Future Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

Legume crops play a key role for producing proteins for human and animal nutrition. Sustainable increase of plant protein production is essential to satisfy the rising demand of a growing world population. Breeding varieties with high and stable yields and with optimized nutritional value, which at the same time require less input in terms of energy and labor is one of the pathways for sustainable rise of mungbean productivity. Mungbean is mainly used in rotation with cereals. Therefore, producing an economically viable harvest in the short time window between two main crops, often under stressful conditions of a hot and dry season, is an important breeding aim for this crop. Breeding improved varieties requires access to the genetic diversity of the crop and crop wild relatives to source new traits. As natural plant populations are endangered by loss of habitats and climate change, ex situ collections have gained increased importance to conserve biodiversity for crop improvement. Effective screening methods for desired agronomical traits, including biotic and abiotic stress tolerances and pre-breeding technologies to introgress new traits from non-adapted materials into elite lines are facilitating breeding efforts. Often new traits have to be sourced from wild relatives. Crossing barriers between different Vigna species and the need of technologies to restore fertility add additional complexity when traits have to be sourced from wild species. Genomics methods such as quantitative trait mapping or pangenomics studies elucidate the genetic basis of traits of interest, and marker assisted or genomic selection are guiding breeding efforts. Well-coordinated phenotyping efforts to collect and analyze crop performance data across multiple locations are essential for effective breeding of a more productive, nutritious and resilient mungbean crop.