IV International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics to be held December 7 - 12, 2008 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

豆类(豆科)是动物和人类营养的蛋白质和植物油的主要来源。近年来，各种豆科植物的基因组和遗传资源呈爆炸式增长，包括但不限于紫花苜蓿、大豆、莲花和菜豆。这些进展为努力协调豆类遗传学和基因组学奠定了基础，以确保未来的进展，更重要的是，将基本发现转化为实际应用。豆类基因组学和遗传学国际会议(ICLGG)成立于2002年，以反映豆类基因组学和遗传学的日益发展。这一努力在一定程度上是由模式豆科植物紫花苜蓿和莲花的采用推动的。一个主要的推动力是，豆类模型研究人员希望看到他们的发现转化为豆类作物的实际进展。从一开始，这些会议的一个关键因素就是包括植物育种者和农学家，以及研究人员更多地关注基础研究。为了鼓励初级科学家参加，会议支付了一些研究生和博士后助理介绍他们的工作和以其他方式参加第四届ICLGG会议的费用。NSF提供的资金将用于支持来自美国科学界的初级科学家的参与。

Legumes (family Fabaceae) are a major source of protein and vegetable oil for animal and human nutrition. Recent years have seen an explosion of genomic and genetic resources for a variety of legume plants including but not limited to Medicago truncatula, Glycine max, Lotus japonicus, and Phaseolus vulgaris. These advancements set the stage for efforts to coordinate legume genetics and genomics to insure future progress and, more importantly, to transition basic discoveries into practical applications. The International Conferences on Legume Genomics and Genetics (ICLGG) were established in 2002 to reflect the growing development of legume genomics and genetics. This effort was driven in part by the adoption of the model legumes, Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus. A major impetus was the desire on the part of model legume researchers to see their discoveries translated into practical advances in crop legumes. A key element of these meetings from the beginning was the inclusion of plant breeders and agronomists, alongside researchers focused more on basic research. To encourage the participation of junior scientists, the Conference defrays the cost of attendance for a number of graduate students and postdoctoral associates to present their work and to otherwise participate in the 4th ICLGG. The funding provided by NSF will be used to support the participation of junior scientists from the US scientific community.