The embryos are removed and germinated to form alfalfa plants. These aren't exactly household names even among farmers, but they're all sources of agricultural products that could lead to future drugs. These legumes are a central source of experimental plant material for public and private researchers worldwide. Winged bean, for example, has high levels of proteins called lectins, which are used as diagnostic tools in medical research because they bind to certain blood cells. Another legume in the collection, kudzu, is best known as a prolific but unwanted roadside weed.
Velvet bean is a source of dopa, which the brain converts into the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Reductions in dopamine have been associated with Parkinson's disease, which occurs when dopamine-producing brain cells are destroyed. Velvet bean also contains serotonin, another brain neurotransmitter that may be involved in learning, sleep, and control of moods. Some legumes can add up to 500 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare to the soil, alleviating the need for fertilizer and lessening the chance of water pollution. Forty new sorghum lines with drought, insect and disease resistance have been released by ARS and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. The releases are the latest in the ongoing Sorghum Conversion Program , in which breeders convert tropical sorghums into varieties that will grow in temperate areas.