The cultivation of legumes shows promise for the development of sustainable agriculture, but yield instability remains one of the main obstacles for its adoption. Here, we tested whether the yield stability (i.e., resistance and resilience) of pea plants subjected to drought could be enhanced by soil microbial diversity. We used a dilution approach to manipulate the microbial diversity, with a genotype approach to distinguish the effect of symbionts from that of microbial diversity as a whole. We investigated the physiology of plants in response to drought when grown on a soil containing high or low level of microbial diversity. Plants grown under high microbial diversity displayed higher productivity and greater resilience after drought. Yield losses were mitigated by 15% on average in the presence of high soil microbial diversity at sowing. Our study provides proof of concept that the soil microbial community as a whole plays a key role for yield stability after drought even in plant species living in relationships with microbial symbionts. These results emphasize the need to restore soil biodiversity for sustainable crop management and climate change adaptation.

Grain-legume crops are important for ensuring the sustainability of agrofood systems. Among them, pulse production is subject to strong lock-in compared to soya, the leading worldwide crop. To unlock the situation and foster more grain-legume crop diversity, scientific research is essential for providing new knowledge that may lead to new development. Our study aimed to evaluate whether research activity on grain-legumes is also locked in favor of soya. Considering more than 80 names grouped into 19 main grain-legume species, we built a dataset of 107,823 scholarly publications (articles, book, and book chapters) between 1980 and 2018 retrieved from the Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) reflecting the research activity on grain-legumes. We delineated 10 scientific themes of interest running the gamut of agrofood research (e.g., genetics, agronomy, and nutrition). We indexed grain-legume species, calculated the percentage of records for each one, and conducted several analyses longitudinally and by country. Globally, we found an unbalanced research output: soya remains the main crop studied, even in the promising field of food sciences advanced by FAO as the “future of pulses”. Our results raise questions about how to align research priorities with societal demand for more crop diversity.

Plant systemic signaling pathways allow the integration and coordination of shoot and root organ metabolism and development at the whole-plant level depending on nutrient availability. In legumes, two systemic pathways have been reported in the Medicago truncatula model to regulate root nitrogen-fixing symbiotic nodulation. Both pathways involve leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases acting in shoots and proposed to perceive signaling peptides produced in roots depending on soil nutrient availability. In this study, we characterized in the M. truncatula Jemalong A17 genotype a mutant allelic series affecting the Compact Root Architecture2 (CRA2) receptor. These analyses revealed that this pathway acts systemically from shoots to positively regulate nodulation and is required for the activity of carboxyl-terminally encoded peptides (CEPs). In addition, we generated a double mutant to test genetic interactions of the CRA2 systemic pathway with the CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION peptide (CLE)/Super Numeric Nodule (SUNN) receptor systemic pathway negatively regulating nodule number from shoots, which revealed an intermediate nodule number phenotype close to the wild type. Finally, we showed that the nitrate inhibition of nodule numbers was observed in cra2 mutants but not in sunn and cra2 sunn mutants. Overall, these results suggest that CEP/CRA2 and CLE/SUNN systemic pathways act independently from shoots to regulate nodule numbers.

