Xingzhu Feng

Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Legume Genomics and Genetics, 2026, Vol. 17, No. 1   
Received: 13 Feb., 2026    Accepted: 17 Feb., 2026    Published: 27 Mar., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important oilseed and protein crops worldwide, and the effective utilization of global soybean germplasm resources plays a critical role in genetic improvement and sustainable agricultural development. With the rapid advancement of high-throughput sequencing technologies, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers have become powerful tools for studying genomic diversity and population structure in crop species. This study reviews the current progress in genomic diversity analysis of global soybean germplasm based on SNP markers. First, the distribution and conservation status of global soybean germplasm resources and the main methods used in genetic diversity research are summarized. Subsequently, the development and screening of SNP markers, evaluation metrics for genomic diversity, and commonly used bioinformatics analysis approaches are discussed. Furthermore, the population structure of soybean germplasm from different geographic regions is analyzed, and its relationship with genetic diversity and important agronomic traits is explored. A case study focusing on the population structure of global soybean core germplasm is also presented to illustrate the application of SNP-based analysis in germplasm evaluation and molecular breeding. Finally, the prospects for applying SNP markers in soybean genetic improvement, including marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and multi-omics integration, are discussed. This review provides a theoretical reference for the efficient utilization of soybean germplasm resources and the development of improved soybean varieties.

Soybean (Glycine max L.); SNP markers; Genomic diversity; Population structure; Germplasm resources