Question

Why do plants of the legume family usually contain more protein than other plants?

Answer 1

Legume is a plant belonging to the family Fabaceae or the seed or fruit of a plant. They are known as pulses when used as a dry grain. They are grown agriculturally for human consumption and as soil enhancing green manure. They have a symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria in a structure called as root nodules.

Complete answer:
A plant belonging to the family Fabaceae or the seed or fruit of a plant is known as legume. They are known as pulses when used as a dry grain. They are grown agriculturally for human consumption and also for the enhancement of soil as green manure. They have a symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria in a structure called as root nodules.

Some of the examples of legumes are soyabean, chickpeas, beans, peas, alfalfa, clover, etc. Most of the legumes have a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria known as Rhizobia in a structure known as a root nodule. This is the reason why they are very useful in crop rotation.

They have a special ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. The formed ammonia is then converted to ammonium which is usable by some plants. All proteins contain nitrogenous amino acids, this is the reason why they are rich in proteins. This makes them relatively rich in plant proteins.

As nitrogen is the necessary ingredient in the formation of proteins. This is the reason why legumes are the best sources of plant proteins. Crop rotation is very common in legumes in organic and traditional practices.

Note:
Many of the legumes contain symbiotic bacteria known as Rhizobia within root nodules in the root system. They have a special ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. As nitrogen is the necessary ingredient in the formation of proteins. This is the reason why legumes are the best sources of plant proteins.