Combining plant genetic resistance with architectural traits that are unfavorable to disease development is a promising strategy for reducing epidemics. However, few studies have identified root system architecture (RSA) traits with the potential to limit root disease development. Pea is a major cultivated legume worldwide and has a wide level of natural genetic variability for plant architecture. The root pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches is a major limiting factor of pea crop yield. This study aimed to increase the knowledge on the diversity of loci and candidate genes controlling RSA traits in pea and identify RSA genetic loci associated with resistance to A. euteiches which could be combined with resistance QTL in breeding. A comparative genome wide association (GWA) study of plant architecture and resistance to A. euteiches was conducted at the young plant stage in a collection of 266 pea lines contrasted for both traits. The collection was genotyped using 14,157 SNP markers from recent pea genomic resources. It was phenotyped for ten root, shoot and overall plant architecture traits, as well as three disease resistance traits in controlled conditions, using image analysis. We identified a total of 75 short-size genomic intervals significantly associated with plant architecture and overlapping with 46 previously detected QTL. The major consistent intervals included plant shoot architecture or flowering genes (PsLE, PsTFL1) with putative pleiotropic effects on root architecture. A total of 11 genomic intervals were significantly associated with resistance to A. euteiches confirming several consistent previously identified major QTL. One significant SNP, mapped to the major QTL Ae-Ps7.6, was associated with both resistance and RSA traits. At this marker, the resistance-enhancing allele was associated with an increased total root projected area, in accordance with the correlation observed between resistance and larger root systems in the collection. Seven additional intervals associated with plant architecture overlapped with GWA intervals previously identified for resistance to A. euteiches. This study provides innovative results about genetic interdependency of root disease resistance and RSA inheritance. It identifies pea lines, QTL, closely-linked markers and candidate genes for marker-assisted-selection of RSA loci to reduce Aphanomyces root rot severity in future pea varieties.

David Bond and Jean Picard, two leaders of European legume breeding, died within a few months of each other. On the basis of their agronomic and genetic training, they both met the challenge of breeding faba bean, a protein-rich species that had received little attention from breeders before the 1950s (Picard, 1953; Bond 1957). Both made great strides at modernizing their chosen crop by developing and applying new ideas and techniques, as well as generating new methods and genetic materials.

Quel poids ont les differentes disciplines scientifiques dans la recherche mondiale sur les legumineuses a graines ? Quelles sont les especes les plus etudiees et sur quels sujets ? Comment evoluent les champs de connaissance de la recherche sur les legumineuses a graines ? Quels champs de connaissances emergent et se restructurent ? Quelle est la place des differents instituts de recherche dans ce maillage, et tout particulierement ceux des pays francophones ? Pour repondre a ces questions, un groupe d'experts interdisciplinaires sur les legumineuses et d'ingenieurs de l'information scientifique, a moissonne/collecte un corpus d'articles scientifiques sur les legumineuses a graines (telles que soja, pois, feverole, lupin, pois chiche, lentilles, ...) cultivees dans les climats temperes. Ce corpus a ete extrait de la base bibliographique « Web of Science » (WoS, Clarivate Analytics) entre 2000 et 2016 a partir de requete par mots-cles, pour circonscrire chacun des champs de connaissance investis, tout en limitant le risque de capter des notices hors-champ. Les champs de connaissance investis sont : genetique, agronomie et systemes de culture, ecophysiologie, gestion des bio-agresseurs, nutrition animale, nutrition humaine, transformation alimentaire, economie et autres sciences sociales. Ces requetes ont ete appliquees sur les titres et les mots-cles-auteurs des articles scientifiques recenses par le WoS. Au total, plus de 70 000 articles ont ete ainsi recenses, dont plus de 75% concernent le soja. Cette bibliometrie fait actuellement l'objet d'une analyse scientometrique afin d'apprecier le poids respectif des domaines de connaissances et leur evolution au cours du temps, la place des especes, des pays (au travers de leurs instituts de recherche) dans cette litterature. A partir de ces resultats, le groupe d'experts ambitionne de construire une analyse des reseaux socio-semantiques de la recherche scientifique sur les legumineuses a graines pour comprendre la reconfiguration des champs de connaissance dans le temps sur ces especes. Le poster presentera cette bibliometrie, la methodologie suivie et les logiciels utilises (dont la plate-forme CorTexT developpee par l'IFRIS et l'INRA), les requetes construites (a paraitre sur la plate-forme AGROPORTAL) et les premiers resultats.

