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Scientists have successfully mapped the genome sequence of Aegilops mutica, a wild relative of wheat, shedding light on its genetic diversity and potential use in breeding programs.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham assembled a chromosome-level haplotype-resolved genome sequence of Aegilops mutica. The research has been in Scientific Data and contributes to a growing body of research aimed at safeguarding global wheat production in the face of climate change and emerging plant diseases.

The study was led by Dr. Surbhi Grewal, Assistant Professor in the School of Biosciences and conducted as part of the Nottingham Wheat Research Center's (WRC) ongoing pre-breeding program.

The breeding program aims to introduce beneficial genetic diversity from wild species into cultivated wheat varieties. By using specialist sequencing techniques, Dr. Grewal, along with her colleagues at the University of Nottingham and collaborators at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Earlham Institute, have produced a high-quality fully-annotated genome assembly and valuable insights into the genetic architecture of Aegilops mutica, a species known for its adaptability to challenging environmental conditions.

"This high-resolution genome assembly represents a significant step forward in our ability to utilize wild relatives for wheat improvement. With traits such as wheat rust resistance, as demonstrated in our past studies, present in Aegilops mutica, this resource opens new possibilities for enhancing the resilience of modern wheat," says Dr. Surbhi Grewal, Assistant Professor, School of Biosciences.

For more than a decade, the Nottingham Wheat Research Center has been developing wheat-Aegilops mutica introgression lines, aiming to transfer beneficial traits from this wild species into cultivated wheat. These efforts have laid the foundation for identifying and integrating novel genetic diversity into wheat breeding programs.

The research employs wheat chromosome-specific molecular markers and advanced genomic tools to track introgressions from wild relatives into breeding lines, with a particular focus on traits that enhance stress tolerance and disease resistance. The newly assembled genome will greatly enhance the identification of these beneficial traits, allowing wheat breeders to transfer them into their elite breeding material and efficiently track the beneficial introgressions.

Last year, also in Scientific Data, the team the genome assembly of Triticum timopheevii, another wheat wild relative, further expanding the genomic resources available for wheat.