Dear Editor

Legumes, the second-largest family of crops, contribute over one-third of human dietary proteins. Soybean (Glycine max L.), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) are among the most widely cultivated crop legumes for grain and vegetable and are essential for food security globally. Their reference genomes have been decoded but, with the only exception of soybean, their functional genomics have lagged far behind genome assembly due to the transformation-recalcitrant nature of these species [1]. Hairy root transformation has been well established, but its usefulness in gene function investigation in aerial organs is limited. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has also found applications, but the most widely distributed bean pod mosaic virus-based system relies on the costly biolistic method [2]; other systems, like pea early browning virus-based VIGS, have not been proved for their universality. Genetic and omics studies have identified numerous quantitative trait loci (QTLs)/candidate genes governing various agriculturally important traits [1]. This necessitates the development of efficient and reproducible research tools for verification of gene function.

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