Pea forms symbiotic nodules with Rhizobium leguminosarum sv. viciae (Rlv). In the field, pea roots can be exposed to multiple compatible Rlv strains. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the competitiveness for nodulation of Rlv strains and the ability of pea to choose between diverse compatible Rlv strains. The variability of pea-Rlv partner choice was investigated by co-inoculation with a mixture of five diverse Rlv strains of a 104-pea collection representative of the variability encountered in the genus Pisum. The nitrogen fixation efficiency conferred by each strain was determined in additional mono-inoculation experiments on a subset of 18 pea lines displaying contrasted Rlv choice. Differences in Rlv choice were observed within the pea collection according to their genetic or geographical diversities. The competitiveness for nodulation of a given pea-Rlv association evaluated in the multi-inoculated experiment was poorly correlated with its nitrogen fixation efficiency determined in mono-inoculation. Both plant and bacterial genetic determinants contribute to pea-Rlv partner choice. No evidence was found for co-selection of competitiveness for nodulation and nitrogen fixation efficiency. Plant and inoculant for an improved symbiotic association in the field must be selected not only on nitrogen fixation efficiency but also for competitiveness for nodulation.

TO THE EDITOR: Favism, or “favic crisis,” is a potentially life-threatening acute hemolysis elicited in carriers of low-activity glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) variants by ingestion of raw faba bean ( Vicia faba L) (FB) seeds.[1][1],[2][2] In 2 surveys of hemolytic crises because of

Crop diversification can improve the sustainability of Western agriculture. In particular, pulses are crops that can help both agriculture and the food industry more ecological, as they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offer opportunities to reduce animal-based food consumption. However, the development of those crops in Europe remains locked-in by major crops that have been co-developed to a greater extent both in farming and food systems. After recalling the major mechanisms that lead to this lock-in, this article proposes to adopt a co-evolution framework to tackle with a dual transition of both agriculture and food systems. We question how the current societal trends in the agrifood system offer new opportunities for pulses, and how simultaneous changes both in production and consumption can occur to facilitate this dual transition. Based on various insights from the literature, and some points of views from stakeholders in France - taken here as examples - we argue that to develop pulses, strong support is required from public institutions to coordinate and guide the multiple actors involved in the same direction.

Cet article propose une analyse historique du processus de verrouillage du système agroalimentaire en défaveur des légumineuses à graines, à l’aune des théories évolutionnistes. Plusieurs mécanismes d’autorenforcement permettent de comprendre pourquoi ces espèces sont de moins en moins cultivées en France face à un système agro-industriel qui s’est spécialisé en faveur des céréales, favorisant à l’amont l’usage d’engrais azotés de synthèse et limitant à l’aval les investissements pour les légumineuses en alimentation humaine. Cet article s’interroge alors sur les perspectives de déverrouillage.

Bien que certains constituants reputes « antinutritionnels » en alimentation animale aient ete reduits dans les graines des differentes varietes de legumineuses, et que la qualite nutritionnelle soit globalement bonne, certains elements de la composition proteique des graines restent a ameliorer et a stabiliser pour d’avantage d’equilibre en acides amines. Les regions genomiques controlant la composition proteique des graines ont ete identifiees chez le pois et l’identification des genes impliques a ete acceleree par une approche translationnelle entre cette espece et la legumineuse modele M. truncatula. Ces donnees offrent la possibilite de definir des marqueurs moleculaires pour aider a la selection de varietes ameliorees dans leur valeur nutritionnelle en alimentation animale ou humaine. Une large diversite genetique naturelle ou induite pour la composition proteique et en acides amines existe chez les legumineuses cultivees en France (par exemple, pois et feverole) qui permet d’obtenir de nouveaux profils proteiques. Les outils moleculaires et la diversite genetique mobilisables pour mieux adapter les matieres premieres a differents usages alimentaires sont presentes.

