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Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, conventional breeding has been the primary strategy used to develop a number of Striga-resistant varieties currently grown in the Sahel of Western Africa. In this study, we have successfully developed and applied a marker-assisted selection strategy that employs a single backcross programme to introgress Striga resistance into farmer preferred varieties of cowpea for the Nigeria savannas. In this strategy, we have introduced the Striga resistance gene from the donor parent IT97K-499-35 into an elite farmer preferred cowpea cultivar 'Borno Brown'. The selected 47 BC1F2 populations confirmed the recombinants with desirable progeny having Striga resistance gene(s). The 28 lines selected in the BC1F2:4 generation with large seed size, brown seed coat colour and carrying marker alleles were evaluated in the field for resistance to Striga resistance. This led to the selection of a number of desirable improved lines that were immune to Striga having local genetic background with higher yield than those of their parents and standard varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]