Chinese scientists successfully decipher the genetic code of Camellia oleifera

Camellia oleifera is a unique woody oil crop in China, with a history of cultivation and consumption more than 2,300 years ago

According to statistics, China's existing camellia planting area is 70 million mu, with an annual output value of about 120 billion yuan

In addition, the study also found that the Camellia oleifera genome has the characteristics of a high heterozygosity rate and a large proportion of repetitive sequences, which brings great challenges to genome assembly

In order to further explore the "life experience" of Camellia oleifera, the research team found through analysis that there were two whole genome duplication events in the Camellia oleifera genome, and no whole genome duplication occurred after the formation of Camellia

So, how did the oily properties of Camellia oleifera achieve domestication? The researchers further found that in the Camellia oleifera genome, multiple genes in the oil metabolism pathway were significantly artificially selected

Qian Qian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, commented that the deciphering of the Camellia oleifera genome has effectively promoted the interpretation of the regulation of oil and fat synthesis in Camellia oleifera, realized the leap from traditional breeding to genomic breeding, and opened the era of refined Camellia oleifera breeding, and designed high-yield resistance for the molecule.