Among grain legumes, faba bean is reputed to be relatively sensitive to drought stress. Epicuticular wax (ECW) quantity is considered as an important drought adaptation strategy in plant species. This study aimed to define variation in leaf ECW concentration as a drought-adaptive trait in 197 faba bean accessions under well-watered conditions. The relationship between ECW and stomatal characteristics was also investigated. Highly significant differences were found in the ECW concentration, which ranged from 0.680 to 2.104 mg/dm2. No relationships were found between ECW and any measure of stomatal morphology and function. This study provides evidence of the wide variation in ECW in faba bean germplasm, which is independent of stomatal characteristics and leaf water content. This variation may allow the genetic improvement of ECW as a drought-adaptive character in faba bean breeding programs aiming at the economical use of water.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a valuable grain legume and a staple protein crop in many countries. Its large and complex genome requires novel approaches for its genetic dissection. Here we introduce a multi-parent population developed from four founders (ILB 938/2, Disco/2, IG 114476 and IG 132238). The selection of parental lines was based on geographic (Colombia, France, Bangladesh and China), genetic and phenotypic diversity. The parental lines were inbred and then genotyped using 875 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Based on molecular data, the parents had high homozygosity and high genetic distance among them. The population segregates for several important traits such as seed morphology, seed chemistry, phenology, plant architecture, drought response, yield and its components, and resistance to Botrytis fabae. The population was checked for unbiased segregation in each generation by observing simply inherited Mendelian traits such as stipule spot pigmentation (SSP) and flower colour at different generations. All 1200 four-way cross F1 plants had pigmented flowers and stipule spots. The segregation ratios for white flower colour (single gene, zt2) fit 7:1, 13:3 and 25:7 at F2, F3 and F4 generations, respectively, and the segregation ratio of SSP (two recessive unlinked genes, ssp1 and ssp2) fit 49:15 and 169:87 at the F2 and F3 generations, respectively, demonstrating unbiased generation advance. We will subject the F5 generation of this population to a high-throughput SNP array and make it available for further phenotyping and genotyping.

Here we review the potential of ILB 938 (IG 12132 – doi: 10.18730/60FD2), a unique faba bean accession originating from the Andean region of Colombia and Ecuador, maintained at ICARDA – International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, with resistance to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses and carrying some useful morphological markers. It has been used as a donor of leaf-related drought adaptation traits and chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) resistance genes in faba bean breeding programmes worldwide. From generated populations of recombinant inbred lines, quantitative traits loci associated with these useful traits have been mapped. Other markers, such as a lack of stipule-spot pigmentation and clinging pod wall, show the presence of unusual changes in biochemical pathways that may have economic value in the future.

The potential of imazethapyr as a selective herbicide in four pulse crops was investigated at Melfort, Saskatchewan in 1988 and 1989. Lentil, field pea, faba bean and annual vetch were tolerant to imazethapyr applied preemergence to a silty clay loam soil at 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20 kg ai ha-1. Postemergence treatments above 0.05 kg ha-1, however, stunted lentil and vetch in both years. Environmental factors, the dominant weed in the experimental site, as well as timing of application strongly influenced the performance of imazethapyr. Seed yield increases observed with imazethapyr treatments, compared to metribuzin or untreated check, were greater in 1989 when wild oat was the dominant weed and moisture was not a limiting factor in the early stages of crop development, than in 1988 when field pennycress was the dominant weed. Mean seed yield for all imazethapyr treatments, compared to the check, increased 0 and 930%, 24 and 89%, 21 and 600%, and 47 and 44% in 1988 and 1989, for lentil, field pea, faba bean and vetch, respectively. Significant increases in lentil seed density, seed size, and germination were also obtained though protein content decreased 2%.

