Sugarcane's complicated genetics made it the last major crop without a
complete and highly accurate genome. Scientists from France, Australia,
Czech Republic, and the United States led by the U.S. Department of Energy
Joint Genome Institute (JGI) have developed and combined multiple techniques
to successfully map out sugarcane's genetic code.



Sugarcane's genome is large and contains more copies of chromosomes than a
typical plant, a feature called polyploidy. Sugarcane has about 10 billion
base pairs, whereas the human genome has about 3 billion. Many sections of
sugarcane's DNA are identical both within and across different chromosomes.
That makes it a challenge to correctly reassemble all the small segments of
DNA while reconstructing the full genetic blueprint. Researchers solved the
puzzle by combining multiple genetic sequencing techniques, including a
newly developed method known as PacBio HiFi sequencing that can accurately
determine the sequence of longer sections of DNA.



A complete reference genome makes it easier to study sugarcane, enabling
researchers to compare its genes and pathways with those in other
well-studied crops such as sorghum or other biofuel crops of interest, like
switchgrass and Miscanthus. With the map, the scientists were able to verify
the specific location that provides resistance to the impactful brown rust
disease that, unchecked, can devastate a sugar crop. In the future,
researchers can also use the genetic sequence to better understand the many
genes involved in sugar production.



[newscenter.lbl.gov]
anes-complex-genetic-code/