A rapidly growing population, resource scarcity, and the future sustainability of our food supply are among the major concerns of today’s food industry. The importance of resilient food crops that will sustain in the future is imperative, and legumes are ideal future food crops owing to their rich nutrient profile, cost-effective production and resource usage efficiency. Furthermore, they have the potential to meet the protein needs of the future. There are however several limitations associated with legumes in terms of their sensory, nutritional, and functional properties, which make them challenging for the food industry to use. In this review, these challenges are discussed in detail with particular reference to fermentation as a strategy for overcoming them. A major focus is on examining the potential application of fermentation for modifying techno-functional properties, such as foaming and emulsifying properties, solubility, and water and oil binding capacities of legume substrates. In many studies, fermentation has been demonstrated to enhance the techno-functional, sensory and nutritional attributes of various legume substrates. Future studies must focus on developing scalable fermentation processes to utilize the technology for improving the techno-functional and sensory properties of legume-based ingredients at industrial scale.

Lupin (Lupinus spp.), a legume known for its high protein content, holds great promise as a sustainable protein source to meet future global demands. Despite its nutritional benefits, including substantial dietary fibre and bioactive compounds, lupin remains underutilised in human diets due to several techno-functional and sensory limitations. This review delves into the techno-functional limitations of lupin, which include poor foaming capacity, low water and oil absorption, inadequate emulsification properties, and poor solubility. Lupin’s techno-functional limits are tied to the compact, heat-stable nature of its conglutin storage proteins and high insoluble fibre content. While research has been conducted on fermenting other legumes such as soybeans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils with Exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing bacteria, its application to lupin remains largely unexplored. Crucially, this work is one of the first reviews to exclusively link lupin’s unique protein and fibre structure with the specific polymer chemistry of bacterial EPS as a targeted modification strategy. Current research findings suggest that EPS-producing Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) fermentation can significantly improve the techno-functional properties of legumes, indicating strong potential for similar benefits with lupin. The analysis highlights various studies demonstrating the ability of EPS-producing LAB to improve water retention, emulsification, and overall palatability of legume-based products. Furthermore, it emphasises the need for continued research in the realm of fermentation with EPS-producing bacteria to enhance the utilisation of lupin in food applications. By addressing these challenges, fermented lupin could become a more appealing and nutritious option, contributing significantly to global food security and nutrition.

Drought is one of the most hazardous abiotic stresses that can cause considerable yield losses mainly in rainfed and minor irrigated ecosystems in Sri Lanka. Identification of drought tolerant rice germplasm and drought linked traits in those germplasm are essential in developing drought tolerant varieties. Present study was conducted to screen 46 rice germplasm (34 traditional, 4 improved, 7 exotic accessions and one wild relative of rice) for response to drought under induced water stressed condition at reproductive stage which is the most critical stage for drought stress. One plant house trial and two field trials were conducted for germplasm screening. Plant house trail was established using one meter long PVC pipes in a Randomized Complete Block Design with two replicates. Water stress was induced at early booting stage while control treatment was maintained under unstressed condition. Drought linked above ground traits and root traits were investigated. Tested rice germplasm significantly varied with respect to drought linked traits. Different adaptation mechanisms were shown by different accessions for their survival under water stressed condition. Oryza eichingari, Podi Niyanwee, Goda Heenati (4049), Al Wee (4919), Al Wee(4023), Mada Al Galle, Bg 300, Kinadang Patang, Ld 12-38 performed comparatively better under drought stressed conditions at reproductive stage. Suwandel, Rathnawalu, Nona Bokra and Rathu Heenati showed significantly inferior performances under drought conditions. Correlation analysis revealed that the spikelet fertility, harvest index, grain weight and spikelet per panicle significantly contributed to yield stability under drought stressed conditions. High correlation was observed between spikelet fertility and delayed leaf rolling. No significant correlations were observed between yield and root traits. Selected accessions can be utilized as donor parents for development of high yielding rice varieties for low moisture stress conditions.

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L) is a commonly grown spice crop in Sri Lanka. Average chilli yield in Sri Lanka is 1 mt/ha though the potential yield is 3 mt/ha. Low yield of chilli is mainly due to abiotic and biotic stresses including diseases. Among the diseases chilli leaf curling is known as the most devastating disease in chilli. Almost all of the cultivating chilli varieties in Sri Lanka are found to be susceptible to the Leaf Curl Disease of Chilli (LCDC). Chilli leaf curl Sri Lanka virus has been reported in association with LCDC in Sri Lanka. In this study, the possible association of Chilli leaf curl Sri Lanka virus with seven different symptom types in chilli plants and 18 commonly growing weeds were tested using Chilli leaf curl Sri Lanka virus specific primers in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The results revealed the presence of Chilli leaf curl Sri Lanka virus in association with four different symptom groups reported from commonly cultivating chilli varieties. The results also revealed the presence of Chilli leaf curl Sri Lanka virus in nine weeds, out of 18 weeds tested namely, Pitasudupala (Boerhavia diffusa of family Nyctaginaceae), Gandapana (Lantana camara of family Verbenaceae), Maduruthala (Ocimum tenuiflorum of family Ocimum), Wathupalu (Mikania micrantha of family Asteraceae), Balunaguta (Stachytarpheta indica of family Verbinaceae), Wal Aba (Cleome viscosa of family Capparidaceae) Wal rubber (Euphorbia heterophylla of family Euphorbiraceae), Walkoththamalli (Scoparia dulcis of family Scrophulariaceae) and Pethithora (Cassia tora of family Fabaceae). The findings of this study revealed that the virus can be in association with chilli plants having different symptoms and the alternative weed hosts of Chilli leaf curl Sri Lanka virus. This information can be applied to manage the LCDC in Sri Lanka.