A new journal on the legume research horizon - Legume Perspectives

Abstract

Through the decades of research on various legume species and crops worldwide, its results have been published in an endless number of national and international journals and magazines dealing with various topics. It is certain that the articles on genetics, propelled by Mendel’s pioneering work, are among the most numerous, but it is also true that those on agronomy, agro-ecology, or stress tolerance were produced rather abundantly. So far, there has not been a journal devoted specifically to legume science, except Legume Research published by the Agricultural Research Communication Centre, India. We have published our articles in several crop-specific journals, such as Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report, Journal of Lentil Research, Lathyrus Lathyrism Newsletter, Pisum Genetics or Soybean Genetics Newsletter: however, some of these no longer exist. A unique publication in the world of legume science, research and promotion was Grain Legumes, published by the European Association for Grain Legume Research (AEP), with 57 issues published from 1992 to 2011. With the official registration of a novel international Legume Society (LS) on 1st April 2013, an initiative was born among the researchers on all legume crop groups, including grain legumes, forage legumes, soybean, tree legumes, ornamental legumes or pharmaceutical legumes, and all legume research topics, ranging from genomics, genetic resources and breeding to agronomy, agro-ecology and stress tolerance, to establish a magazinelike journal, named Legume Perspectives. Following the tradition of Grain Legumes, each of its four issues per year will be devoted to a specific legume crop or research topic, with several brief but rather informative and updated reviews supplemented by a few research articles, and important announcements for the global legume community. We are deeply convinced that Legume Perspectives will serve well the members of the International Legume Society and all interested in legumes in general, and will successfully meet the criteria for an innovative, serious, useful, interesting and regularly issued publication.