Table_1_Harnessing the Potential of Forage Legumes, Alfalfa, Soybean, and Cowpea for Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security.pdf

Substantial improvements in access to food and increased purchasing power are driving many people toward consuming nutrition-rich foods causing an unprecedented demand for protein food worldwide, which is expected to rise further. Forage legumes form an important source of feed for livestock and have potential to provide a sustainable solution for food and protein security. Currently, alfalfa is a commercially grown source of forage and feed in many countries. However, soybean and cowpea also have the potential to provide quality forage and fodder for animal use. The cultivation of forage legumes is under threat from changing climatic conditions, indicating the need for breeding cultivars that can sustain and acclimatize to the negative effects of climate change. Recent progress in genetic and genomic tools have facilitated the identification of quantitative trait loci and genes/alleles that can aid in developing forage cultivars through genomics-assisted breeding. Furthermore, transgenic technology can be utilized to manipulate the genetic makeup of plants to improve forage digestibility for better animal performance. In this article, we assess the genetic potential of three important legume crops, alfalfa, soybean, and cowpea in supplying quality fodder and feed for livestock. In addition, we examine the impact of climate change on forage quality and discuss efforts made in enhancing the adaptation of the plant to the abiotic stress conditions. Subsequently, we suggest the application of integrative approaches to achieve adequate forage production amid the unpredictable climatic conditions.

全球范围内，食物获取途径的大幅改善与购买力提升正促使更多人群选择食用营养丰富的食品，由此引发了全球对蛋白类食品的空前需求，且该需求预计还将进一步增长。饲用豆科植物是畜禽饲料的重要来源，有望为粮食与蛋白安全提供可持续解决方案。目前，苜蓿（Alfalfa）已在诸多国家实现商业化种植，作为饲草与饲料来源；此外，大豆与豇豆（cowpea）同样具备提供优质饲草与畜禽饲料的潜力。饲用豆科植物的种植正面临气候变化带来的威胁，凸显出培育能够抵御并适应气候变化负面影响的品种的必要性。近年来，遗传与基因组学工具的进步推动了对数量性状位点（quantitative trait loci）以及相关基因/等位基因的鉴定，这些遗传信息可辅助通过基因组辅助育种培育饲用品种。此外，转基因技术可用于调控植物的遗传组成，以提升饲草消化率，进而改善畜禽生产性能。本文评估了苜蓿、大豆与豇豆这三种重要豆科作物为畜禽提供优质饲草与饲料的遗传潜力。此外，本文还探讨了气候变化对饲草品质的影响，并梳理了提升植物适应非生物胁迫能力的相关研究进展。最后，本文提出在气候条件难以预测的背景下，应采用综合策略以保障充足的饲草产量。