Super-Pangenome by Integrating the Wild Side of a Species for Accelerated Crop Improvement
Aamir W. Khan(The University of Western Australia), Vanika Garg(International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), Manish Roorkiwal(International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), Agnieszka A. Golicz(The University of Melbourne), David Edwards(The University of Western Australia), Rajeev K. Varshney(International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics)
Cited by 335Open Access
Abstract
The pangenome provides genomic variations in the cultivated gene pool for a given species. However, as the crop's gene pool comprises many species, especially wild relatives with diverse genetic stock, here we suggest using accessions from all available species of a given genus for the development of a more comprehensive and complete pangenome, which we refer to as a super-pangenome. The super-pangenome provides a complete genomic variation repertoire of a genus and offers unprecedented opportunities for crop improvement. This opinion article focuses on recent developments in crop pangenomics, the need for a super-pangenome that should include wild species, and its application for crop improvement.