Among the legume family, mungbean (Vigna radiata) has become one of the important
crops in Asia, showing a steady increase in global production. It provides a good
source of protein and contains most notably folate and iron. Beyond the nutritional value
of mungbean, certain features make it a well-suited model organism among legume
plants because of its small genome size, short life-cycle, self-pollinating, and close
genetic relationship to other legumes. In the past, there have been several efforts to
develop molecular markers and linkage maps associated with agronomic traits for the
genetic improvement of mungbean and, ultimately, breeding for cultivar development to
increase the average yields of mungbean. The recent release of a reference genome
of the cultivated mungbean (V. radiata var. radiata VC1973A) and an additional de
novo sequencing of a wild relative mungbean (V. radiata var. sublobata) has provided
a framework for mungbean genetic and genome research, that can further be used
for genome-wide association and functional studies to identify genes related to specific
agronomic traits. Moreover, the diverse gene pool of wild mungbean comprises valuable
genetic resources of beneficial genes that may be helpful in widening the genetic
diversity of cultivated mungbean. This review paper covers the research progress on
molecular and genomics approaches and the current status of breeding programs that
have developed to move toward the ultimate goal of mungbean improvement.