During germination, metabolic enzymes are activated, which can lead to the release of some amino acids and peptides, and the synthesis or use of them can form new proteins. As a consequence, the nutritional and medicinal value might be enhanced by sprouting in legumes. Research has to be geared to exploit the sprouting of legumes and enhance their nutrition values to meet the nutritional requirements of the increasing population.It comprises approximately 50 species of tropical vines widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world . This genus was used traditionally as a food due to its nutritional significance. Sridhar and Seena envisaged a comparative account of nutritional and functional properties of Canavalia species .

Canavalia gladiata and Canavalia ensiformis are the common legume species having the potential to be a rich protein source,like edible legumes. Pharmacological effects of Canavalia gladiata are reported for cancer,allergies, antioxidants ,and inflammation.Canavalia gladiata in complex with Arctium lappa extract is proposed to develop as a functional food for stimulating immunity. Similarly, the seeds of Canavalia ensiformis are a source of proteins with biotechnological importance including ureases and proteases.Processed seeds of Canavalia ensiformis are reported for enhanced antioxidant activity. Hence, Canavalia species are of high medical importance, and with proper seed priming with micronutrients and using other treatments nutritional and pharmacological values can be enhanced. Micronutrients are vital for plant growth because they act as a cofactor of the enzyme, take part in redox reactions, and have several other important functions.Furthermore, despite addition to the soil,micronutrient application using seeds improves the stand formation, advances phenological events, and increases yield and micronutrient grain contents.Like different micronutrients, molybdenum is very vital and essential for plants’ physiological functions.

In plants with inadequate Mo, nitrates accrue in leaves, which then do not assimilate into proteins. In legumes, Mo serves an additional function: to help root nodule bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen.Studies revealed that the application of Mo in beans, via seeds, increases the mass of the nodule; moreover, its foliar spray increases nodule formation, nitrogen contents, the grain number, the grain mass, and overall productivity . The enhanced benefits may be attributed to the acceleration of N absorption and assimilation processes via BNF. Mo is a crucial element for more than 40 enzymes, four of which have been found in plants, including nitrate reductase and nitrogenase synthesis.Thus, plants receiving increased Mo will have increased N productivity levels based on the higher activities of the abovementioned enzymes. Mo bound to a unique pterin compound, named Mo cofactor, binds to diverse apoproteins and aids in anchoring the Mo center at the correct position within the holo-enzyme for its correct interaction with other components of the electron transport chain . Thus, Mo supply can strengthen plant metabolism at different growth stages through an improved enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense system and also enhance other pharmacological properties . Moreover, Mo is also an essential mineral for the human body as it is part of important metabolic enzymes such as xanthine oxidase sulfite oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component.

With this background, we hypothesized that Mo application can enhance the nutritional and pharmacological value of Canavalia species by improving their N content and resulting in primary and secondary metabolite production. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the impact of Mo seed priming on three Canavalia species/cultivar sprouts. To the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted to assess the influence of Mo seed priming on Canavalia ensiformis var. gladiata, Canavalia ensiformis var. truncata Ricker, and Canavalia gladiata var. alba Hisauc. Herein, we evaluated the impacts of Mo treatment on growth, N content, and phenolic metabolism as well as on the concentrations of several phytochemical compounds. We further examined the role of Mo in the enhancement of pharmacological properties of Canavalia species. Overall, our study contributed to an understanding of the biochemical basis of Mo that induces high growth and tissue quality of different Canavalia species/cultivars. The variations in the concentration of nutrients and phytochemicals were quantified in both Mo-exposed and unexposed seeds of Canavalia.