Global team cracks decodes complete DNA sequence of groundnut

A team of 51 scientists from nine institutes in India, China, Australia and the US have decoded the complete DNA sequence of groundnut which may help in development of improved groundnut varieties.
A scientific breakthrough on the DNA sequencing of the groundnut (also known as peanut) promises the development of improved groundnut varieties with enhanced traits such as increased pod and oil yield, drought and heat tolerance and greater disease resistance, the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid and Tropics (ICRISAT) which participated in the study said.
The breakthrough also provides insights into geocarpy - a unique reproductive process of the groundnut, oil biosynthesis and allergens, it said.

These findings have been published in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the US on May 31, it said.
"This study has not just provided the full genome sequence to help plant breeders across the globe to develop more productive and more resilient groundnut varieties in a faster manner, but also provides us an insight to geocarpy, a reproductive process where the flowers grown on the stem go inside the soil and pod formations occur," said Rajeev Varshney, Co-Coordinator of Genome Sequencing Project and Research Program Director, Genetic Gains program at ICRISAT.
ICRISAT Director General David Bergvinson said, "This will provide an efficient road map for sustainable and resilient groundnut production for improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers particularly in the marginal environments of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa."

The study presents the draft genome of the groundnut A-genome progenitor containing 50,324 protein-coding gene models.

The research expands the knowledge of under-studied areas of plant biology and human impacts on plants and also offers millions of structural variations that can be used as genetic markers for the development of improved groundnut varieties through genomics-assisted breeding, it said.
Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said, "The novel genes identified are going to enhance crop productivity and quality and thereby increase farmer incomes."
Xuan Qiang Liang from the Crops Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Shanlin Yu from the Shandong Peanut Research Institute, China, were the other two co-coordinators of the sequencing project, the statement added.