CRISPR/Cas Genome Editing in Legume Crops: Challenges and Opportunities: A Review

Abstract

Legumes are an important source of protein and provide a health-rich diet for human beings. It contains essential amino acids. It mainly plays a significant role in soil enrichment. Due to their role in agriculture and human nutrition, scientists have made efforts to develop new traits. The genetic enhancement of legumes was achieved using traditional breeding over the years however, the progress is very slow. Recent developments in genome editing technologies, specifically CRISPR-Cas technology, have improved key agricultural traits in legumes and offer a wealth of opportunities for studying traits like improved seed nutrient content, enhancing productivity and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses recently introduced in legumes. So far, the genome editing technology has been effectively used in various legume crops, mainly soybean, peanut, cowpea and chickpea. Still, the transformation and regeneration of other legumes have remained a significant hurdle to the implementation of gene editing. This review mainly highlights the use of different gene editing technologies in legumes, progress and updates of CRISPR/Cas9 tools in legumes and challenges of legume crops face during production.