B I O D I V E R S I T Y 9 ( 1 & 2 ) 2 0 0 8 111

BLOSSOMING TREASURES OF BIODIVERSITY:

14. Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus)
Can a last resort food become a frst choice?
E. Small and P.M. Catling
authors addresses:
E. Small
P.M. Catling
Biodiversity,
National Program on
Environmental Health,
Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada K1A 0C6
smalle@agr.gc.ca OR
catlingp@agr.gc.ca
S P E C I E S B Y S P E C I E S
This past contribution from our series BLOSSOMING TREASURES OF BIODIVERSITY [Biodiversity 5(4) 2004]
has been chosen for presentation in this special issue on Food & Agriculture because it illustrates several important
aspects of new crop development. First, it demonstrates the importance of crop research: in this case, millions
of people forced by famine to consume a nutritious but toxic food can be spared agonizing paralysis by research
aimed at developing new cultivated varieties with low levels of paralytic neurotoxin. Second, it shows that the benefits
from crop research are usually not limited to the original target audience: in this case, not only has agriculture in
subtropical countries benefitted by the creation of new cultivars useful for humans, but temperate region agriculture
has also received new cultivars suitable as forage and fodder for livestock. Third, the cultural difficulties involved
in implementing the benefits of non-toxic cultivars reminds us that the popularization of new crops often requires
consideration of not only scientific and economic aspects, but also social constraints.
Poisonous? Yes! Despite the friendly name Sweet Pea, the
well known, attractive garden ornamental Lathyrus odoratus
shown here is toxic. It has a devastatingly poisonous relative,
the Grass Pea, featured in this article. This illustration is from
Curtis, W. (Editor). 1787. The Botanical Magazine, Vol. 1,
Plate 160. London, United Kingdom.
112 T R O P I C A L C O N S E R V A N C Y
with 36 seeds. The seeds are often white, brownish-grey, or light
cream in color, and may also be speckled with black. The seeds
are distinctively wedge shaped, and range in size from 37 mm
(1/81/4 inch) in diameter. Grass Pea probably originated from
the Mediterranean area and/or western Asia.
fOOD use
The use of Grass Pea for human food may date back 8,000
years in the region of the Balkan Peninsula. From the
eastern Mediterranean, Grass Pea was taken to Africa, Asia,
and Europe (where it may well have been one of the frst
domesticated crops). It has been grown for thousands of
years, but at present is a major food crop of India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ethiopia. Grass Pea is raised by
several hundred million farmers in the Indian subcontinent
and sub-Saharan Africa. In India, 2 million ha (5 million
acres) are under cultivation.
The seeds are roasted, made into soup, and prepared as paste
balls. Flour or meal from Grass Pea can be used in cooking or
to make bread. In Asia the leaves are sometimes eaten as a pot
Imagine a food crop that has permanently crippled millions of
people. The Grass Pea is widely consumed in Asia and Africa,
with tragic results. Yet, this remarkable poisonous plant not
only has the potential to safely feed much of the world, but also
is extraordinarily benefcial to the environment in comparison
with most other crops.
tHe PlAnt
The Pea in Grass Pea is based on resemblance to the
Garden Pea (Pisum sativum). Both are members of the legume
family. The grass in the name refers to its leafets, which
are long and grass-shaped. Grass Pea (alternatively spelled
Grasspea) is known by many other names, including Blue
Vetchling, Chickling Pea, Chickling Vetch, Dogtooth Pea, Grass
Peavine, Indian Pea, Riga Pea, and Wedge Peavine. Non-English
names include Batura (India), Khesari (Bangladesh and India),
Guaya (Ethiopia), Gilbin (Sudan), and Matri (Pakistan).
This annual herb has white, pink, red, purple, or blue fowers, and
grows as a suberect, creeping, or climbing vine, typically from
0.61 m (23 feet) in length, although forms are known that reach
9 m (30 feet). The pods are fat, 2.55 cm (12 inches) in length,
A, Grass Pea. From Curtis, W. (Editor). 1790.The Botanical Magazine, Vol. 3, Plate 115. London, United Kingdom. B, Grass Pea. From Hallier, E.H. 1886. Flora von Deutschland,
edition 5 (of publication originally authored by D.F.L. von Schlechtendal et al.). Volume 5, Plate 2508. F.E. Khler, Gera-Untermhaus, Germany.
