Genome-wide association for agro-morphological traits in a triploid banana population with large chromosome rearrangements.

Banana breeding is hampered by the very low fertility of domesticated bananas and the lack of knowledge about the genetic determinism of agronomic traits. We analysed a breeding population of 2723 triploid hybrids resulting from crosses between diploid and tetraploid parents, which was evaluated over three successive crop cycles for 24 traits relating to yield components and plant, bunch, and fruit architectures. A subset of 1129 individuals was genotyped by sequencing, revealing 205 612 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Unravelling genomic drivers of speciation in Musa through genome assemblies of wild banana ancestors.

Hybridization between wild Musa species and subspecies from Southeast Asia is at the origin of cultivated bananas. The genomes of these cultivars are complex mosaics involving nine genetic groups, including two previously unknown contributors. This study provides continuous genome assemblies for six wild genetic groups, one of which represents one of the unknown ancestor, identified as M.

Two large reciprocal translocations characterized in the disease resistance-rich burmannica genetic group of Musa acuminata.

Background And Aims: Banana cultivars are derived from hybridizations involving Musa acuminata subspecies. The latter diverged following geographical isolation in distinct South-east Asian continental regions and islands. Observation of chromosome pairing irregularities in meiosis of hybrids between these subspecies suggested the presence of large chromosomal structural variations.