Genome Skimming Reveals Genetic Diversity in 220 Papaver Individuals from China

As a medicinal plant, Papaver holds significant value in the medical field. In China, the chemical synthesis of semi-derivatives such as morphine and codeine is limited, with the primary source being Papaver. Understanding the genetic map of Papaver can provide crucial insights into key traits, physiological characteristics, and medicinal properties across different varieties. This information is also valuable for forensic tracing efforts in anti-drug operations. In this study, we performed whole-genome sequencing on 220 samples from 22 species, generating approximately 5.12 TB of paired-end reads with an average coverage depth of 10.2X. After preprocessing, the sequencing data showed a 98.02% alignment rate to the reference genome. A total of 2,790,225 SNPs were identified. The dataset used in this study is the largest publicly available poppy dataset to date. These data offer valuable genetic information for genomic research on local varieties in China and serve as a critical resource for future studies on the pharmacological properties of Papaver, molecular breeding, and genomic tracing.