Genomic resources forMacadamia tetraphyllaand an examination of its historic use as a crop resource in Hawaii

Abstract

Macadamia tetraphyllais a wild relative of the economically valuable cropMacadamia integrifolia. Genomic knowledge of crop wild relatives is central to determining their possible role in breeding programs to mitigate biotic and abiotic stress in the future. The goal of this project was to develop a genomic resource for macadamia agriculture in Hawai‘i through constructing a transcriptome ofM. tetraphyllaand testing for hybridity in University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa breeding material. The transcriptome assembly ofM. tetraphyllarevealed large differences in gene expression attributable to tissue type. Advanced breeding lines (HI862 and HI879) appear to be hybridized with the crop wild relativeM. tetraphylla. Additionally, a putativeM. tetraphyllatree sampled from a remnant orchard planting at the Waimānalo research station on Oahu did not match anecdotal accounts of the orchard as it appeared to be of hybrid ancestry.