Breeding annual legumes for sustainable agricultures must target for new and more complex variety ideotypes

TL;DRAbstract

Although yield and total biomass produced by annual legumes remain major objectives for breeders, environment-friendly, resource use efficient including symbiotic performance, resilient production in the context of climate change, adaptation to sustainable cropping systems (reducing leaching and glasshouse gas emissions), adaptation to diverse uses (seeds for feeds foods, non-food, forage or green manures), and finally new ecological services such as pollinator protection, imply the development of innovative genotypes, definition of new ideotypes and acceptance of their commercialisation. Taken as a whole, this means more complex and integrated objectives for breeders. Several illustrations will be given of breeding such complex traits for different annual legume species. Genetic diversity for root development and for ability to establish efficient symbioses with rhizobia and mycorrhiza can contribute to better resource management (N, P, water). Shoot architectures and phenologies can

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