Legume Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The term
legume has two closely related meanings in
botany:
- The name of a type of fruit, characteristic of leguminous plants.
A
legume is a
simple dry fruit that develops from a simple
carpel and usually
dehisces (opening along a seam) on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a "pod", although pod is also applied to a few other fruit types. Well-known plants that have
legume fruits include
alfalfa, clovers,
peas,
beans, and
peanuts. A peanut is an
indehiscent legume—that is, it does not spontaneously split open along a seam. A peanut is not a
nut in the botanical use of the word.
- The common name for plant species in the Family Fabaceae
Legumes are noteworthy for their ability to
fix atmospheric nitrogen, an accomplishment attributable to a
symbiotic relationship with certain
Rhizobium bacteria found in
root nodules of these plants. The ability to form this symbiosis reduces
fertilizer costs for farmers that grow legumes, and means that legumes can be used in a
crop rotation to replenish soil that has been depleted of
nitrogen. Legume seed and foliage has a comparatively higher
protein content that non-legume material, this is probabably due to the additional nitrogen that legumes receive through symbiosis.
Their high protein content makes legumes desirable in agriculture, farmed legumes fall into two classes, forage and grain. Forage legumes like alfalfa, clover and vetch are sown in pasture and grazed on by livestock. Grain legumes are cultivated for seed which may be used for human and animal consumption, or for the production of oils for industrial uses. Grain legumes include beans, lentils, lupins, peas, peanuts and soybeans.
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