A genomic toolkit for ‘the soybean of the tropics’ – winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

Abstract

A sustainable supply of plant protein is critical for future generations. We also need to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture, while increasing resilience in the face of elevated temperatures and climate volatility. Agricultural diversification with more crop options is hampered by limited available genomic resources, lack of understanding of the genetic structure of breeding germplasm and important trait inheritance- needed to breed desired ideotypes. Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), a high protein seed tropical legume, has been termed ‘the soybean for the tropics’ with potential to help reduce soybean imports in many tropical and semi-tropical countries. Here we present the first chromosome level winged bean genome assembly (98.9% of 536.1MB scaffolds are assigned), an investigation of genetic diversity of 136 worldwide accessions for breeding, together with the first two genetic maps and a trait QTL analysis for genomic regions with desirable ideotype traits for breeding; namely architecture, protein content and phytonutrients.