Contemporary Research Analysis Journal

Leguminous crops provide dietary protein and contribute to soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation, but their productivity is constrained by drought, heat, soil stresses, pests, diseases and, in some crops, narrow genetic diversity. Conventional breeding has produced many improved cultivars, yet selection for complex traits is often limited by environmental effects, lengthy breeding cycles and difficult phenotyping. Molecular markers, QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection (MAS) complement conventional breeding by characterizing genetic variation and tracking favourable alleles. This review summarizes applications of these approaches in soybean, cowpea, groundnut, common bean, chickpea, pigeonpea, faba bean, pea and lentil, with emphasis on yield, drought adaptation, disease resistance, nutritional quality and other agronomic traits. SSR and SNP platforms have increased the resolution and throughput of diversity analysis and trait mapping. However, QTL × environment interactions, small-effect loci, inadequate phenotyping, limited marker validation and resource constraints restrict routine MAS, particularly for complex traits. Integrating QTL mapping and MAS with genome-wide association studies, genomic selection, pangenomics and high-throughput phenotyping offers a more effective route for using legume genetic resources and developing resilient cultivars.

genetic diversity, legumes, marker-assisted selection, molecular breeding, molecular markers, quantitative trait loci, SNPs.

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