Question

Define leguminous crops

Answer 1

Leguminous plants are a type of plant that has a large number of species. The term leguminous refers to plants in the legume family, which includes plants that produce beans, peas, and lentils.

Complete answer:
Leguminous crops are those that have nodules in their roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Many of them are farmed, such as all types of beans, peas, and groundnuts. Some are eaten, while others, such as tephrosia and mucuna, are used as fallow crops. Some leguminous crops are trees, others are shrubs (e.g., tephrosia), and still, others are small plants no taller than 10 cm in height, such as the groundnut.

Despite their dissimilar appearances, they share the following characteristics:
1. They can take nitrogen, one of the most important plant foods, from the air, whereas all other plants must rely on nitrogen from the soil. This has a significant impact: they do not compete for nitrogen with other crops. They even enrich the soil with nitrogen that they do not use.
2. Leguminous crops always produce pods as their fruit. The seeds of the plants are contained in these pods.
3. They have tap roots that usually go deep, with some reaching a depth of 1.50 m.
4. Their leaves are compound leaves with many small leaflets.
5. The shape of their flowers is similar to that of a bean or groundnut flower.

Small swellings can be seen on the root of a bean or groundnut if you look closely. They are known as nodules. Bacteria colonise the nodules. These bacteria feed on the plant's sugars and starches. They fix nitrogen and make it available to the plant's roots in which they live. Plants and bacteria both benefit from coexistence. Each of them creates something that the other requires.

This coexistence is referred to as symbiosis. Each nodule only works for four weeks. It then dies and decomposes, releasing nitrogen into the surrounding soil and enriching it. As a result, the plant receives so much nitrogen that additional nitrogen from chemical fertilisers is not required.

Leguminous crops are classified into two types: those that produce primarily fat and oil and those that produce primarily protein. Groundnuts and soya beans are grown for their oil, whereas all peas and beans provide protein.

Beans, cowpeas, and groundnuts are the most common leguminous crops.

Note: Leguminous crops have several applications.
1. They aid in nitrogen fixation.
2. They are useful for crop rotation.
3. They aid in the reduction of soil erosion.
4. They improve the structure of the soil.