Advances in research on germplasm resources and genetic breeding of Astragalus sinicus

Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus) is a traditional winter green manure crop in the southern rice-growing area of China. It provides important land use and cultivation strategies in agricultural production and can be comprehensively used. Although research on the utilization of A. sinicus germplasm resources and genetic breeding has been conducted, existing A. sinicus germplasm resources are few and uneven due to the long-term stagnation of selection. The existing resources cannot meet production demand, affecting the development of A. sinicus in China. This paper introduces the historical origin and distribution of A. sinicus, clarifies the breeding objectives, and focuses on the utilization of germplasm resources and genetic breeding. Future research on A. sinicus breeding is also discussed in this paper. This paper provides information on germplasm collection and promotes the utilization of existing germplasm resources and development of new varieties of A. sinicus.