Cowpea (also called Southernpea and Blackeyed Pea) is a highly nutritious crop particularly suited to the stressful growing conditions of tropical Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Intensive research programmes in centres around the world have, in recent years, greatly improved the crops' yield, our efficiency in growing it and methods of processing the end product.

Cowpea: taxonomy, genetics, and breeding, physiology and agronomy, diseases and parasitic weeds, insect pests, postharvest technology and utilization. Biotechnological applications.

Oilseeds and legumes provide a significant proportion of the protein and energy requirements of the world population. This important new book provides comprehensive details of the main oil seed and legume crops focusing particularly on the nutritional aspects of these crops which are, or have the potential to be, more widely exploited in developing countries where are or have the potential to be, more widely exploited in developing countries where protein and energy malnutrition continue to escalate. The predicted rapid rise of populations in many world regions which are increasingly vulnerable to food shortages means that a full knowledge of the nutritional significance of available crops is vital in helping to prevent potential calamities. Food and Feed from Legumes and Oil Seeds has been written by a team of international contributors, each with direct experience of these important crops and their nutritional merits, and the editors are both international experts in the crops covered. This book will become of great value to nutritionists, food and feed scientists and technologists, agricultural scientists and all those involved with overseas developments and food aid organizations.

The common beans and pulses are diverse food resources of high nutritional value (protein, energy, fiber and vitamins and minerals) with broad social acceptance. These legume crops demonstrate global adaptability, genotypic and phenotypic diversity, and multiple means of preparation and dietary use. Beans and pulses are produced in regions as diverse as Latin America, Africa, Asia, and North America, and on a scale similar to some other crops, such as wheat, corn, rice and soybeans. Numerous factors influence utilization, including bean type and cultivar selection, cropping environment and systems, storage conditions and handling infrastructure, processing and final product preparation. Nutrient content and bio-availability are dramatically influenced by these conditions. In recent years, beans and pulses have been cited for imparting specific positive health potentiating responses, such as hypocholesteremic response, mitigation of diabetes and colonic cancer, and weight control. Enhanced dry bean utilization focused on improved dietary health is an opportunity within both subsistent and developed populations. This book provides a contemporary source of information that brings together current knowledge and practices in the value chain of beans/pulses production, processing, and nutrition. It provides in-depth coverage of a wide variety of pertinent topics including: breeding, postharvest technologies, composition, processing technologies, food safety, quality, nutrition, and significance in human health. An experienced team of over 25 contributors from North America, Asia, and Africa has written 15 chapters, divided into three sections: Overview, production and postharvest technologies of beans and pulses Composition, value-added processing and quality Culinology, nutrition, and significance in human health Contributors come from a field of diverse disciplines, including crop sciences, food science and technology, food biochemistry, food engineering, nutritional sciences, and culinology. Dry Beans and Pulses Production, Processing and Nutrition is an essential resource for scientists, processors and nutritionists, whatever the work setting.

For a long time there has been a critical need for a book to assess the genomics of tropical plant species. At last, here it is. This brilliant book covers recent progress on genome research in tropical crop plants, including the development of molecular markers, and many more subjects. The first section provides information on crops relevant to tropical agriculture. The book then moves on to lay out summaries of genomic research for the most important tropical crop plant species.

This report is the second in a series of three evaluating underexploited African plant resources that could help broaden and secure Africa's food supply. The volume describes the characteristics of 18 little-known indigenous African vegetables (including tubers and legumes) that have potential as food- and cash-crops but are typically overlooked by scientists and policymakers and in the world at large. The book assesses the potential of each vegetable to help overcome malnutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and create sustainable landcare in Africa. Each species is described in a separate chapter, based on information gathered from and verified by a pool of experts throughout the world. Volume I describes African grains and Volume III African fruits.