A BOUNTY of BEANS MSU’S Hearty Global Impact
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SUMMER 2016 | Volume 34, Nos. 1 & 2 FUTURES A BOUNTY OF BEANS MSU’s hearty global impact BEAN COUNTING: MASFRIJOL: MEET MSU’S Measuring the A partnership improving JAMES KELLY: economic importance bean productivity A masterful bean of these crops in Guatemala breeder and mentor FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 1 FUTURES GLOBAL PULSES 36 Meet MSU’s James Kelly: A masterful bean CONTRIBUTORS breeder and mentor Holly Whetstone 5 Editor’s Message: My first trip to Africa 38 Bringing internationally-grown beans to U.S. markets EDITOR 6 The Legume Innovation Lab (LIL): MSU’s rich Cameron Rudolph history in legume and cowpea research 40 Paying it forward: The next generation of legume scientists WRITER 12 Bean counting: Measuring the economic James Dau importance of these crops Fighting pulse insects with integrated pest 43 WRITER management 16 USAID: Feed the Future aims to help end world Marguerite Halversen hunger, address food security 47 Michigan’s premier dry bean research center LEGUME INNOVATION expanding footprint LABORATORY Abby Lynn Rubley COVER STORY 50 Photosynthesis progress: Technological tools helping unveil secrecy of plant energy CENTER FOR GLOBAL CONNECTIONS and improve grain legume production 20 The United Nation declares 2016 the Kurt Stepnitz International Year of the Pulses. Moving from 53 Preventing malnutrition: Increasing the ‘underappreciated’ to a global stage, the light nutritional value of diets in Africa PHOTGRAPHY, MSU COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAND STRATEGY shines bright this year on the nutrient-rich crop. Leslie Johnson About the Cover: A woman, with her children, selling beans at a local market in Mozambique. COPY EDITOR, ANR FACULTY & FACILITY CREATIVE SERVICES Photo taken by Paballo Thekiso for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Iain Bogle Three Recipes: Cooking with beans. Ceviche 56 ART DIRECTION, BCP bean salad; fresh corn tortillas and stuffed EAST LANSING, MI FEATURES tortilla recipes Printwell 58 Q & A: Meet research director Irvin Widders, PRINTER, 26 MSU has strong showing at conference in director of the Legume Innovation Laboratory TAYLOR, MI Livingstone, Zambia A special thanks to Irvin Widders, 60 Facility Focus: Saginaw Valley Research and 30 MASFRIJOL: A partnership improving bean Extension Center, a new 11,000-square-foot director of the Legume Innovation productivity in Guatemala educational facility Laboratory, for his guidance and support of this issue. Futures is published twice per year by Michigan State University AgBioResearch. To receive Futures free of charge, write to: Futures Editor, 446 W. Circle Dr., Permission to reprint material in this issue is granted, provided the meaning is 109 Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824, not changed. Credit given to the publication as the source of the material is email [email protected], or call appreciated. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply (517)355-0123. MSU AgBioResearch is an equal opportunity employer and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title endorsement or criticism of products. IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. WOMEN FARMERS TEND THEIR BEAN CROP ON A HILLSIDE BY THEIR AgBioResearch.msu.edu HOMES IN GUATEMALA 2 FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 3 EDITOR’S NOTE Experiencing Africa firsthand I first became acquainted with Africa Later in the week, I went on a day-long thumbing through the pages of National safari in Botswana. Our tour guide, who sported Geographic. Striking images of individuals a picture-perfect smile and a sense of humor to draped in beautiful, bold prints standing match, managed to get us within arms-length along dusty horizons often dotted with exotic of several herds of elephants. He went out of wildlife. I wondered what the people were his way, even risking a mud bath of his own, to thinking and what their lives were like. ensure that we saw as many animals as possible. Earlier this year, I had the amazing Along the busy roadsides, we saw women opportunity to visit Africa for the first time. toting hefty loads atop their heads and small I was there to attend the 2016 Pan-African children waving gleefully at our passing Grain Legume and World Cowpea Conference vehicles. Even those selling local crafts at the in Livingstone, Zambia. (The United Nations border crossing between Zambia and Botswana has declared 2016 The International Year joked and laughed as they tried, most of the of the Pulses and hence, the inspiration for this time unsuccessfully, to make a sale. issue of the magazine.) In a land stricken by And I’ll never forget the young taxi driver hunger, poverty and malnutrition, I had in Johannesburg, who escorted us directly to the the opportunity to meet some of its lovely, airport terminal and waited close to an hour – kind-hearted people. without request – to