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Tracing the ancestry of modern bread wheats
Caroline Pont1, Thibault Leroy2,3, Michael Seidel4
1INRA-Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Nature Genetics
|May 3, 2019
Summary
Modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) evolution was shaped by 10,000 years of human-driven selection and hybridization. This study reveals genetic diversity and provides insights for future wheat breeding improvements.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Evolutionary biology
- Agricultural science
Background:
- Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a globally significant crop, crucial for human civilization.
- Domestication and breeding have profoundly influenced wheat's genetic makeup over millennia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic consequences of 10,000 years of wheat hybridization, selection, and adaptation.
- To decipher the origins and evolutionary trajectory of modern bread wheat.
Main Methods:
- Exome sequencing of nearly 500 diverse bread wheat genotypes.
- Analysis of genetic variation across genic, chromosomal, and subgenomic levels.
Main Results:
- Significant genetic variation was observed in modern bread wheat.
- Identified allelic variants selected during domestication and range expansion.
- Supported a reconciled model of wheat evolution.
Conclusions:
- Human-driven selection and hybridization have extensively shaped wheat's genetic diversity.
- Understanding this genetic variation offers new pathways for enhancing future wheat varieties.
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