Project start date

01/02/2025

Project end date

31/01/2030

Summary

The overall objective of the project is to screen different species of the genus Vigna and the runner bean for cultivation in Germany in order to expand the portfolio of available legume species in the long term. The following species are being investigated:

• Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis)
• Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata)
• Mung bean (Vigna radiata)
• Urad bean (Vigna mungo)
• Runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)

The primary focus is on utilization of the crops for human consumption, including P. coccineus, a species that has previously been used mainly in mixed cropping systems with maize for feeding ruminants.

All five legume species originate from subtropical climate zones and are adapted to warm and also dry climatic conditions. Currently, they are mainly cultivated in Asia and Africa, but also in the Northern America. Due to climate change temperatures are expected to rise in Germany. Vigna species and runner beans can then be integrated into local cultivation systems, especially in warm regions.

In Germany, the number of consumers who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet is increasing, but beyond that, plant-based protein sources are also in greater demand than ever before across the entire food industry sector. Consumers are placing ever greater value on a diverse range of different dry legumes, which are currently still almost exclusively covered by imported goods. The organic food industry is currently showing interest in locally produced goods, but it can be assumed that there is also demand in the conventional food sector, similar to the demand for domestic soybeans for human consumption.

Since neither Vigna species nor P. coccineus have been selected for commercial cultivation in Germany to date, the cultivation potential for Vigna species and P. coccineus in Germany is unknown. The BOENLE project therefore focuses on screening accessions and varieties of Vigna species and runner beans for cultivation in Germany.