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 Gb 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 improvement of sustainable protein production across the Mediterranean, subtropical and northern temperate agroecological zones.

As the human population grows, so does the demand for higher agricultural yields. As a result, agricultural intensification practices are increasing while soil health is often declining. Integrating the benefits of microorganisms into agricultural management systems can reduce the need for external resource inputs. One particular group of plant symbionts that can help plants to acquire additional nutrients and promote plant growth are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The application of AMF in agricultural practice has been hampered by the variability in the success of mycorrhizal inoculation and the lack of consistency in different fields. Here, we tested whether it is possible to predict mycorrhizal inoculation success based on soil health and productivity. We hypothesized higher inoculation success on fields with poor soil health because in such fields, mycorrhiza can improve nutrient uptake and biotic resistance to pathogens. We calculated a soil health index by aggregating six biotic and abiotic variables from 54 maize fields and tested its correlation with the mycorrhizal growth response (MGR). The MGR was linked to soil health and significantly higher in less healthy soils and less productive fields. This implies that soil inoculation with AMF has most potential in fields with poor soil health and low productivity. Based on these findings, we propose a soil health framework that highlights the potential benefits of AMF field inoculation.

There is an urgent need to develop microbial inoculants that can consistently improve crop performance as part of efforts to implement sustainable agricultural practices and reduce the environmental impact of intensive farming. One of the best known examples of beneficial soil microbes that can promote plant growth and ecosystem performance are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). AMF‐based inoculants are increasingly being marketed to enhance key ecosystem functions such as soil nutrient uptake, soil structure, carbon storage and ecosystem health. Despite this potential, the efficacy of commercial AMF products is still poorly documented and highly variable. In this study, we evaluated 16 commercially available AMF inoculants (nine marketed for agricultural use and seven for home gardening) and, for comparison, seven AMF inoculants for research propose, all tested under controlled greenhouse conditions. Our findings revealed that only three commercial AMF products led to root colonisation, and only one promote plant growth. One‐third of the agricultural inoculants colonised plant roots, whereas none of the seven commercial home gardening products successfully established a symbiosis with plant roots. In contrast, products intended for research purposes consistently induced AMF colonisation and often resulted in a positive growth response, likely due to higher propagule density. Together with three recent studies analysing worldwide AMF products, our study revealed that 85% of the 64 commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculants tested are of poor quality and did not colonise plant roots. Thus, standardised quality control across the industries is necessary to ensure product effectiveness and promote widespread acceptance by farmers, as well as successfully spreading the use of mycorrhizal inoculants as a viable tool for enhancing sustainable agricultural and gardening practices.

This study was conducted to investigate the combined effects of municipal and industrial waste discharges on the quality of the new northern Calabar River in the Niger Delta province (5.317°N, 6.467°E) of Nigeria. Water samples were collected in June 2015 from five regions along the stretch of the river. The five regions comprised three observed pollution sources (abattoir, open market, and noodle factory) and two non-pollution sources at the downstream and upstream sections of the river. Using standard analytical protocols, results showed that the current pollution loads of the river varied significantly (p < 0.05) across the three pollution sources. Over 33% of studied quality indicators of the river including total hardness (1526.19±154 mg/l), biochemical oxygen demand (10.14±4 mg/l), and chemical oxygen demand (57.62±13 mg/l) over time increased beyond their permissible limits due to the disposal of municipal and industrial wastes into the river. The present quality of the river was only fair with a Water Quality Index of 64.71. This result suggests that the water quality is usually protected but occasionally impaired by the wastes discharged into the river, leading to conditions that often depart from permissible levels. Key words: Pollution loads, water quality index, river, Niger Delta