"Legume Genomics and Beyond"

The United Nations declared 2016 as the year of pulses, to increase public awareness of these crops as sustainable components of food security and nutrition. Currently, several legume species have been sequenced including M. truncatula, L. japonicas, soybean, pigeon pea, chickpea, mungbean, and adzuki bean, which have enabled breeding for accelerated genetic improvement of legumes. The latest advances of molecular and genomic studies in legumes are discussed, including the increasing availability of reference genome of many crops, cheaper high throughput marker selection system, identification of loci underlying biotic and abiotic stress resistance, and transfer of knowledge and traits from one species to another. In addition, the significant contributions made towards the development of high-yielding varieties are outlined, which will ultimately be used in overcoming food insecurity and malnutrition.