Researchers at Hudson Alpha Bioengineering Institute and elsewhere Danjou pearA short-necked variety. Pear (Pyrus Communis).
Pears belong to the following Pyrusfamily genus Rosaceae Consists of cultivated and wild pears.
The genus is divided into two broad categories: European pear and Asian pear, whose divergence is estimated to be approximately 3 to 6 million years ago.
at least 26 Pyrus Currently, 10 naturally occurring interspecific hybrids of these species have been found in West Asia, East Asia, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
In 2021, the value of utilized pear production in the United States reached $353 million. This makes the pear one of the most cultivated pear fruits around the world.
One of the most important pear varieties in North America, Anjou, also known as Beurre d'Anjou or simply Anjou, is believed to have originated in Belgium and was named after the Anjou region of France.
“Pears are big business in the Pacific Northwest,” said lead author Dr. Alex Harkes, a researcher at the Hudson Alpha Institute for Bioengineering, and colleagues.
“But did you know that traditional pear breeding has changed little over the centuries?”
“This slow process is difficult and expensive, requiring long-term inputs of labor, materials, and land and spatial resources.”
“But thanks to a unique collaboration between students, scientists, and the pear industry fostered through an initiative called American Campus Tree Genomes (ACTG), traditional pear breeding is getting a helping hand from genomics. There is a possibility.”
“ACTG is leveraging iconic and economically valuable trees to bridge the gap between students and cutting-edge genomics.”
“Students work together to collect and analyze tree genomes, publish in prestigious academic journals, and gain valuable experience.”
The meticulous work of ACTG students has resulted in a complete chromosome-scale step-by-step assembly of the D'Anjou pear. This is a significant improvement over previous efforts.
This assembly revealed thousands of genomic variations that are of great importance to pear breeding efforts.
This high-quality resource unlocks a treasure trove of information for pear breeders.
This assembly is also an important tool for studies of pear evolution, domestication, and molecular breeding.
“The ACTG program not only built a high-quality genomic resource for a valuable pear variety that will ultimately benefit growers and consumers alike, but also trained nearly 20 students on the needs of the apple and pear industry. and educated scientists,” said Dr. Inez Hanrahan. , executive director of the Washington Tree and Fruit Research Committee.
team's paper It was published in the magazine G3: Genes, genomes, genetics.
_____
Alan Yocca other. 2024. Chromosome-scale assembly of pear 'Danjou'. G3: Genes, genomes, genetics 14(3):jkae003; doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae003
Source: www.sci.news
