Grain legumes are characterised by their nutritional value, an ability to grow rapidly and improve soil health. This makes them a key rotation crop in promoting food security. However, yields are constrained by factors such as pests and diseases as well as vulnerability to poor soils, drought and other effects of climate change.

This collection reviews the wealth of research addressing these challenges. Volume 2 assesses key research on particular types of grain legume with chapters on developing improved varieties as well as improvements in cultivation techniques. The book covers common beans, lentils, soybeans, groundnuts, cowpea, faba beans and pigeonpea.

With its distinguished editorial team and international range of expert authors, this will be a standard reference for the grain legume research community and farmers of these important crops. It is accompanied by a companion volume which reviews general advances in breeding and cultivation techniques.

Contributions by: James D. Kelly, John O. Ojiem, William Erskine, Ashutosh Sarker, Shiv Kumar Agrawal, Fred J. Muehlbauer, Y.-C. Lee, R. Lemes Hamawaki, V. Colantonio, M. J. Iqbal, D. A. Lightfoot, Frederick P. Baijukya, Harun M. Murithi, Fred Kanampiu, C. Michael Deom, David Kalule Okello, S. N. Nigam, P. Janila, David Jordan, Rick Brandenburg, Gary Payne, David Hoisington, Nick Magnan, James Rhoads, Mumuni Abudulai, Koushik Adhikari, Jinru Chen, Richard Akromah, William Appaw, William Ellis, Maria Balota, Kumar Mallikarjunan, Kenneth Boote, Greg MacDonald, Kira Bowen, Boris Bravo-Ureta, Jeremy Jelliffe, Agnes Budu, Hendrix Chalwe, Alice Mweetwa, Munsanda Ngulube, Awere Dankyi, Brandford Mochia, Vivian Hoffmann, Amade Muitia, Sam Njoroge, Nelson Opoku, B. B. Singh, Alpha Y. Kamara, Lucky O. Omoigui, Nkeki Kamai, Sylvester U. Ewansiha, Hakeem A. Ajeigbe, Fouad Maalouf, Seid Ahmed, Somanagouda Patil, R. Redden, X. Zong, R. M. Norton, Fred Stoddard, M El-Bouhssini, Y. Tao, L. Rong, Li Ling, K.B Saxena, Y. S. Chauhan, C. V. S. Kumar, A. J. Hingane, R. V. Kumar, R. K. Saxena, G. V. R. Rao, K.R Latha, L. Vimalendran, Agnes Mwangwela