Lathyrus spp. in Portugal are nowadays underutilized crops. The main species grown are L. sativus (grass pea) for food and L. cicera (chickling vetch) for feed.Peer reviewe

Almeida, Nuno Felipe

Leitao, Susana T.

Rubiales, Diego

Vaz Patto, María Carlota

Digital.CSIC

6  intervention in July, but the reductions for Imboso Mwanga are less than those for the other villages. This shows conclusively that (as expected) the effectiveness of the preventative strategy depends on the continued use by all the women of the detoxification method. The good news is that there have been no new cases of konzo in the Boko villages since the intervention started in July 2011. There has been a reduction in the mean total cyanide content of cassava flour from 50 to 18 ppm and in the mean urinary thiocyanate content from 930 to 225 µmole/L urine. Current levels are still higher than those in Kay Kalenge village6,  partly due to the fact that initial conditions were much worse in the Boko villages than in Kay Kalenge and also because the uptake of the detoxification method by the women is not as complete as at Kay Kalenge. It is hoped to improve the uptake in the final three months of the Boko village project, that has been funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Konzo is known to occur in Bandundu, Kasai Occidental, Kasai Oriental and South Kivu Provinces of DRC, but the number of cases of the disease in DRC is unknown. A survey in 2009 by ACF (Action Against Hunger) in most of the health zones of Kwango District in Bandundu Province reported 2218 konzo cases9, and we are currently conducting a konzo survey in Kwilu District in Bandundu Province. The simple prevention strategy used in Kay Kalenge6 and in the Boko villages, will be used in further villages in DRC in 2012-3 and also in Nampula Province of Mozambique, supported by AusAID. References 1 Cliff J., Martensson J., Lundquist P., Rosling H. Sorbo B. (1985) Association of high cyanide and low sulphur intake in cassava induced spastic paraparesis. Lancet 11, 1211-1213. 2 Howlett W.P., Brubaker G.R., Mlingi N. Rosling H. (1990) Konzo, an epidemic upper motor neuron disease studied in Tanzania. Brain 113, 223–235. 3 Bradbury J.H. (2006) Simple wetting method to reduce cyanogen content of cassava flour, J Food Comp Anal, 19, 388-393. 4 Cumbana A., Mirione E., Cliff J. Bradbury J.H. (2007) Reduction of cyanide content of cassava flour in Mozambique by the wetting method. Food Chem 101, 894-897. 5 Bradbury J.H., Denton I.C. (2010) Rapid wetting method to reduce cyanogen content of cassava flour. Food Chem., 121, 591-594. 6 Banea M., Nahimana G., Mandombi C., Bradbury J.H., Denton I.C., Kuwa N. (2012) Control of konzo in DRC using the wetting method on cassava flour. Food Chem. Toxicol. 50, 1517-1523.  7 Bradbury M.G., Egan S.V., Bradbury J.H. (1999) Determination of all forms of cyanogens in cassava roots and cassava products using picrate paper kits. J. Sci. Food Agric. 79, 593–601. 8 Haque M.R. Bradbury J.H. (1999) Simple method for determination of thiocyanate in urine. Clin. Chem. 45, 1459-1464. 9 Kasongo E., Calo M. (2011) A cross-sectoral approach to addressing konzo in DRC. Field Exchange, Issue 41, P 2-4.  Banea J.P,a, Bradbury J.H.,b Mandombi, C.,c Nahimana, G.,a Denton, IC,b Kuwa, N.a aProgramme National de Nutrition (PRONANUT), Kinshasa, DRC, b EEG, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. cHopital General de Reference, Zone de  Sante de Popokabaka, DRC.  Lathyrus research in Portugal Lathyrus spp. in Portugal are nowadays underutilized crops. The main species grown are L. sativus (grass pea) for food and L. cicera (chickling vetch) for feed.  Important in the past for the poorer population and overlooked by the wealthy, grass pea has been gaining a new niche as a traditional delicacy, with a special place on the menu of trendy restaurants (normally stewed with different kinds of meat and vegetables) in the southern part of the country and serving as main theme for a couple of annual gastronomic festivals in the central region of Portugal. There are no records of neurolathyrism outbreaks during historical times in Portugal. This contrasting situation with our neighbour Spain, is probably because Portugal has never faced such extreme hardship times and famine as the one felt during the civil war in Spain, and due to that grass pea has never been used as a staple food for the Portuguese. The only known available cultivated grass pea germplasm are traditional landraces selected by the farmers. Farmers produce it mainly for their own consumption, selling only the surplus. Therefore grass pea can only be found in Portugal in some local markets in low quantities. Chickling vetch on the other hand has a high potential to conquer the big animal farmers from the Central-south of Portugal, as an alternative crop for the more marginal lands. The National Institute of Agronomic Research (Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária - INIA) has registered two L. cicera cultivars “grão de gramicha” and “grão de comenda”1, to be used as animal feed and fodder crop, known to perform well in these regions. Lathyrus spp. have considerable potential on neutral to alkaline soils. Not accidentally, in the country areas were Lathyrus spp. are known to be grown, the pH values of the soils range from 6.6 to 8.5 (Figure 1). In Portugal, as in the rest of Europe there has been increasing emphasis on local production of legumes. Initially, this was mainly meant for animal feed, to avoid the hazardous use of animal based cattle feed (linked to “mad cow disease”) and the importation of soya meal, but lately also an increased diversity of protein sources for human consumption is sought due to the growing concern about healthy food habits. Chickling vetch and grass pea fulfill these feed and food purposes. Their cultivation is also justified by the need to recover marginal lands (as through green manuring). Due to the above, breeding efforts are needed to supply the Portuguese farmers with highly productive, locally adapted, sustainable varieties.  