Afin de repondre aux enjeux actuels (reduction des intrants, circuits courts, changement climatique…) les acteurs chercheurs-professions-politiques de Bourgogne et Franche Comte, engages sur la production de proteines vegetales et leur utilisation en alimentation animale et humaine, ont convenu de construire une action PSDR 4 (Pour et Sur le Developpement Regional ) visant le developpement et la triple performance economique-environnementale- sociale de cette filiere importante pour l'activite de ce territoire. L’ambition de ce programme est de repondre aux principales questions que se posent actuellement les differents acteurs de la filiere agriculture – alimentation – environnement : - sur l’introduction de nouvelles cultures permettant d’augmenter la teneur et la production de proteines vegetales - sur l’augmentation des effets environnementaux positifs des systemes agricoles, - sur la complementarite entre productions vegetales et ateliers d’elevage pour ameliorer l’autonomie, la durabilite et la resilience des exploitations, - sur l’amelioration de la qualite des produits et leur valeur d’usage en alimentation animale et humaine Ce programme PSDR 4 se compose de deux projets : - Un projet PROSYS sur l’adaptation pedoclimatique, les impacts environnementaux et la valeur economique des systemes de culture producteurs de proteines dont l’objectif est de favoriser le developpement de systemes durables dans le contexte de changement climatique. - Un projet POEETE pour comprendre l’interet et le fonctionnement des systemes de polyculture-elevage a l’echelle des exploitations et des territoires en vue d’optimiser leur durabilite et leur resilience. Ce programme s’inscrit dans une strategie territoriale et construira sur 5 ans une arene de reflexion entre les professionnels (reseau d’agriculteurs, collecteurs, plateformes d’essais, industriels etc….), les structures de developpement (Instituts techniques, Chambre d’Agriculture, interprofessions, RMT, etc…) et les differents projets de recherche et developpement, generateurs de nouvelles references et d’innovations en matiere de legumineuses. Il s’agit, sur la base de seminaires, diagnostics, visites, temoignages et expertises sur le territoire : (i) de construire des reseaux d’acteurs des filieres en incluant amont et aval, participant ainsi a de nouveaux modes d’organisation sources de dynamiques territoriales (ii) d’analyser les attentes (consommateur, societe, environnement, alimentation...)(iii) d’analyser les freins et de detecter les leviers a la production de proteines vegetales (iv) de co-innover et co-evaluer des innovations et leurs impacts (v) et de developper une communication sur des resultats et des references partagees vers differents publics etudiants-professionnels-societe. Cette dynamique permettra d‘organiser la filiere et ses acteurs, pour une plus grande autonomie proteique et de nouveaux modes de production agro-ecologiques.

The faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a potential source of proteins for poultry, mainly for laying hens whose protein requirements are lower than those of other birds such as growing broilers and turkeys. However, this feedstuff contains anti-nutritional factors, that is, vicine (V) and convicine (C) that are already known to reduce laying hen performance. The aim of the experiment reported here was to evaluate the effects of a wide range of dietary V and C concentrations in laying hens. Two trials were performed with laying hens fed diets including 20% or 25% of faba bean genotypes highly contrasting in V+C content. In Trial 1, faba beans from two tannin-containing cultivars, but with high or low V+C content were dehulled in order to eliminate the tannin effect. In addition to the contrasting levels of V+C in the two cultivars, two intermediate levels of V+C were obtained by mixing the two cultivars (70/30 and 30/70). In Trial 2, two isogenic zero-tannin faba bean genotypes with high or low V+C content were used. In both trials, a classical corn–soybean diet was also offered to control hens. Each experimental diet was given to 48 laying hens for 140 (Trial 1) or 89 (Trial 2) days. Laying performance and egg quality were measured. The redox sensitivity of red blood cells (RBCs) was assessed by measuring hemolysis and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration in these cells. Egg weight was significantly reduced by the diets containing the highest concentrations of V+C (P<0.0001) in Trial 1 and slightly reduced (P<0.10) in Trial 2, but only weak linear relationships between egg weight and dietary V+C concentration were established. No negative effect of V+C level was observed for egg quality parameters. In contrast, certain parameters (i.e. Haugh units, yolk color) were improved by feeding low V+C diets (P<0.05). Hemolysis of RBCs was higher in hens fed high V+C diets. A decrease in GSH concentration in RBCs of hens fed the highest levels of V+C was observed. Faba bean genotypes with low concentrations of V+C can therefore be used in laying hen diets up to 25% without any detrimental effects on performance levels or egg characteristics, without any risk of hemolysis of RBCs.