Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is highly nutritious and protein rich legume crop; however, presence of ODAP (β-NOxalyl-L-α, β-diaminopropionic acid) has restricted its use for human and animal consumption. There is need for accelerated breeding of low or zero ODAP cultivars to ensure safer and wider use of grass pea through conventional and biotechnological approaches. The study investigated s...

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a diploid crop having 2n = 14 chromosomes. Four different plant types, heterozygous for reciprocal translocation (RT), RT-1, RT-2, RT-3, and RT-4 showing pollen semisterility, were isolated in induced mutant population of three varieties of grass pea. Transmission rate of these 4 translocations was studied in advanced selfed and intercrossed progenies, whereas...

Lathyhism has been reported from the time of Hippocrates. Mention has also been made ot this disease in old Hindu literature 1 Bhavaprakash' where it is written that the pulse Lathyrus sativus causes a man to become lanie and crippled and irritates the nerves (Chopra? 1938). In India epidemics of lathyrism have been reported from time to time usually associated with famine and food scarcity. Th...

Introduction The Lathyrus/lathyrism challenge is broad-based by its nature and requires multi-disciplinary efforts of specialists in the field of epidemiology, neurology, biochemistry, chemistry, nutrition, and agronomy. The role of chemists is in systematic determination of minor natural products in L. sativus seeds so that the sole responsibility of ß-ODAP for neurolathyrism is ascertained . ...