasia, into Tropical Africa, and at least seven times to the Americas. The middle-Atlantic islands were colonized four times but apparently did not serve as stepping-stones for Atlantic crossings. Long-distance dispersal events are relatively common in Fabeae (seven per ten million years). Current generic and infrageneric circumscriptions in Fabeae do not reflect monophyletic groups and should be revised. Suggestions for generic level delimitation are offered.

• Background and Aims A test was made of the hypothesis that papilionate legume flowers filter pollinators according to their ability to exert strength to open flowers to access rewards. In addition, interactions with pollen vectors were expected to explain the structural complexity of the architecture of these flowers since operative flower strength may be determined by a combination of morphological traits which form part of an intrafloral functional module. • Methods Six papilionate species were studied: Collaea argentina, Desmodium uncinatum, Galactia latisiliqua, Lathyrus odoratus, Spartium junceum and Tipuana tipu. Measurements were made of the strength needed to open keels and the strength that pollinators were capable of exerting. Morphological traits of all petals were also measured to determine which of them could be either mutually correlated or correlated with operative strength and moment of strength and participated in a functional module. • Key Results It was observed that pollinators were capable in all cases of exerting forces higher and often several times higher than that needed to access floral rewards, and no association could be detected between floral operative strength and strength exerted by the corresponding pollinators. On the other hand, strong and significant correlations were found among morphometric traits and, of these, with operative strength and moment. This was particularly evident among traits of the keel and the wings, presumably involved in the functioning of the floral moveable mechanism. • Conclusions Though visitors are often many times stronger than the operative strength of the flowers they pollinate, exceptionally weak bees such as Apis mellifera cannot open the strongest flowers. On the other hand, strong correlations among certain petal morphometric traits (particularly between the keel and wings) give support to the idea that an intrafloral module is associated with the functioning of the mechanism of these legume flowers. In addition, the highly significant correlations found across petals support the view of functional phenotypic integration transcending the ontogenetic organization of flower structure.

Background/Objectives: The increased frequency of extreme weather events related to climate change, including the occurrence of extreme temperatures, severely affects crop yields, impairing global food security. Heat stress resulting from temperatures above 30 °C is associated with poor germination performance and stand establishment. The combination of climate-resilient crop genotypes and tailored seed priming treatments might represent a reliable strategy to overcome such drawbacks. This work explores the potential of hydropriming as a tool to mitigate the heat-stress-mediated impact on germination performance in orphan legumes. Methods: For each tested species (Lathyrus sativus L., Pisum sativum var. arvense and Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), two accessions were investigated. Germination tests were performed at 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C and 40 °C to assess the heat stress tolerance threshold. Hydropriming was then applied and germination tests were performed at 40 °C to test the impact of the treatment on the seeds’ ability to cope with heat stress. An alkaline comet assay and Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction were performed on embryos excised from primed and control seeds. Results: Phenotyping at the germination and seedling development stage highlighted the accession-specific beneficial impact of hydropriming under heat stress conditions. In L. sativus seeds, the alkaline comet assay revealed the dynamics of heat stress-induced DNA damage accumulation, as well as the repair patterns promoted by hydropriming. The expression patterns of genes involved in DNA repair and antioxidant response were consistently responsive to the hydropriming and heat wave conditions in L. sativus accessions.

Grasspea, often regarded as an orphan legume, is recognized to be fairly tolerant to water-deficit stress. In the present study, 3-week-old grasspea seedlings were subjected to dehydration by withholding water over a period of 144 h. While there were no detectable phenotypic changes in the seedlings till 48 h, the symptoms appeared during 72 h and aggravated upon prolonged dehydration. The physiological responses to water-deficit stress during 72–96 h displayed a decrease in pigments, disruption in membrane integrity and osmotic imbalance. We evaluated the temporal effects of dehydration at the transcriptome and metabolome levels. In total, 5201 genes of various functional classes including transcription factors, cytoplasmic enzymes and structural cell wall proteins, among others, were found to be dehydration-responsive. Further, metabolome profiling revealed 59 dehydration-responsive metabolites including sugar alcohols and amino acids. Despite the lack of genome information of grasspea, the time course of physicochemical and molecular responses suggest a synchronized dehydration response. The cross-species comparison of the transcriptomes and metabolomes with other legumes provides evidence for marked molecular diversity. We propose a hypothetical model that highlights novel biomarkers and explain their relevance in dehydration-response, which would facilitate targeted breeding and aid in commencing crop improvement efforts.

