Abstract: Non-cereal crops are dominated by pulses (large-seeded legumes) and root crops, such as potatoes and yams. With their higher protein content and nitrogen-fixing ability, pulses complement cereals both agronomically and nutritionally, and are found in all regions of grain-based agriculture. Pulses were collected by hunter gatherers for many millennia before being domesticated in the Near East at about the same time as the early cereal crops, with non-dormant lentils dating from 11,000-9,000 BP, and non-shattering peas and lentils from 8,800-8,500 BP. Several bean species were domesticated in Eurasia and the Americas with Phaseolus spp being major staples throughout the latter continent. In all cases, the primary domestication traits were loss of dormancy, non-shattering pods, thin-coats, and increased seed size. As root crops, potatoes were selected primarily for low levels of toxins and large tuber size rather than for seed-related traits as in cereals and legumes.

Keywords: pulses, lentils, peas, beans, potatoes, starch, protein, brassicas,