The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology | 2021
Genomic analyses provide comprehensive insights into the domestication of bast fiber crop ramie (Boehmeria nivea).
Abstract
Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) is an economically important natural fiber-producing crop that has been cultivated for thousands of years in China; however, the evolution of this crop remains largely unknown. Here, we report a ramie domestication analysis based on genome assembly and re-sequencing of cultivated and wild accessions. Two chromosome-level genomes representing wild and cultivated ramie were assembled de novo. Numerous structural variations between two assemblies, together with the genetic variations from population re-sequencing, constituted a comprehensive genomic variation map for ramie. Domestication analysis identified 71 high-confidence selective sweeps comprising 320 predicted genes, and 29 genes from sweeps were associated with fiber growth in the expression. Additionally, we identified seven genetic loci associated with the fiber yield trait in the segregated population derived from the crossing of two assembled accessions, and two of which showed an overlap with the selective sweeps. These findings indicated that bast fiber traits were focused on during the domestication history of ramie. Taken together, this study shed light on the domestication of ramie and provide a valuable resource for biological and breeding studies of this important crop.