EAGLE: Enhanced Analytical and Genetics Tools for Improving UK Food Legumes

尽管提供了优质蛋白质的极好来源，并在可耕地轮作中作为重要的突破作物提高了可持续性，但英国种植的豆类（干豌豆和蚕豆）未被充分利用于人类消费。在豆类作物育种和科学研发方面的历史性投资不足，直到最近，限制了提高知识和开发新的、适应性更强的品种的范围。然而，最近植物性食品和配料的快速增长导致西方饮食对豆类的需求增加，旨在减少肉类和乳制品的消费。尽管英国是欧洲最大的豆类生产国之一，但食品生产部门目前仍依赖大豆、扁豆和鹰嘴豆等进口谷物。EAGLE将有助于改善对已建立的多样化种质资源的获取，先进的育种方法和分析测试，以提高营养质量，这可能对提高研究人员和植物育种行业开发新的弹性，营养丰富的英国种植豆类品种的能力产生深远的影响，并更好地了解如何操纵关键性状以造福社会和环境。这对于帮助减少对大豆等进口豆类的依赖非常有用。

Despite providing an excellent source of high-quality protein and featuring as important break-crops in arable cropping rotations improving sustainability, UK-grown pulses (dry pea and faba bean) are under-utilised for human consumption. Historic under-investment in pulse crop breeding and scientific R&D has, until recently, limited scope for improving knowledge and for developing new, better-adapted cultivars. However, the rapid recent growth in plant-based foods and ingredients has led to greater demand for pulses in Western diets aiming to reduce meat and dairy consumption. The food production sector is currently reliant on imported grains such as soya, lentil, and chickpea, even though UK is one of the greatest producers of pulses in Europe. EAGLE will help to improve access to established collections of diverse germplasm, advanced breeding methodologies and analytical testing to characterise nutritional quality could have a profound effect on enhancing researcher's and the plant breeding industry's abilities to develop new resilient, nutritious UK-grown pulse varieties and develop greater understanding of how key traits can be manipulated to benefit society and the environment. This could be a extremely useful in helping to reduce the reliance on imported pulses like soya.