Ideotype breeding and genome engineering for legume crop improvement

Ideotype breeding is a strategy whereby traits are modeled a priori and then introduced into a model or crop species to assess their impact on yield. Thus, knowledge about the connection between genotype and phenotype is required for ideotype breeding to be deployed successfully. The growing understanding of the genetic basis of yield-related traits, combined with increasingly efficient genome engineering tools, improved transformation efficiency, and high-throughput genotyping of regenerants paves the way for the widespread adoption of ideotype breeding as a complement to conventional breeding. We briefly discuss how ideotype breeding, coupled with such state-of-the-art biotechnological tools, could contribute to knowledge-based legume breeding and accelerate yield gains to ensure food security in the coming decades. •Ideotype breeding is a strategy whereby traits are modeled a priori and then introduced into a model or crop species to assess their impact on yield.•Knowledge about the connection between genotype and phenotype is required for ideotype breeding to be deployed successfully.•The growing understanding of the genetic basis of yield, combined with new biotechnological tools, paves the way for the adoption of ideotype breeding.•Ideotype breeding, coupled with state-of-the-art biotechnological tools, could contribute to knowledge-based legume breeding and accelerate yield gains to ensure food security in the coming decades.