Two field experiments were undertaken at Roseworthy, South Australia from 2006 to 2007 to evaluate the performance of herbicide application strategies for the control of herbicide-resistant rigid ryegrass in faba bean grown in wide rows (WR). The standard farmer practice of applying postsowing PRE (PSPE) simazine followed by POST clethodim to faba bean grown in WR provided consistent and high levels of rigid ryegrass control (≥ 96%) and caused a large reduction (P < 0.05) in spike production (≤ 20 spikes m−2) as compared with nontreated control (560 to 722 spikes m−2). Furthermore, this herbicide combination resulted in greatest yield benefits for WR faba bean (723 to 1,046 kg ha−1). Although PSPE propyzamide used in combination with shielded interrow applications of glyphosate or paraquat provided high levels of rigid ryegrass control (≥ 93%), these treatments were unable to reduce ryegrass spike density within the crop row (20 to 54 spikes m−2) to levels acceptable for continued cropping. Furthermore, a yield reduction (13 to 29%) was observed for faba bean in treatments with shielded application of nonselective herbicides and could be related to spray drift onto lower leaves. These findings highlight that shielded interrow spraying in WR faba bean could play an important role in the management of rigid ryegrass in southern Australia. However, timing of shielded interrow applications on weed control, crop safety, and issues concerning integration with more effective early-season control strategies require attention.

Field experiments were carried out during two growing seasons at Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Agriculture, in Aydın-Turkey to evaluate the weed control efficacy of olive processing waste (OPW) in okra, faba bean, and onion. OPW was incorporated into the soil prior to seeding at 10, 20, 30, and 40 tons (t)/ha. Non-treated plots and plots treated with trifluralin in okra and pendimethalin in faba bean and onion were used for comparison. OPW suppressed common purslane, redroot pigweed, and junglerice in okra; littleseed canarygrass, annual bluegrass, wild chamomile, and shepherd's-purse in faba bean and onion. OPW was in most cases equally as effective as soil herbicides; however, 10 t/ha provided sometimes lower efficacy than herbicides. OPW had no negative effects on okra and faba bean, while onion was negatively affected by doses over 30 t/ha. Overall, OPW can be applied at 10 to 20 t/ha doses for weed control with adequate crop safety.

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.

Faba bean is cultivated worldwide and widely used in Mediterranean countries, Asia and Europe. However, only a few faba bean breeders are active in cultivar development. As a result, a limited number of varieties are available for growers. Plant genetic resources or germplasm are fundamental sources for plant breeding, and the assessment of the genetic diversity among germplasm accessions is useful to facilitate more efficient use of plant genetic resources. A mini-core collection of faba bean germplasm (178 landraces and four cultivars), from diverse geographic regions of Turkey, was assessed for agro-morphological performance and some quality traits. There were substantial variations for the investigated morphological and quality characteristics. The analysis of variance revealed that the differences among 182 accessions were significant for all the studied characters. Some accessions showed very good agronomic performance for some traits. Positive and negative correlations existed among different morphological and agronomic traits. Landraces have been classified into four different groups using a cluster analysis. These results suggest that an a priori classification of accessions according to the growing area does not strictly correspond to phenotypic grouping. From the spatial distribution of landraces, however, it has been possible to identify ‘superior’ accessions of some traits. These findings indicate a number of useful traits in the gene pools and a wide range of phenotypic variation that provides a good source of diversity for use in modern faba bean breeding programmes.

Vicine and convicine are anti-nutritional compounds that accumulate in the cotyledons of faba beans. When humans consume beans with high levels of these compounds, it can cause a condition called favism in individuals harbouring a deficiency in the activity of their glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. When faba beans are used in animal feeds, there can be effects on performance. These concerns have resulted in increasing interest within plant breeding in developing low vicine and convicine faba bean germplasm. In order to facilitate this objective, we developed a rapid and robust screening method for vicine and convicine, capable of distinguishing between faba beans that are either high (wild type) or low in vicine and convicine. In the absence of reliable commercial reference materials, we report an adaptation of a previously published method where a biochemical assay and spectral data were used to confirm the identity of our analytes, vicine and convicine. This method could be readily adopted in other facilities and open the way to the efficient exploitation of diverse germplasm in regions where faba beans play a significant role in human nutrition. We screened a collection of germplasm of interest to a collaborative plant breeding programme developing between the National Institute for Agricultural Botany in the UK and L'Institut Nationale d'Agronomie de Tunisie in Tunisia. We report the results obtained and discuss the prospects for developing molecular markers for the low vicine and convicine trait.

