The genomes of the Frantoio and Leccino olive cultivars have been published on the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) website. The project was coordinated by the Institute of Crop Science of the Sant'Anna School
The genomes of the Frantoio and Leccino cultivars of olive (Olea europaea L.) were sequenced using next-generation PacBio technology and assembled with precision using the Hifiasm tool. The results can be consulted on the website of NCBI where worldwide genomic data is stored and made freely available. The results are combined with genomic information from the Farga cultivar, the wild olive tree and other olive subspecies.
The group of 8 genomes allows researchers from all over the world to increase their understanding of the genetics of the olive tree, one of the most important agricultural species in the Mediterranean area, which has also conquered other areas (America, Oceania, South Africa and Asia). The importance of having sequenced and assembled Frantoio and Leccino depends on the fact that these are widespread cultivars and actively cultivated both in Italy and in the world. Therefore, their genomic information can be used for genetic improvement: disease resistance, tolerance to environmental stresses (drought, high temperatures and salinity), quality-quantity of fruits and oils. In the specific case of the Frantoio cultivar, this is the first time that its genome has been made public. For Leccino, the use of PacBio Hi-Fi technology, which produces much longer reads than those generated by other sequencing technologies, has allowed a significant increase in the accuracy of genomic information compared to previous results.
Luca Sebastiani of the Institute of Plant Production at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies coordinated the project together with Andrea Zuccolo with the contribution of researchers Iqra Sarfraz and Alessandra Francini. Mirko Celii of the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology and Rod A. Wing of the Arizona Genomics Institute also collaborated on the project.
The project was funded by the Agritech National Research Center - European Union Next-GenerationEU (NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN (PNRR) – MISSION 4 COMPONENT 2, INVESTMENT 14–DD 1032 17/06/2022, CN00000022) and by the National Operational Program for Research and Innovation 2014-2020 (CCI 2014IT16M2OP005), FSE REACT-EU, Action IV.4 “Doctorates and research contracts on innovation topics” and Action IV.5 “Doctorates on Green topics”.
