Complete genetic map of hardy forage legume opens door to better alfalfa
Yuan Q, Li C, Wang G, Dai W, Eerdungaridi
Crispr
The little yellow-flowered black medick creeping through your lawn or pasture edge is a tough relative of alfalfa, and its newly mapped genome could help breeders develop livestock forage that survives cold, high-elevation conditions.
Scientists mapped every letter of the DNA of black medick, a tough, protein-rich clover-like plant that thrives in harsh mountain conditions. They also created a way to precisely edit its genes, and used it to change the shape of its leaves. Because black medick is a close cousin of alfalfa, what they learn can help breed better feed crops for cold, high places.
Key Findings
Produced a telomere-to-telomere (complete, gap-free) genome assembly of Medicago lupulina, a high-protein forage legume adapted to high-altitude environments
Established a working CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system in M. lupulina
Used the editing tool to successfully alter leaf shape, demonstrating the method can change visible traits
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers have read the complete genetic code of black medick, a hardy, protein-rich forage legume, with no gaps. They also built a gene-editing method for it and used it to change its leaf shape, giving breeders a toolkit for improving alfalfa and forage crops that grow at high altitude.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
T2T genome assembly and CRISPR/Cas9 editing of Medicago lupulina.
A complete, gap-free genome of Medicago lupulina, a tough, high-protein forage legume, and a gene-editing tool for this species, which was used to alter its leaf shape, provide key resources for im...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Targeted knockout of a host peroxisomal peptidase confers field resistance to...
The corn in your grocery store and the staple food keeping millions of East African families fed is under serious threat from a viral disease that can wipe o...
Alfalfa, lucerne, Medicago sativa is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world and is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop. It has also been cultivated as livest...