Increasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity1. However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value2. Faba bean (Vicia fabaL.) has a high yield potential and is well suited for cultivation in temperate regions, but genomic resources are scarce. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the faba bean genome and show that it has expanded to a massive 13\uffe2\uff80\uff89Gb in size through an imbalance between the rates of amplification and elimination of retrotransposons and satellite repeats. Genes and recombination events are evenly dispersed across chromosomes and the gene space is remarkably compact considering the genome size, although with substantial copy number variation driven by tandem duplication. Demonstrating practical application of the genome sequence, we develop a targeted genotyping assay and use high-resolution genome-wide association analysis to dissect the genetic basis of seed size and hilum colour. The resources presented constitute a genomics-based breeding platform for faba bean, enabling breeders and geneticists to accelerate the\uffc2\uffa0improvement of sustainable protein production across the\uffc2\uffa0Mediterranean, subtropical and northern temperate agroecological zones.Featured paper: See Editorial p553
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "Time Factors", "550", "plant community", "carbon fixation", "Carbon use efficiency", "Cell Respiration", "Amazon rain forest", "drought", "Gross primary productivity", "01 natural sciences", "experimental study", "metabolism Amazon rain forest", "Trees", "Soil", "cell respiration", "Keywords: carbon", "partitioning", "Ecosystem", "ecosystem", "Carbon cycling", "Drought", "Bacteria", "article", "carbon dioxide", "net primary production", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "bacterium", "Carbon", "6. Clean water", "Net primary productivity", "Droughts", "carbon flux", "Carbon dioxide", "rainforest", "respiration", "Partitioning", "Brazil"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/79387/5/f5625xPUB78382010.pdf.jpg"}, {"href": "https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/79387/7/01_Metcalfe_Shifts_in_plant_respiration_2010.pdf.jpg"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03319.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/New%20Phytologist", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03319.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03319.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03319.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-07-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10138/356895", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-04T16:25:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-03-08", "title": "The giant diploid faba genome unlocks variation in a global protein crop", "description": "AbstractIncreasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity 1 . However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value 2 . Faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) has a high yield potential and is well suited for cultivation in temperate regions, but genomic resources are scarce. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the faba bean genome and show that it has expanded to a massive 13\uffe2\uff80\uff89Gb in size through an imbalance between the rates of amplification and elimination of retrotransposons and satellite repeats. Genes and recombination events are evenly dispersed across chromosomes and the gene space is remarkably compact considering the genome size, although with substantial copy number variation driven by tandem duplication. Demonstrating practical application of the genome sequence, we develop a targeted genotyping assay and use high-resolution genome-wide association analysis to dissect the genetic basis of seed size and hilum colour. The resources presented constitute a genomics-based breeding platform for faba bean, enabling breeders and geneticists to accelerate the\uffc2\uffa0improvement of sustainable protein production across the\uffc2\uffa0Mediterranean, subtropical and northern temperate agroecological zones. Abstract
Natural based solutions, notably constructed/artificial wetland treatment systems, rely heavily on identification and use of macrophytes with the ability to tolerate multiple contaminants and grow for an extended period to reduce contamination. The potential to tolerate and remediate metal(loid) contaminated groundwater from an industrial site located in Flanders (Belgium) was assessed for 10 wetland macrophytes (including