Wild soybean （G. soja Sieb. & Zucc.） is the ancestor species of cultivated soybean （Glycine max ［L.］ Merr.）. A large number of genes or allelic variants have been lost in the process of domestication， thus leading to genetic bottlenecks in variety selection and improvement of current cultivated soybean. Wild soybean is widely distributed in China and with rich genetic diversity， harboring elite genes for high protein content， resistance to diseases and pests， drought tolerance， salt and alkali tolerance， etc. Reintroducing elite allelic variants into modern cultivated soybean varieties using molecular design breeding techniques can effectively broaden the genetic diversity. In this paper， we review the distribution and morphological characteristics， and the important functional genes or loci that control some important agronomic traits in wild soybean in recent years， including hundred grain weight， flowering time and maturity time， protein and oil content， disease resistance， insect resistance， saline-alkali resistance， drought resistance， etc. We also discuss the potential of these genes in future soybean breeding， expecting to provide insight and strategy for improving new varieties in soybean.