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https://theconversation.com/pulses-are-packed-with-goodness-five-cool-things-you-should-know-about-them-198903>
"Each year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates what probably sounds
to many like a strange occasion: World Pulses Day.
But, as a researcher focused on forgotten and underutilised legumes, I think
the initiative is an important step towards food security. Getting people to
eat more pulses can ultimately help achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 2:
Zero Hunger.
First, for clarification, “legumes” and “pulses” have different meanings.
“Legumes” are all plants belong to the family
Leguminosae or
Fabaceae,
while “pulses” are the dried seeds of legume plants. Pulses include beans,
lentils and chickpeas.
One reason that legume plants offer such promise in ending hunger is that they
don’t need good soil or nitrogen fertilisers. Plants need nitrogen to build
important molecules such as protein and DNA. Most legumes can thrive in poor
soil by fixing nitrogen gas from the air for their own use. This happens
through symbiotic interaction with friendly bacteria known as rhizobia. The
rhizobia are housed inside structures called nodules on the plant’s roots.
Thanks to their nitrogen-fixing ability, pulses are nutritional powerhouses:
high in protein and fibre, and low in fat.
But that’s not the only interesting thing about legumes and pulses. In honour
of World Pulses Day 2023, I would like to highlight five pulses that have
unique properties and stories."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