A B
B I O D I V E R S I T Y 9 ( 1 & 2 ) 2 0 0 8 113
herb and the immature pods boiled as a vegetable. Grass Pea is
not currently a food of Western nations, but with present efforts
to create completely non-toxic lines, it may become an important
Western crop.
Grass pea also feeds millions of people worldwide as a
consequence of its use as a fodder, especially for cattle in parts
of south-central Europe, as well as Africa and Asia. Some of
the extensive variation in the species, including wide-leaved
forms, is thought to be a result of selection for forage. Recently,
improved fodder varieties have been developed in Canada.
The plant is exceptionally capable of withstanding drought and,
as a result, is often the cheapest or only food available to the
poor. Moreover, the seeds typically contain over 25% protein
(sometimes as high as 32%), and are often the only protein
available in poor regions. This is the source of an extreme health
problem called lathyrism, described below.
lAtHyrisM
To survive famine, people are sometimes compelled to eat
poisonous Grass Pea seeds. The amount of poison can be
reduced by soaking, or boiling with changes of water. Baking
and roasting also reduce the toxin. While these methods can
lower the neurotoxin content by over 90%, the nutritional
quality is also lowered and some water-soluble vitamins are
lost. Tragically, poor people simply lack enough water and
fuel to carry out such treatments to make the Grass Pea less
poisonous.
For many, the result of eating too much toxic seed is a condition
called lathyrism (neurolathyrism), characterized by irreversible,
crippling, lameness. It usually occurs when Grass Pea has
made up more than one-third of the diet for 3 or 4 months.
Lathyrism is said to strike below the belt. When too much Grass
Pea is consumed, both legs become paralysed and degenerate
permanently. The onset of the disease is often sudden. Continued
consumption can result in convulsions and fnally death. At least
100,000 people in developing countries are believed to suffer
from the disease. Toxicity does not affect everyone equally.
Some people are seriously disabled, others are not affected.
For reasons that are not fully understood, paralysis is more
common among males than females. People between 20 and
29 years of age have been the predominant group affected.
Young men under 40 are particularly susceptible. Within social
classes lathyrism is especially prevalent among poorer unskilled
labourers who have less food options. Among livestock, horses
are notably sensitive.
tOxic PrinciPle
Lathyrism is caused by an amino acid in the seeds of Grass
Pea. There is no simple name for this toxic amino acid. It has
been called beta-N-oxalyamino-L alanine (BOAA for short),
beta-N-oxalyl-L-alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid (Ox-dapro or
ODAP for short), and L-3-oxalyamino-2-amino-propionic acid
(OAP for short). This amino acid is not one of the 20 amino acids
that form the basis of proteins that are necessary for human life.
It is a neurological poison that destroys nerves in both humans
and livestock. The poisonous amino acid may be present in a
concentration of up to 2.5% in the seeds. Water stress can double
the toxin level, while salinity in the soil may reduce the toxin level
in the seeds. It has been suggested that human consumption is
considered to be safe at levels below 0.2% of the toxin.
A, Grass Pea seed for sale in a market in India ; B, Low-toxin seeds of Grass Pea, bred in Canada (photographs courtesy of Dr. C.G. Campbell).
B
A
114 T R O P I C A L C O N S E R V A N C Y
human consumption, the remaining parts of the plant are
available to feed livestock, mostly cattle, and in this way Grass
Pea can further contribute to effcient utilization of its biomass.
The seeds are sometimes simply broadcast on the soil, without
tillage or with minimum soil disturbance. These practices are
considered today to be ecologically friendly (for example, not
disturbing soil organisms). Grass Pea is a biodiversity-friendly,
effcient crop that contributes to sustainable agriculture because
it grows well with minimum agricultural inputs (including
fertilizer, water, pesticides, and herbicides).
cliMAtic ADAPtAtiOn
Grass Pea is a cool season crop of warm-temperate (Mediterranean)
and subtropical regions. It is naturally adapted to the arid or semi-
arid conditions prevailing in much of southern Asia during the
winter season. Accordingly, in subtropical arid regions, notably
in China, South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, it is
often raised as a winter crop. Remarkably, the plant is also
adapted to growing under waterlogged conditions. It grows well
in some areas where monsoon rains or seasonal fooding can
severely damage other crops, such as in areas of Bangladesh,
Nepal, and Ethiopia. It also thrives when simply broadcast into
the standing water of a rice crop. In temperate regions, Grass
Pea also grows well, but tends to produce much larger amounts
of stems and leaves, rather than seeds, making the crop more
suitable as forage and fodder for livestock rather than for grain.
