Seed quality as a proxy of climate-ready orphan legumes: the need for a multidisciplinary and multi-actor vision

Abstract

In developing countries, orphan legumes stand at the forefront in the struggle against climate change. Their high nutrient value is crucial in malnutrition and chronic diseases prevention. However, as the 'orphan' definition suggests, their seed systems are still underestimated and seed production is scanty. Seed priming is an effective, sustainable strategy to boost seed quality in orphan legumes for which up-to-date guidelines are required to guarantee reliable and reproducible results. How far are we along this path? What do we expect from seed priming? This brings to other relevant questions. What is the socio-economic relevance of orphan legumes in the Mediterranean Basin? How to potentiate a broader cultivation in specific regions? The case study of the BENEFIT-Med (Boosting technologies of orphan legumes towards resilient farming systems) project, developed by multidisciplinary research networks, envisions a roadmap for producing new knowledge and innovative technologies to improve seed productivity through priming, with the long-term objective of promoting sustainability and food security for/in the climate-sensitive regions. This review highlights the existing drawbacks that must be overcome before orphan legumes could reach the state of 'climate-ready crops'. Only by the integration of knowledge in seed biology, technology and agronomy, the barrier existing between research bench and local agricultural fields may be overcome, generating high-impact technical innovations for orphan legumes. We intend to provide a powerful message to encourage future research in line with the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

Keywords: Greater Mediterranean Region; climate change; food security; multi-actor approach; resilience; seed priming and seed system; underutilized legumes; vulnerability mapping.

Figure 1

Seed systems are crucial vehicles that allow farmers to acquire good quality seeds of new varieties, playing an essential role in the process of orphan legumes adoption in the climate-vulnerable regions of Mediterranean area. They are part of a variegated puzzle, since different types of seed systems currently exist: formal, semi-formal, informal, and community-based seed systems. Actions should be taken in order to promote remodelling and integration of the different seed systems, based on local agronomic, technical, socio-economic, and cultural needs. Stakeholders, including policy makers, are committed to provide such flexibility, as a key factor towards better climate resilience of local agroecosystems.

Figure 2

How can orphan legumes reach the status of ‘climate-ready crops’? To what extent can seed quality promote this transition? The ‘seed quality’ perspective, in terms of scientific, technological, and agronomic contributions is depicted. This avenue moves from bench to field as follows. The potential ‘climate-ready’ germplasm available deserves in-depth characterization to assess its real value. This requires the contribution of i) basic research on the molecular mechanisms (e.g. antioxidant players and DNA damage response) underlying seed quality, ii) applied research leading to advanced seed technology (e.g. more effective seed priming protocols), iii) knowledge/technology transfer to farmers and other stakeholders through training, participatory work, with focus on women empowerment.

Figure 3

(A) The multidisciplinary BENEFIT-Med Consortium across the Mediterranean Basin includes eleven Partners distributed in eight countries: Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, and Greece from the EU side; Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia from North Africa. (B) The ‘seed priming interactome’ represents the multidisciplinary effort and multitarget action of the BENEFIT-Med Consortium, envisaged as a mitigation strategy to boost orphan legumes adoption. Such strategy, relying on dedicated seed technology, requires cross-talk at different levels: i) climate change is targeted through a multidisciplinary approach (e.g. climate science, agronomy), ii) geography is included as mapping the climate vulnerable sites of the Mediterranean area is an essential step for future actions, iii) databases (BENEFIT-Med Hub-Med database) are crucial, as knowledge source and repository, iv) farming systems as the target of seed quality-based innovation, recipients of the benefits brought by orphan legumes, v) socio-economic development of vulnerable regions supported by dedicated actions (dissemination and training, involvement of policy-makers).