Pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) are cool season food legume crops. Members of the Fabaceae family, these legumes are distinguished by providing delicious and nutritious grains to the human diet. These crops serve as an important part of sustainable agricultural systems by providing biologically fixed nitrogen, made possible through symbiosis with rhizobia bacteria, and serving as a key rotation crop. Genomic information from the sequenced legume crops (Chickpea, Medicago, Lotus and Soybean) along with genomic and genetic data from the cool season food legumes provide a framework and road map for crop improvement. This database is being developed to serve as a resource to facilitate cool season food legume plant breeding and research by providing centralized, integrated access to relevant genetic and genomic information.