In Southeast Asia, it is often sown as a mixture with other crops,
so that if adverse weather reduces the yield of the other crops,
A, Farmer crippled by lathyrism, in the Grass Pea crop that crippled him. The severity of the disease is often judged by whether one or two canes are used.
B, Grass Pea breeder Clayton Campbell displaying a forage type of Lathyrus sativus. (Photographs courtesy of Dr. C.G. Campbell).
lOW-tOxin vArieties
In recent decades, several breeders, notably Canadian breeder
Clayton G. Campbell, have created low-toxin varieties (below
0.05%). ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research
in the Dry Areas) part of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), with headquarters in Aleppo,
Syria, announced in 2000 that it had developed plants that are
virtually toxin-free when planted under relatively wet conditions
(although toxins are produced as soil moisture falls). Efforts to
solve the lathyrism problem by introducing low-toxin lines have
had limited success to date because of various objections to the
characteristics of these varieties by the consumers. The problem
is in part cultural, and efforts are underway to persuade people
of the desirability of using low-toxin varieties.
ADAPtAtiOns tO
envirOnMentAlly-frienDly AGriculture
Grass Pea is extraordinarily suited to grow under adverse
conditions. It tolerates both drought and fooding very well. Its
hardy, penetrating root system is able to grow on a wide range of
soil types, including very poor soils and heavy clay. Like other
legumes, it hosts nitrogen-fxing bacteria in root nodules, and
so does not require much nitrogen fertilization. Also like other
legumes, which fertilize the soil, the Grass Pea is commonly
used in crop rotation, especially with rice in Asia, thereby
contributing to long-term sustainable farming. Additionally,
the plant is resistant to many pests, including insects that
specialize on stored grain. After the seeds are collected for
B A
B I O D I V E R S I T Y 9 ( 1 & 2 ) 2 0 0 8 115
No sight is more chilling to those of us who have worked
in famine situations than to see South Asian villages where
many of the residents are crawling on their knees and
elbows or are being wheeled about, because of lathyrism.
alan berg [in Food for Life Global, issue #34 June 12,
1999 (Web document)].
A NEW APPROACH TO FAMINE RELIEF
A few consecutive droughts in Ethiopia in the 1970s
disabled 70,000 people. In 1999 an estimated 2,000
were crippled in a small part of Ethiopia. That same
year, a comprehensive plan was developed to eliminate
lathyrism in part of the country using imported alternate
protein sources. Its cost was 3 cents per person per
day. One thousand people could have been protected
from the crippling condition for 1 month for three
thousand dollars. Even this relatively inexpensive plan
was not implemented, like so many other well-intended
plans for famine relief. The effort to produce toxin-free
varieties of Grass Pea is clearly a main hope.
the much hardier Grass Pea provides insurance that enough food
will be produced for survival.
cOnservAtiOn issues
Although Grass Pea is widely distributed, and there is already
a considerable number of seed collections in gene banks,
there remains an urgent need for additional conservation
measures. This is because the species is variable and has
numerous relatives. The genus Lathyrus is native to the northern
hemisphere, South America, and the mountains of east Africa,
and includes about 170 species. Dozens of races of L. sativus
have been identifed in India alone based on differences in
fower and seed colour and pod markings. There is a need
for analysis and preservation of much of this variation that
potentially can contribute genes for Grass Pea improvement.
Breeders have noted the desirability of iden-tifying ecological
areas that should be conserved for the specifc purpose of
protecting species and varieties of Lathyrus that are important
for Grass Pea development.
PriOrities AnD PrOsPects
Grass Pea produces large amounts of good-tasting seeds under
climatic and soil conditions that very few other crops can
tolerate. Moreover, it is very ecologically friendly in compa-
rison to other crops, and contributes to sustainable agriculture.
