**4. Molecular perspectives for shortening cooking time in AYB**

### **4.1 Seed hardness attribute**

Seed hardness is an important quality of grain legumes; the trait acts as a barrier against seed coat pathogens and seed damage. Likewise, it affects germination, seed processing, and cooking time [82, 135]. Seed hardness is heritable but can also be influenced by environmental conditions at production and storage time [81, 82]. The genetic factors responsible for seed hardness are not well understood; however, the roles of a few genes have been documented [82]. The influence of the environment on seed hardness is reflected in the hard-to-cook phenomenon, which is not also independent of genetic influence [82, 84]. Understanding the genetic basis of cooking time in AYB is a necessity for improving the trait. It is noteworthy that

genetic architecture in cooking time is yet to be reported in AYB; thus, no molecular approach has been documented in studying AYB's cooking time. Molecular techniques like GWAS and QTL could locate loci that controlled cooking time and thereby facilitate the identification of fast cooking lines. Likewise, new breeding techniques, including ZFNs, TALENS, and CRISPR/Cas9, have provided researchers the flexibility to insert desired traits precisely and quickly.
