Journal of Biological Sciences1727-30481812-5719Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/jbs.2007.464.474IbeawuchiI.I. 3200773Most landrace legumes originated in Africa and Asia and their cultivation is as old as the existence of man`s discovery of farming. Landrace legumes found in the humid and sub humid tropics with diverse climatic differences come from different groups and are found among wide range of species. Depending on the species, some are food/grain legumes, shrub or tree legumes. The major ones include mucuna pruriens, Phaseolus lunatus, Sphenostylis stenocarpa, Mucuna sloanei, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Tetrapleura tetraptera and Anthonata microphylla. They have potentials for man in his food and nutrition, soil fertility improvement through nitrogen fixation and mineralization of the decayed shoots and roots in the soil. They are important in soil conservation, farming systems and in medicine, agro forestry, for erosion control purposes and in culture of the people. Legumes are important crops and their nodules interact with rhizobia species of bacteria to fix nitrogen in the soil. They have high economic potentials when intercropped with yam/maize/cassava and as sole crops.]]>Agharkar, S.P.,1991pp: 80-87pp: 80-87Sasson, A.,1990Pages: 804Pages: 804Atta-Krah, A.N.,19931993pp: 20422052Baudoin, J.P.,1981Phaseolus lunatus L.]]>16273286Baudoin, J.P.,1982Phaseolus lunatus L.) with a view to improve its cultivation in the lowland tropical regions.]]>17314Baudoin, J.P.,1982Phaseolus lunatus L.) in the lowland regions of the humid tropics.]]>17105116Baudoin, J.P., E. Otoul and A. Drion,1983Phaseolus sp.]]>184558Brockwell, J.,19801980pp: 417-488pp: 417-488Brockwell, J., R.J. Roughley and S.F. Herridge,1987Rhizobium japonicum strains used to inoculate three successive crops of soybeans.]]>386174Burris, R.H., S.L. Albrecht and Y. Okon,19781978pp: 303315CAB International,1995pp: 1-42pp: 1-42Caius, J.F.,1989Scientific Publ.,Cameron, D.F., C.P. Miller, L.A. Edye and J.W. Miles,19931993pp: 21092114Chandra, S.,1993Daisy, E.K.,19791979Darbie, M., T.K. William and George,19991999David, L.,19841984Ene-Obong, E.E. and F.I. Okoye,1992Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst ex. A. Rich.) harms.]]>30283290Ezueh, M.I.,198436199200Farooqi, A.A., M.M. Khan and Asundhara,1999pp: 26-28pp: 26-28Gutteridge, R.C. and H.M. Shelton,1993pp: 1-40pp: 1-40Harrison, P.,198715605457Herklot, G.A.C.,1976pp: 1-194pp: 1-194Humphreys, L.R.,1994Ibeawuchi, I.I. and M.C. Ofoh,2000119IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture),19921992IPGRI-FAO (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Food and Agricultural Organisation),2001Spenostylis stenocarpa) in the Vvolta regions of Ghana.]]>1241316Kakes, P.,1990482543Krieg, N.R. and J.J. Tarrand,19771977pp: 317333Lindley, J.,1985Liol, L., M. Esquivel and L. Castineiras,1991Phaseolus lunatus L.) Landraces from Cuba, electophoretic analysis of seed storage protein.]]>1107679Mackie, W.W.,1943Phaseolus lunatus).]]>15129Menninger, E.A.,1962pp: 12-336pp: 12-336Meaninger, E.A.,1970pp: 140pp: 140Mulongoy, K., M. Gueye and D.S.C. Spenser,1992NAS.,1979Pages: 345Pages: 345NAS (National Academy of Sciences),1979pp:47-71pp:47-71NRC (National Research Council),1983pp: 1-37pp: 1-37NRC (National Research Council),1984pp: 16-39pp: 16-39O=Harra, G.W., N. Boonkerd and M.J. Dilworth,198865961965Ojeniyi, S.O.,2002pp: 1-23pp: 1-23Oke, O.L.,197523259295Onwueme, I.C. and T.D. Sinha,1991pp: 1-319pp: 1-319Onyenuga, V.A.,1968Oudhia, P.,2001Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera aphididea) on medicinal crop Mucuna pruriens L.]]>72436Oudhia, P. and R.S. Tripathi,20012001Pandey, U.,1999pp: 67-112pp: 67-112Paul, W.R.C.,19511071520Peace Corp,19761976Peoples, M.B., A.W. Faizah, B. Reakasem and D.F. Herridge,1989pp: 76pp: 76Potter, D.,1992Sphenostylis (leguminosae).]]>46262275Rachie, K.O. and P. Silvestre,1977pp: 41-74pp: 41-74Rastogi, R.P. and B.N. Mehrotra,19911991Sastry, C.S.T. and Y.Y. Kavathekar,1990pp: 317-318pp: 317-318Shalini, K.,1997Singh, U., A.M. Wadhwani and B.M. John,1996pp: 45-146pp: 45-146Skerman, P.J.,19771977Summerfield, R.J. and E.H. Roberts,1985Ustimenko-Bakumovsky, G.V.,1983pp: 28-264pp: 28-264Vander Measeen, L.J.G. and S. Sadikin,1989pp: 56-60pp: 56-60Verna, D.M., N.P. Balakrishnan and R.D. Dixit,1993pp: 190-191pp: 190-191Wallis, E. and D.E. Byth,19871987pp: 3444Warrier, P.K., V.P.K. Nambiar, C. Ramankutty and R. Vasudevan Nair,19962nd Edn.,pp: 311-315pp: 311-315Westphal, E.,1974