Translational genomics for achieving higher genetic gains in groundnut

Authors: PANDEY, MANISH - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; PANDEY, ARUN - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; KUMAR, RAKESH - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; NWOSU, VICTOR - Mars, Inc; Guo, Baozhu; WRIGHT, GRAEME - University Of Southern Queensland; BHAT, RAMESH - University Of Agricultural Sciences; CHEN, XIAOPING - Guangdong Academy; BERA, SANDIP - Icar-Indian Institute Of Maize Research; YUAN, MEI - Shandong Peanut Research Institute; JIANG, HUIFANG - Oil Crops Research Institute - China; FAYE, ISSA - Centre National De Recherche Agronomique (NCAR); RADHAKRISHNAN, THANKAPPAN - Icar-Indian Institute Of Maize Research; WANG, XINGJUN - Shandong Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; LIANG, XUANQUIANG - Guangdong Academy; LIAO, BOSHOU - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; ZHANG, XINYOU - Hunan Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; VARSHNEY, RAJEEV - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; ZHUANG, WEIJIAN - Fujian Agriculture And Forest University

Submitted to: Theoretical and Applied Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2020
Publication Date: 4/23/2020
Citation: Pandey, M.K., Pandey, A.K., Kumar, R., Nwosu, V., Guo, B., Wright, G., Bhat, R.S., Chen, X., Bera, S.K., Yuan, M., Jiang, H., Faye, I., Radhakrishnan, T., Wang, X., Liang, X., Liao, B., Zhang, X., Varshney, R.K., Zhuang, W. 2020. Translational genomics for achieving genetic gains in post-genome era in groundnut. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 133:1678-1702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-020-03592-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-020-03592-2

Interpretive Summary: Peanut is one of the most nutritious food. The low yield has remained the biggest challenges in semi-arid tropics. The peanut breeding programs across the globe have been focusing on increasing yield and oil content in addition to improvement of resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, the new varieties must have high yield and preferred traits from industry and consumers. Genomic technology holds great promise in accelerating the process of trait mapping, candidate gene discovery, marker development and molecular breeding. The international peanut research community has achieved several significant milestones in genomics research by making available genome sequence assemblies of wild diploid progenitors, wild tetraploid and both the subspecies of cultivated tetraploid peanuts. These genomic resources enable peanut community to perform high resolution trait mapping by using germplasm diversity panel and multi-parent genetic populations leading to gene discovery and marker development for breeding selection. Several new genomics applications and technologies are in pipeline such as genomic selection, speed breeding, mid-density assay and genome editing, which hold great promise and are yet to be tested in developing stress tolerate, high yielding and more nutritious peanut varieties in the post-genome age.

Technical Abstract: Cultivated groundnut or peanut (Arachis hypogaea), an allopolyploid oilseed crop with large and complex genome, is one of the most nutritious food. Groundnut is grown in more than 100 countries and the low productivity has remained the biggest challenges in semi-arid tropics. Recently, groundnut research community has witnessed fast progress and achieved several key milestones in genomics research by making available genome sequence assemblies of wild diploid progenitors, wild tetraploid and both the subspecies of cultivated tetraploids, resequencing of diverse germplasm lines, genome-wide transcriptome atlas, and cost-effective high and low-density genotyping assays. These genomic resources enable groundnut community to perform high resolution trait mapping by using germplasm diversity panel and multi-parent genetic populations leading to precise gene discovery and diagnostic marker development. The genomics research has yielded successful results in development and deployment of diagnostic markers for screening early generation populations as in marker-assisted backcrossing breeding programs leading to development and commercialization of several molecular breeding products in groundnut. Several new genomics applications/technologies are in pipeline such as genomic selection, speed breeding, mid-density assay and genome editing which hold great promise and are yet to be tested in developing climate-smart, high yielding and more nutritious groundnut varieties in the post-genome era.