With the aim to provide biotechnological support to breeding programmes we develop research on several Lathyrus species, presently with support from the national FCT funding (PTDC/AGR7  -  Figure 1 – Neutral to alkaline soil areas in Portugal identifying the potential Lathyrus spp. production areas. Google earth plugin with soil pH values acquired at http://googleearthpt.blogspot.pt/2009_04_01_archive.html (accessed 31-05-2012) based on the report by Câmara-Freitas11.   GPL/103285). We are characterizing the physiological responses of different Lathyrus spp. to drought2,3, developing new molecular tools for L. sativus and L. cicera4 and adapting tools developed for the model legume specie Medicago truncatula and major crops like pea, lentil and faba bean to Lathyrus spp.5. Combined with the rust, powdery mildew and Ascochyta resistance evaluation that has been done in the past6-10, these new biotechnological tools are allowing the identification of the underlying candidate resistance genes. These genes will speed up a more efficient resistance breeding. The transferred tools will also enable more fundamental comparative mapping and synteny studies between grass pea and chickling vetch and the other legume crops. In the future we intend to support the development of a national Lathyrus grower’s net to disseminate the accumulated scientific knowledge to the real end users, invest on the quality aspects that they value most, and assist on eventual participatory selection to increase quality and tackle their major constrains.  References 1 Veloso M. (2008) State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Portugal - Second Portuguese National Report on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Instituto Nacional de Recursos Biologicos, Oeiras. 2 Silvestre S., Araújo S., Vaz Patto M.C., Marques da Silva J. (2011a) Comparison of Water Stress Resistance in Lathyrus spp., In: Proceedings of the Model Legume Congress, 15-19 May, Sainte-Maxime, France. 3 Silvestre S., Araújo S., Vaz Patto M.C., Marques da Silva J. (2011b) Drought Effects in the Water Relations of 10 Genotypes of Lathyrus spp.. XII Congresso Hispano-Luso de Fisiologia Vegetal. Sociedad Española de Fisiología Vegetal (SEFV). 21-24 June, Universitat Jaume I de Castellón, Spain. 4 Almeida N.F., Leitão S.T., Rotter B., Winter P., Rubiales D., Vaz Patto M.C. (2011) Development of molecular tools for Lathyrus cicera using normalized cDNA libraries, In: Proceedings of the 9th Plant Genomics European Meeting (Plant GEM), 4-7 May 2011, Istanbul, Turkey. pp. 26. 5 Almeida N.F., Caminero C., Vaz Patto M.C. (2008) Cross-amplification of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) microsatellites in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.), In: Proceedings of the the 4th International Conference on Legume Genomics and Genetics, 7-12 December 2008, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 6 Almeida N.F., Rispail N., Vaz Patto M.C., Rubiales D. (2010) Where do Ascochyta isolates infecting Lathyrus species stand on a grain legume-associated Ascochyta phylogenetic study?, In: Proceedings of the 5th International Food Legume Research Conference (IFLRC) & 7th European Conference on Grain Legumes (AEP), 26-30 April 2010, Antalya, Turkey. 7 Vaz Patto M.C., Rubiales D. (2009) Identification and characterization of partial resistance to rust in a germplasm collection of Lathyrus sativus L. Plant Breeding 128:495-500. 8 Vaz Patto M.C., Fernández-Aparicio M., Moral A., Rubiales D. (2006) Characterization of resistance to powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi) in a germplasm collection of Lathyrus sativus. Plant Breeding 125:308-310. 9 Vaz Patto M.C., Fernández-Aparicio M., Moral A., Rubiales D. (2007) Resistance reaction to powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi) in a germplasm collection of Lathyrus cicera from Iberian origin. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 54:1517-1521. 10 Vaz Patto M.C., Fernandez-Aparicio M., Moral A., Rubiales D. (2009) Pre and posthaustorial resistance to rusts in Lathyrus cicera L. Euphytica 165:27-34. 11 Câmara-Freitas F. (1984) Acidez e Alcalinidade dos Solos / Notícia Explicativa (III.2), Portugal. Atlas do Ambiente, Comissão Nacional do Ambiente, Lisboa.  Nuno Felipe Almeidaa, Susana T. Leitãoa, Diego Rubialesb and Maria Carlota Vaz Pattoa. aInstituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal bInstitute for Sustainable Agriculture, CSIC, Avda. Menendez Pidal s/n, Apdo. 4080, 14080 Córdoba, Spain. 

Lathyrus research in Portugal

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