Berkeley Lab researchers successfully map out sugarcane’s genome

In California, until now, sugarcane’s complicated genetics made it the last major crop without a complete and highly accurate genome. Scientists have developed and combined multiple techniques to successfully map out sugarcane’s genetic code. With that map, they were able to verify the specific location that provides resistance to the impactful brown rust disease that, unchecked, can devastate a sugar crop. Researchers can also use the genetic sequence to better understand the many genes involved in sugar production.

The research was conducted as part of the Community Science Program at the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science user facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The study is published today in the journal Nature, and the genome is available through the JGI’s plant portal, Phytozome.