Banana is one of the most important crops of the world. Cavendish-type bananas, which have a monospecific Musa acuminata origin, account for around half of the global banana production, thereby are of great significance for human societies. However, the high-quality haplotype-resolved reference genome was previously undecoded for banana cultivars. Researchers from the South China Botanical Garden and the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen have now released the first telomere-to-telomere and haplotype-resolved reference genome of the banana cultivar ‘Baxijiao’ (Cavendish).
Banana originated in Southeast Asia and the west Oceania region, where it was domesticated at least 7,000 years ago.
Most banana cultivars are unseeded clones, mainly diploids or triploids, derived from wild fertile diploid Musa species.
The genetic diversity of banana cultivars mostly resulted from hybridization events within Musa acuminata, and between this species and Musa balbisiana; meanwhile, to a minor extent, Musa schizocarpa and the species of Australimusa section also contributed to the genetic contents of edible banana cultivars.
Banana cultivars are among the most consumed fruits worldwide: over 100 million tons of banana are produced yearly.
Besides, banana cultivars are also the fifth most produced food crop in the least-developed countries; as a result, they play an important role in maintaining food security in these regions.
The demand for cultivated bananas continues to grow; however, their production is greatly affected by a complex of biotic and abiotic stresses.
“In banana, the most efficient ploidy level for agronomic performance is triploid, which has given rise to more vigorous plants, higher sterility, and larger fruits without seeds,” said co-senior author Dr. Xue-Jun Ge from the South China Botanical Garden and colleagues.
“Cavendish-type bananas, which have a monospecific M. acuminata origin, account for around half of the global banana…
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