'Pulses' are the edible seeds of legumes, like lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas. Each of these pulse crops come in a wide range of colours and sizes. The name pulse is derived from the Latin puls meaning thick soup or potage.
Pulse crops are grown for food and feed in countries around the world and hold significant cultural and historical importance. Many early civilizations developed around diets of pulses for protein, combined with a cereal crop to provide energy. Beans and corn are the example from the Americas, while pita and humus (chickpea based) are a Middle Eastern illustration.
Pulses are unique in the plant kingdom in their ability to partner with certain soil bacteria to take nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient, from the air and turn it in to a form that can be used by plants.
Pulse-Industry-Brochure.pdf
