Grain legumes form an important component of the human diet, provide feed for livestock, and replenish soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation. Globally, the demand for food legumes is increasing as they complement cereals in protein requirements and possess a high percentage of digestible protein. Climate change has enhanced the frequency and intensity of drought stress, posing serious production constraints, especially in rainfed regions where most legumes are produced. Genetic improvement of legumes, like other crops, is mostly based on pedigree and performance-based selection over the past half century. To achieve faster genetic gains in legumes in rainfed conditions, this review proposes the integration of modern genomics approaches, high throughput phenomics, and simulation modelling in support of crop improvement that leads to improved varieties that perform with appropriate agronomy. Selection intensity, generation interval, and improved operational efficiencies in breeding are expected to further enhance the genetic gain in experimental plots. Improved seed access to farmers, combined with appropriate agronomic packages in farmers' fields, will deliver higher genetic gains. Enhanced genetic gains, including not only productivity but also nutritional and market traits, will increase the profitability of farming and the availability of affordable nutritious food especially in developing countries.

Key message: Integration of genomic technologies with breeding efforts have been used in recent years for chickpea improvement. Modern breeding along with low cost genotyping platforms have potential to further accelerate chickpea improvement efforts. The implementation of novel breeding technologies is expected to contribute substantial improvements in crop productivity. While conventional breeding methods have led to development of more than 200 improved chickpea varieties in the past, still there is ample scope to increase productivity. It is predicted that integration of modern genomic resources with conventional breeding efforts will help in the delivery of climate-resilient chickpea varieties in comparatively less time. Recent advances in genomics tools and technologies have facilitated the generation of large-scale sequencing and genotyping data sets in chickpea. Combined analysis of high-resolution phenotypic and genetic data is paving the way for identifying genes and biological pathways associated with breeding-related traits. Genomics technologies have been used to develop diagnostic markers for use in marker-assisted backcrossing programmes, which have yielded several molecular breeding products in chickpea. We anticipate that a sequence-based holistic breeding approach, including the integration of functional omics, parental selection, forward breeding and genome-wide selection, will bring a paradigm shift in development of superior chickpea varieties. There is a need to integrate the knowledge generated by modern genomics technologies with molecular breeding efforts to bridge the genome-to-phenome gap. Here, we review recent advances that have led to new possibilities for developing and screening breeding populations, and provide strategies for enhancing the selection efficiency and accelerating the rate of genetic gain in chickpea.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a dry season food legume largely grown on residual soil moisture after the rainy season. The crop often experiences moisture stress towards end of the crop season (terminal drought). The crop may also face heat stress at the reproductive stage if sowing is delayed. The breeding approaches for improving adaptation to these stresses include the development of varieties with early maturity and enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. Several varieties with improved drought tolerance have been developed by selecting for grain yield under moisture stress conditions. Similarly, selection for pod set in the crop subjected to heat stress during reproductive stage has helped in the development of heat‐tolerant varieties. A genomic region, called QTL‐hotspot, controlling several drought tolerance‐related traits has been introgressed into several popular cultivars using marker‐assisted backcrossing (MABC), and introgression lines giving significantly higher yield than the popular cultivars have been identified. Multiparent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) approach has been found promising in enhancing genetic recombination and developing lines with enhanced tolerance to terminal drought and heat stresses.

Groundnut is an important global food and oil crop, contributing to household food, nutrition and income security. Its consumption, processing and international trade is however, constrained by a number of genetic and biotic factors related to the grain nutrient profile. These include Aflatoxin, which is a prominent food safety challenge, allergens and oil profile, especially oleic/linoleic acid balance. This review paper highlights technological advances in crop improvement research to improve groundnut nutrient profile for better food, nutrition, health, and economic outcomes. Significant advances have been made in setting stage for marker-assisted allele pyramiding for different aflatoxin resistance mechanisms - in vitro seed colonization, pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination and aflatoxin production - which, together with pre- and post-harvest management practices, will go a long way in mitigating the Aflatoxin menace. A breakthrough in aflatoxin control is in sight with overexpression of antifungal plant defensins, and through host-induced gene silencing in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. Similarly, genomic and biochemical approaches to allergen control are in good progress, with the identification of homologs of the allergen encoding genes and development of monoclonal antibody based ELISA protocol to screen for and quantify major allergens. Double mutation of the allotetraploid homeologous genes, FAD2A and FAD2B, has shown potential for achieving >75% oleic acid as demonstrated among introgression lines. Significant advances have been made in seed systems research to bridge the gap between trait discovery, deployment and delivery through innovative partnerships and action learning.

Sorghum is a climate-resilient crop which has been cultivated as a staple food in the semi-arid areas of Africa and Asia for food and nutrition security. However, the current climate change is increasingly affecting sorghum performance, especially at the flowering stage when water availability is critical for grain filling, thus lowering the sorghum grain yield. The development of climate-resilient, biotic and abiotic stress-tolerant, market-preferred, and nutrient-dense sorghum varieties offers a potentially cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategy for adapting to climate change. Some of the common technologies for sorghum improvement include mass selection, single seed descent, pure line selection, and marker-assisted selection, facilitated by backcrossing and genotyping using molecular markers. In addition, recent advancements including new machine learning algorithms, gene editing, genomic selection, rapid generation advancement, and recycling of elite material, along with high-throughput phenotyping tools such as drone- and satellite-based images and other speed-breeding techniques, have increased the precision, speed, and accuracy of new crop variety development. In addition to these modern breeding tools and technologies, enhancing genetic diversity to incorporate various climate resilience traits, including against heat and drought stress, into the current sorghum breeding pools is critical. This review covers the potential of sorghum as a staple food crop, explores the genetic diversity of sorghum, discusses the challenges facing sorghum breeding, highlights the recent advancements in technologies for sorghum breeding, and addresses the perceptions of farmers on sorghum production under the current climate change conditions.