The aim of the present work was to analyse the hypocholesterolaemic efficiency of a Vicia faba-protein isolate in relation to the intact legume. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the effects of this isolate were investigated. Hypercholesterolaemic rats were divided into three groups (n 10×3) and fed high-fat diets rich in cholesterol-containing casein, whole seeds of Vicia faba or the protein isolate of faba beans as protein source, for 2 weeks ad libitum. The protein isolate was prepared by isoelectric precipitation and spray dried. Analyses of serum, liver and faeces, as well as of the activity of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase, were assessed by enzymatic methods. The rats fed on Vicia faba diets showed significantly lower body weights and energy intakes than rats fed on casein diets. The whole-seed diet induced a significant reduction in plasma triacylglycerol. Feeding rats on diets containing faba bean seeds, or the protein isolate, induced a significant decrease in plasma (LDL+VLDL)-cholesterol but not in HDL-cholesterol. Hepatic cholesterol and triacylglycerol were also reduced. The hypocholesterolaemic effects of Vicia faba were not the result of a reduction in cholesterol synthesis as assessed from HMG-CoA reductase activity, but the result of an increase in steroid faecal excretion. The faba bean-protein isolate obtained under our experimental conditions was useful in improving the metabolic alterations induced by feeding with a hypercholesterolaemic diet compared with casein. The effectiveness of the whole seeds was higher than that of the protein isolate.

The oviposition-deterrent and toxic effects of seven plant species with known biological effects were tested against the Adzuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Goleoptera: Bruchidae) on stored faba bean seeds for two years at Holetta Research Centre, Ethiopia. Oils of Azadirachta indica, Milletiaie ferrnginea and Chrysanthemum cineraraefolium were the most effective in partially or completely preventing egg laying, and no bruchids emerged from the few eggs laid. The Phytolacca dodecandra, Hagenia abyssinica and Schinus molle treatments had no significant effect on the bruchids and most of the eggs laid developed into adults. Eucalyptus globulus seed powder treatment caused the death of only emerging adult beetles.

Seed samples from two near-isogenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) lines were examined for the levels of so-called anti-nutritional factors (ANF). From the ANF known to be present in faba beans, trypsin inhibitor activity, functional lectins, condensed tannins and pyrimidine glycosides were analysed. It was concluded that the lines differed only in the content of condensed tannins being < 0.5 g/kg and 5.2 (sd 0.2) g/kg for the low (LT)- and high (HT)-tannin lines respectively. In addition, the level of pyrimidine glycosides in the LT line was slightly higher than that in the HT line. The LT line showed a reduced proportion of the seed coat (105 v. 119 g/kg) and a lower seed weight (0.85 v. 1.01 g). The apparent ileal and faecal digestibility values of dry matter and nitrogen from the HT and LT line were determined for piglets which were fed on diets containing chromium oxide as a marker. The mean apparent ileal and faecal digestibility values for dry matter for the LT line were 0.694 and 0.889 and for N 0.828 and 0.879 respectively. For the HT line, these values were approximately 0.05 and 0.10 lower (P > 0.05). A multi-enzyme technique was used to predict the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of the two lines. The IVPD of the LT line was 0.965 and about 0.05 higher than the HT line, confirming the difference in digestibility as measured in vivo. The present study shows the positive effects on digestibility of removal of condensed tannins in faba beans which was achieved by plant breeding.