Ness Ziona, Israel, San Diego, California, USA and Hangzhou, China
March 19, 2019
NRGene, a worldwide leader in genomic analysis for agricultural breeders and researchers, announced the publication of the most complete genome assemblies ever achieved for the top two leading cultivated allotetraploid cotton species, G. hirsutum L. (AD)1 and G. barbadense L. (AD)2 . The results, published March 19 in Nature Genetics, were generated in the lab of Professor Tianzhen Zhang at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, using NRGene’s customized DeNovoMAGIC-3 software.
Despite being used for thousands of years for clothing, upholstery, and industrial applications, scientists have known very little about the origin of cotton and its domestication. Now, with a chromosome-by-chromosome representation of the two species, academic researchers and commercial breeders can unlock new insights and work to enhance this multibillion-dollar global crop.
Modern cultivated allotetraploid cotton is originated in the New World from a trans-oceanic hybridization of an A-genome-like ancestral African species, G. herbaceum or G. arboreum, with a native D-genome-like species, G. raimondii (D5) ~1-1.5 million years ago (MYA). This makes it a particularly challenging genome to organize and assemble. Fortunately, NRGene’s DeNovoMAGIC-3 tool was designed exactly for that. DeNovoMAGIC takes billion of digital DNA pieces revealed by Illumina machines and assemble virtually any genome de novo within days of obtaining the raw sequence data.
“The two cultivated allotetraploid cotton species have striking differences in fiber quality, growth habits, and yields,” said correspondence author, Professor Tianzhen Zhang. “As a result of NRGene’s tools, we can now compare these two genomes and use them to help us pinpoint the genetic differences responsible for these diverse traits. This can take much of the guesswork out of developing better quality and higher yield cotton as well as of studying cotton origin and domestication.”
“Having comprehensive genome assemblies of a plant or animal species lays the foundations for using artificial intelligence, which can shave years off breeding times to develop better performing cotton varieties,” said Dr. Gil Ronen, President and Founder of NRGene. “This can benefit breeders and the world at large, through the development of more sustainable cotton varieties that can resist pests and use fewer resources.”
The cotton processing market was estimated to be worth USD $59.7 billion in 2018, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.0% to reach a value of USD $72.6 billion by 2023¹. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects cotton consumption to exceed production in 2019². This is partly driven by a combination of declining yields and declining acreage in some countries, contributing to a 3.6% decrease in global production. China, India and the United States remain the world’s largest producer. Naturally, scientific research is inseparable from the support of the National Key R & D Program for Crop Breeding, National Science Foundation of China and the Distinguished Discipline Support Program of Zhejiang University, etc.
The full paper titled in “Gossypium barbadense and Gossypium hirsutum genomes provide insights into the origin and evolution of allotetraploid cotton” will be available with the following url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0371-5.
NRGene is a genomics company that provides turn-key solutions to leading breeding companies. Using advanced algorithmics & extensive proprietary databases, we empower breeders to reach their full potential by achieving stronger and more productive yields in record time. NRGene’s tools have already been implemented by some of the leading agribiotech companies worldwide, as well as the most influential research teams in academia. NRGene is headquartered in Ness Ziona, Israel with offices in San Diego and Hong Kong. For more information, www.nrgene.com. Follow us: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Sources
1. Global Cotton Market - Segmented by Geography - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2019 - 2024) by Mordor Intelligence. [LINK]
2. THE WORLD AND UNITED STATES COTTON OUTLOOK, James Johnson, Stephen MacDonald, Leslie Meyer, and Lyman Stone. U.S. Department of Agriculture. [LINK]
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Species
