**3. Conclusion and future perspectives**

Legumes have a lot of potential to offset the effects of climate change by contributing to sustainable cultivation and expanding the crop spectrum, which is largely controlled by a few major cereal crops. Furthermore, in legumes, considerable advancement has been made in identifying novel genes for useful traits; however, the full potential of legume crops is still unknown. A range of tools and techniques have been provided by advancements in biotechnology, molecular breeding and genomics that can significantly enhance the hereditary gains in legume breeding programs. Genome sequencing allows the improvement of legume crops based on desirable gene selection and now the genome sequence of most legume crops has been sequenced. Marker-assisted breeding also significantly improved the accuracy and efficiency of crop breeding practices. Different loci have been mapped in several legume crops.