For a crop that has been exploited by humans for perhaps 8,000
years, the extent of domestication (i.e. genetic alteration to
suit the needs of humans) is very limited. Therefore, there is
a great opportunity for breeding cultivated varieties to meet
the particular needs of different countries. Although some
promising selections have been made that appear to have
very low levels of the paralytic neurotoxin, the principal
goal remains to improve and employ cultivars that are free of
toxins, as well as having desirable agricultural and commercial
characteristics. Grass Pea has enormous potential for reducing
hunger in areas prone to crop failures and resulting famines, as
well as providing new food products for rich nations. Given that
the crop is also extraordinarily suited to growing with limited
inputs of water, herbicides, fertilizers, and the disturbances
associated with soil tillage, Grass Pea is certainly among
the most desirable biodiversity-friendly crops deserving of
development. Especially important is the potential of Grass
Pea to help meet the global challenges of sustainable water
use and agricultural production in arid regions.
Believe it Or nOt
l An old practice in India called lagua bonded landless
labourers to wages of Grass Pea seed, but this practice
has been stopped.
l Lentil is the most important food species of the Pea
family in the Old World. Grass Pea often appears as a
weedy contaminant of Lentil crops. This observation
has led to the theory that after Lentil was domesticated,
Grass Pea seeds evolved to closely mimic the size,
shape, and color of Lentil seeds, so that Grass Pea
would survive among Lentils and be distributed by
humans as a contaminant wherever Lentil was grown.
(For additional information, see Erskine, W., J. Smartt,
and F.J. Muehlbauer 1994. Mimicry of lentil and the
domestication of common vetch and grass pea. Economic
Botany 48: 326332.)
l Some of our modern crops (e.g. Parsnip, Carrot, Canola,
lupine species, and some melon species) have been selected
from wild ancestors that have poisonous constituents to
protect themselves against animals and microorganisms.
During domestication, most if not all of the natural toxic
chemicals have been removed by selection, and this is
benefcial for people, but less so for the plants, which
often have to be protected with artifcial pesticides. One
of the reasons that toxic plants such as Grass Pea and the
cyanide-containing Cassava are still cultivated for food in
developing countries is that they thrive without synthetic
pesticides, which are too expensive in poor regions.
Key infOrMAtiOn sOurces:
Abegaz, B.M., R.T. Haimanot, V.S. Palmer and P.S. Spencer (Eds) 1994.
Nutrition, neurotoxins, & lathyrism: the ODAP challenge. Proceedings of
the second international Lathyrus/lathyrism conference in Ethiopia under
the International Network for the Improvement of Lathyrus sativus and
the Eradication of Lathyrism. Third World Medical Research Foundation,
New York, NY. 139 pp.
Asfaw, T., D. Asgelil and H. Bekele 1994. Genetics and breeding of
grasspea. In Cool-season food legumes of Ethiopia. Edited by T. Asfaw, B.
Geletu, M.C. Saxena, C. Mohan, and M.B. Solh. International Center for
Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Aleppo, Syria. pp. 183195.
Barrow, M.V., C.F. Simpson and E.J. Miller 1974. Lathyrism: a world
review. Quart. Rev. Biol. 49: 102128.
Campbell, C.G. 1997. Grass pea, Lathyrus sativus L. International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. IPGRI, 92 pp. Available online:
http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/430.pdf
Smartt, J., A. Kaul, W.A. Araya, M.M. Rahman and J. Kearney 1994.
Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) as a potentially safe food legume crop. In
Expanding the production and use of cool season food legumes. Edited by
F.J. Muehlbauer and W.J. Kaiser. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht,
The Netherlands. pp. 144155.
Spencer, P.S. (Ed). 1989. The grass pea: threat and promise. Proceedings of
the International Network for the Improvement of Lathyrus sativus and
the Eradication of Lathyrism and recommendations of the International
INILSEL Coordination Committee. Third World Medical Research
Foundation, New York, NY. 244 pp.
Yusuf, H.K.M., and F. Lambein (Eds). 1995. Lathyrus sativus and human
lathyrism: progress and prospects, from international collaborations.
Proceedings of the second international colloquium on Lathrytus/
Lathrytism, Dhaka, December 10-12, 1993. University of Dhaka, Dhaka,
Bangladesh. 288 pp.