Literature review of an underutilized legume: Canavalia gladiata L.

The literature related to the legume commonly known as sword beans ( Canava lia gladiata) that belongs to the genus Canavalia which is considered to be an underutilized legume, is reviewed. The legume seeds are considered to b e a cheap source of good protein and calories that are easily available. Ho wever, even with this knowledge, the utilization of most legumes is apparen tly low. Sword beans have favorable agronomic features suitable for cultiva tion in the tropics and a high average yield comparable to that of soybeans . The agroclimatic conditions suitable for cultivation, morphological featu res, uses, chemical composition and the antinutritional factors of the plan t are discussed.