make sure we safely made One large family graciously opened its our flight to Zambia. Not to mention one of the home, consisting of small thatched-roof huts conference organizers who took us into town to void of running water and electricity, to more see a pharmacist for medication (thankfully, just than 75 conference-goers. They took us on a for itchy bug bites). tour of their farm under the sub-Saharan sun. Visiting this exquisite continent I began to With knowledge imparted through a U.S. answer some of the questions I had pondered Agency for International Development (USAID) looking through those magazines many years project, the farmer was able to convert his land, ago. The people I had the fantastic opportunity once an aquaculture farm, into a successful to meet cherish life’s smallest moments, have a small-scale cowpea seed operation. Drought deep appreciation for every morsel of goodness conditions had forced the change. the earth provides (especially beans!) and are The slight man joked that, due to training individuals from whom we, Americans, can and education from USAID, he’s now known learn so much. as the “professor” and his assistants, out in To watch some of my videos from my trip the field, were busy in their “departments.” to Africa, visit our YouTube channel. Find us by One woman struck up a conversation with a searching for MSU AgBioResearch. small group of us, wanting to hear about our lives back home. She even asked one young lady to exchange numbers. Yes, cell phones are surprisingly quite common. Holly M. Whetstone 4 FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 5 BY CAMERON RUDOLPH, STAFF WRITER THE LEGUME In December 2013, the General profound achievement came in 1915 Assembly of the United Nations voted with the development of the first navy to declare 2016 the International Year bean, called Robust, which delivered INNOVATION of Pulses (IYOP). The designation, consistently high yields. which sheds light on a food source that could slash hunger and poverty, has Ensuing decades would see the LABORATORY been nearly two years in the making introduction of numerous other bean with input spanning the globe. But cultivars from MSU and recognition what exactly is a pulse? of the university as a leader in this area. During that time, MSU would “…We want to improve the livelihood of individuals Pulses are the dried seeds that come foray into research on additional from many plants in the legume family, leguminous crops. Growing expertise by alleviating hunger and poverty, and we think the according to a definition by Pulse and a commitment to diverse areas of Canada – a sponsor of IYOP. The research — such as breeding, genetics, Legume Innovation Lab (at Michigan State University) most common pulses are chickpeas, pathology and nutrition, among others dried beans, dried peas and lentils — have kept MSU at the pinnacle of is making real headway in these areas.” — all great sources of fiber, protein, legume science. and minerals such as iron, zinc and - Irvin Widders phosphorus. Pulses, as well as legumes, “We are fortunate to have some of have the nutrient capacity to transform the world’s leading bean and legume millions of lives. scientists at MSU,” said Douglas Buhler, MSU assistant vice president Michigan State University (MSU) has for research and graduate studies, a rich history of research on pulses and and director of MSU AgBioResearch. legumes, dating back to the early 1900s “The work we do in Michigan on with the establishment of the bean breeding, genetics, pest management breeding program within the Michigan and other disciplines transcends Agricultural Experiment Station (now geographic boundaries. It’s just as called MSU AgBioResearch). Frank applicable in Africa or Latin America Spragg, the program’s first breeder, as it is here. We benefit tremendously made contributions to bean studies from international collaborations, that remain relevant today. His most something our legume scientists do PROFESSOR IRVIN WIDDERS, DIRECTOR OF THE MSU LEGUME INNOVATION LAB. 6 FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 FUTURES | SUMMER 2016 7 N DECEMBER 2013, THE THE LEGUME Adams became the co-founding director GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF of the Bean/Cowpea CRSP. The program THE UNITED NATIONS INNOVATION evolved through various titles, from VOTED TO DECLARE Bean/Cowpea CRSP to the Dry Grain I2016 THE INTERNATIONAL LABORATORY Pulses CRSP. It is now the Feed the YEAR OF PULSES (IYOP). Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative THE DESIGNATION, WHICH AT MSU Research on Grain Legumes, commonly SHEDS LIGHT ON A FOOD known as the Legume Innovation SOURCE THAT COULD SLASH HAS A RICH Lab (LIL). HUNGER AND POVERTY, HAS LIL, a research and capacity- BEEN NEARLY TWO YEARS RESEARCH building program, is part of Feed the IN THE MAKING WITH INPUT Future, a U.S. presidential initiative SPANNING THE GLOBE. BUT LEGACY addressing global hunger and food WHAT EXACTLY IS A PULSE? WHICH DATES security.