UC Riverside scientists have decoded the genome of black-eyed peas, which could have implications for how humanity deals with climate change. KVCR's Benjamin Purper has more.
Black-eyed peas are notoriously tough beans which are resistant to drought and heat and have high nutritional content.
That makes them important sources of food as the planet becomes hotter and drier.
The UCR researchers’ work in sequencing the black-eyed pea genome places the bean in the company of only a handful of other major crops whose genomes have been fully sequenced.
Having this information will allow breeders to develop new varieties of the black-eyed pea that are even better able to withstand heat and drought.
That could help future generations feed themselves in an increasingly hot and drought-prone planet.
The team’s findings were published in the June issue of the Plant Journal.