In this study, two populations of leguminous plants Lathyrus sativus were grown in four soils that were collected from sites differently contaminated by heavy metals. Evaluations included basic soil properties, concentrations of major nutrients and four metals (copper, zinc, lead and cadmium) in these soils. Investigation of Lathyrus sativus response to contamination showed that the increase of heavy metal concentration in soils affected biomass of plant, number of nodules and plant metal uptake. Heavy metal tolerance of 46 isolated bacteria from the root nodules was evaluated and demonstrated that the maximum concentration of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn tolerated by strains were 0.8, 2.5, 0.2, and 0.5 mM, respectively. Twenty-two isolates were tested for their effects on plant biomass production and nodule formation and showed that only R. leguminosarum nodulated Lathyrus sativus, while some bacteria improved the shoot and root dry biomass. Sequences of their 16S rDNA gene fragments were also obtained and evaluated for tentative identification of the isolates which revealed different bacterial genera represented by Rhizobium sp, Rhizobium leguminosarum, Sinorhizobium meliloti, Pseudomonas sp, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Luteibacter sp, Variovorax sp, Bacillus simplex and Bacillus megaterium. The existence of Pb- and Cd-resistant genes (PbrA and CadA) in these bacteria was determined by PCR, and it showed high homology with PbrA and CadA genes from other bacteria. The tested resistant population was able to accumulate high concentrations of Pb and Cd in all plant parts and, therefore, can be classified as a strong metal accumulator with suitable potential for phytoremediation of Pb and Cd polluted sites. Heavy metal resistant and efficient bacteria isolated from root nodules were chosen with Lathyrus sativus to form symbiotic associations for eventual bioremediation program, which could be tested to remove pollutants from contaminated sites.

Linking spatial variation in environmental factors to variation in demographic rates is essential for a mechanistic understanding of the dynamics of populations. However, we still know relatively little about such links, partly because feedbacks via intraspecific density make them difficult to observe in natural populations. We conducted a detailed field study and investigated simultaneous effects of environmental factors and the intraspecific density of individuals on the demography of the herb Lathyrus vernus. In regression models of vital rates we identified effects associated with spring shade on survival and growth, while density was negatively correlated with these vital rates. Density was also negatively correlated with average individual size in the study plots, which is consistent with self-thinning. In addition, average plant sizes were larger than predicted by density in plots that were less shaded by the tree canopy, indicating an environmentally determined carrying capacity. A size-structured integral projection model based on the vital rate regressions revealed that the identified effects of shade and density were strong enough to produce differences in stable population sizes similar to those observed in the field. The results illustrate how the local environment can determine dynamics of populations and that intraspecific density may have to be more carefully considered in studies of plant demography and population viability analyses of threatened species. We conclude that demographic approaches incorporating information about both density and key environmental factors are powerful tools for understanding the processes that interact to determine population dynamics and abundances.

I examined the long‐term effects of cryptic mollusk herbivory on seven fitness components in the perennial herbLathyrus vernusand also calculated measures of total fitness effects. Natural correlations and experimental exclusion of mollusks showed that herbivory is associated with an increased probability of dying or staying dormant, poorer growth, and a lower probability of flowering. The average yearly reduction in population growth rate (λ) caused by mollusks in the experiment was 0.14. The largest contribution to this decrease in total fitness occurred through a decreased survival of established plants. In contrast, seedling emergence and probability of flowering were the fitness components that were most affected in terms of relative change. The more important a life‐cycle transition was for population growth rate in terms of its elasticity, the less it was affected by herbivore damage. These results suggest that simple analyses of the magnitudes of effects on individual components of plant performance are poor predictors of the magnitude of total fitness effects and tolerance to herbivory. This is because total fitness is differently sensitive to different phases of the life cycle and because plants strive to maintain the functions most important to fitness.