Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia): a neglected legume with global promise
Keywords:
Moth bean, Climate resilient, Genomics, Molecular marker, Food securityAbstract
Legumes play a pivotal role in ensuring global food security and sustaining agricultural systems due to their nutritional richness, nitrogen-fixing ability, and adaptability to diverse environments. Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Maréchal) is an important yet underutilized multipurpose legume crop, particularly valued for its inherent tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and heat. Owing to its resilience, low input requirements, and suitability for cultivation in arid and semi-arid regions, moth bean holds significant potential for enhancing the livelihoods of resource-poor and lowincome farmers, while contributing to climate-resilient agriculture and global food security. Despite these advantages, moth bean has received relatively limited attention in terms of genetic improvement and the development of comprehensive genomic resources when compared to other major legume crops. In this review, we summarize the agronomic, nutritional, and ecological importance of moth bean and provide an updated overview of the available genomic resources. The current status of molecular marker development, genetic linkage mapping, genome assembly, and transcriptome analyses is discussed, highlighting their applications in understanding stress tolerance mechanisms and trait improvement. Furthermore, we identify key research gaps and future directions, emphasizing the need for advanced genomicsassisted breeding approaches, functional genomics, and integration of modern breeding tools to enhance yield potential and stress resilience. Strengthening genomic resources and breeding efforts in moth bean will be critical for unlocking its full potential and promoting its role in sustainable agriculture and global food security.
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