Progress and Challenges in Faba Bean Genetic Engineering

Legumes are essential for global food security, serving as a vital source of plant‐based protein and playing a significant role in sustainable agricultural practices. Among legumes, faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) is noteworthy due to its high‐protein content, broad climate adaptation, and suitability for cultivation in temperate regions. Recent advances in genetic engineering, especially CRISPR/Cas9 technology, have opened new avenues for enhancing nutritional and agronomic traits of legume crops. We provide an overview of gene editing in legumes, with a particular focus on the achievements in genetic transformation and gene editing of faba bean to date. Finally, we highlight new approaches that may hold potential for faba bean applications. Despite recent progress, most notably the availability of reference genome sequences, significant challenges with transformation recalcitrance and genotype dependence remain.