Chromosome‐level Thlaspi arvense genome provides new tools for translational research and for a newly domesticated cash cover crop of the cooler climates

Chromosome-level Thlaspi arvense genome provides new tools for translational research and for a newly domesticated cash cover crop of the cooler climates

10.1101/2021.07.30.454478 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Adam Nunn ◽

Isaac Rodriguez-Arevalo ◽

Zenith Tandukar ◽

Katherine Frels ◽

Adrian Contreras-Garrido ◽

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Keyword(s):

Translational Research ◽

Gene Annotation ◽

Oilseed Crop ◽

Specific Expression ◽

Genetic Manipulations ◽

Thlaspi Arvense ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Wild Accessions ◽

Methylation Patterns ◽

Chromosome Level

Thlaspi arvense (field pennycress) is being domesticated as a winter annual oilseed crop capable of improving ecosystems and intensifying agricultural productivity without increasing land use. It is a selfing diploid with a short life cycle and is amenable to genetic manipulations, making it an accessible field-based model species for genetics and epigenetics. The availability of a high quality reference genome is vital for understanding pennycress physiology and for clarifying its evolutionary history within the Brassicaceae. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of var. MN106-Ref with improved gene annotation, and use it to investigate gene structure differences between two accessions (MN108 and Spring32-10) that are highly amenable to genetic transformation. We describe non-coding RNAs, pseudogenes, and transposable elements, and highlight tissue specific expression and methylation patterns. Resequencing of forty wild accessions provides insights into genome-wide genetic variation as well as QTL regions for flowering time and a seedling color phenotype. Altogether, these data will serve as a tool for pennycress improvement in general and for translational research across the Brassicaceae.

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Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) has potential as an interseeded cover crop

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170519000231 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 594-598 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sam E. Wortman

Keyword(s):

Seed Dormancy ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Cover ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Crop Canopy ◽

Crop Species ◽

Cash Crop ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Thlaspi Arvense ◽

Field Pennycress

AbstractInterseeding provides flexibility in cover crop establishment, but most cover crop species are not well-adapted to the duration of low-intensity light beneath the cash crop canopy. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) has physiological seed dormancy traits and its emergence pattern may be better synchronized with cash crop senescence. The objective of this study was to demonstrate proof-of-concept for using pennycress as an interseeded cover crop. A 2-year field experiment was conducted where cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), mustard (Guillenia flavescens L.) or pennycress were interseeded into edamame [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] 1 month after planting. Rye and mustard emerged within 6 days, whereas pennycress emergence was delayed up to 56 days after interseeding. Pennycress provided 37–57% soil cover in fall and produced 0.4–2.5 Mg ha−1 biomass the following spring. Preliminary results demonstrate the utility of pennycress as an interseeded cover crop and the potential value of seed dormancy traits in interseeding systems.

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Technologies enabling rapid crop improvements for sustainable agriculture: example pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences ◽

10.1042/etls20200330 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

M. David Marks ◽

Ratan Chopra ◽

John C. Sedbrook

Keyword(s):

Cover Crop ◽

New Technologies ◽

Mutation Breeding ◽

Sustainable Solutions ◽

New Crops ◽

Thlaspi Arvense ◽

The Status ◽

Health Related ◽

Generation Sequencing ◽

New Crop

Growing concerns over food insecurity and ecosystems health related to population growth and climate change have challenged scientists to develop new crops, employing revolutionary technologies in combination with traditional methods. In this review, we discuss the domestication of the oilseed-producing cover crop pennycress, which along with the development of other new crops and improvements to farming practices can provide sustainable solutions to address malnutrition and environmental impacts of production agriculture. We highlight some of the new technologies such as bioinformatics-enabled next-generation sequencing and CRISPR genome editing in combination with traditional mutation breeding that has accelerated pennycress development as a new crop and a potential model system. Furthermore, we provide a brief overview of the technologies that can be integrated for improving pennycress and other crops and the status of pennycress development using these technologies.

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