Semiarid legume crops as protein resources [Prosopis, Leucaena, Acacia, Geoffroea, Olneya]

Worldwide population pressures and accompanying increased demands on water supplies and tillable land has forced a reevaluation of traditional agricultural techniques and crops. Under‐used semiarid lands are becoming candidates for crop production that uses stress‐tolerant plants. Desert legume trees and shrubs, e.g., species ofProsopis, Leucaena, Acacia, Geoffroea andOlneya, fix nitrogen and could be sources of seed protein forage or biomass. Seeds from desert legume perennials have a high potential as protein producers.