Legumes – A Friend Of Farmers
A legume is an edible pod of leguminous plant which develops from a simple carpel and opens on two sides. Well-known plants of legume family include clover, alfalfa, lupins, peas, peanuts and beans. Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen. Its roots have a bacteria known as rhizobio which helps in maintaining a perfect symbiotic relationship. The ability to form this symbiosis reduces the fertilizer costs and thereby, beneficial to farmers. They are a part of crop to enrich the soil. The farmed legumes fall into two classes namely, Forage and Grain legumes. Forage legumes are used to graze livestock and grain legumes are farmed for their seeds.