Faba beans, formerly known as broad beans, are among the oldest crops in the world. It has in fact been claimed with some justification that the Pyramids were built on faba beans! They are today a major crop in many countries such as China, Egypt and the Sudan; and are widely grown for human food throughout the Me~iterranean region, in Ethiopia and in parts of Latin America. In recent years there has been a growing interest in faba bean production as a protein source for stock feed in parts of Europe, North America and Aus· tralia. The publication served by this preface arose from the first International Faba Bean Con­ ference, held in Cairo, Egypt, on March 7-11, 1981 which provided a suitable forum for the review of many scientifically important aspects of the improvement of the crop. Leading faba bean specialists from four continents who participated were able not only to contri· bute from their personal expertise in relevant subjects, but in return to gain from their ex­ perience of Nile Valley conditions and from close contact with so many of the world's faba bean scientists. The conference was supported in the main by the ICARDAjIFAD Nile Valley Faba Bean Project. Additional support was received from a number of other organisations and institutions whose help is gladly acknowledged. These included the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture; G.T.Z. of Germany; IDRC of Canada; the National Research Center of Egypt; and Cairo University.

Inhalt

1. Genetic resources of faba beans.- 2. The genetic improvement of faba bean.- 3. Pollination studies on faba beans.- 4. The devolopment and performance of synthetic varieties of Vicia Faba L..- 5. Male sterility in Vicia Faba.- 6. Population improvement in faba beans.- 7. Need, concept and breeding strategy for wider adaptability in Vicia Faba.- 8. Mutation breeding in faba beans.- 9. Interspecific hybridization in vicia.- 10. Faba bean agronomy in Egypt.- 11. Faba bean agronomy in the Sudan.- 12. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation in faba beans.- 13. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation in faba beans in Sudan.- 14. Physiological aspects of adaption.- 15. Utilising alternative models in Vicia Faba L..- 16 The effects of water stress on the growth, development and yield of Vicia Faba L..- 17. Flower and pod drop.- 18. Tolerance to salinity.- 19. Weed and Orobanche control in Egypt.- 20. Breeding for resistance to Orobanche.- 21. Characteristics of a local faba bean collection and its reaction to Orobanche.- 22. Major disease problems of faba beans in Egypt.- 23. Major disease problems of faba beans in Sudan.- 24. Virus diseases of faba beans.- 25. Screening for resistance to chocolate spot caused by Botrytis Fabae.- 26. Breeding for resistance to faba bean rust.- 27. Factors affecting resistance to root rot and wilt diseases.- 28. Faba bean pests in Egypt.- 29. Major pests of faba beans in Sudan.- 30. Breeding for resistance to aphids.- 31. How yield stability can influence farmers' decisions to adopt new technologies: the case of faba bean production in Egypt.- 32. The role of faba beans in the Egyptian diet.- 33. Faba beans and their role in diets in Sudan.- 34. Protein quantity and quality in Vicia Faba.- 35. Antinutritional factors in faba beans.- 36. Favism.- 37. Cooking quality of faba beans.- 38. Hard seeds in faba bean.- 39. The Egyptian national program.- 40. The Sudanese national program.