**5.2 Selected mutagenesis of** *GmUGT* **augmented soybean resistance against leaf-chewing insects via flavonoids Biosynthesis**

Seed quality and yield in Soybeans (*G. max*) is negatively affected by Leafchewing insects. Minimization of insecticide use and loss reduction can be achieved by breeding Leaf-chewing insects-resistant soybean varieties. Marker genes for QTL-M, *Glyma.07 g110300* (LOC100775351) encoding UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) is the major deciding factor for resistance against leaf-chewing insects in soybean. It manifests loss of function in insect-resistant germplasms of soybean. Zhang Y et al. reported a study, where they have introduced CRISPR/Cas9 expression vector into the soybean cultivar Tianlong No. 1 using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to generate *Glyma*.*07 g110300*-gene mutants. A 33-bp deletion and a single-bp insertion in the *GmUGT* coding region obtained from this experiment resulted in enhanced resistance to *Helicoverpa armigera* and *S. litura*. Soybean varieties further sensitive to *H. armigera* and *S. litura* was generated by upregulation of *GmUGT*. This particular coding sequence is also involved in providing resistance to leaf-chewing insects via alteration of flavonoid content and gene expression pattern related to flavonoid biosynthesis and defense [109].
