There is a wave of crop reference genomes being generated making it possible to improve navigation of important gene traits for crop improvement. A highly regarded approach toward assessing such traits is through the use of a pan-genome perspective for the genomes. Already there are over 100 reference genomes covering all the cereals: some are included here. For the cereals, genomes generally range in size from 6Gb to 15Gb in size each, depending on ploidy. Model genomes, such as Brachypodium spp. are smaller. Pan-genomes as a resource can begin the journey for evolutionary studies, tracking down individual traits, detecting genome variation by way of structure, tracking integrity of metabolic pathways, as well as leading to other studies in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. As many fully sequenced crop genomes quickly appear and multiply, the need for developing annotation pipelines for surveying pan-genomes and connecting them to traits and phenotypes in studied crop systems is imperative to secure our food future.
PanGenome Resources (with JBrowse 2)
These web interfaces provide several user-friendly tools, including micro-synteny visualization displays such as JBrowse2, genome-level synteny viewer through AccuSyn. Webpages also support a pan-genomic BLAST which facilitates sequence search against pan-genomic groups. Additionally, similar sequences across the pan-genome can be viewed and downloaded through Jalview.
PanGenome Resources (with JBrowse 1)
Wheat PanGenome
17 assemblies, Jiao et al 2024
AVAILABLE
Wheat PanGenome
17 assemblies, Jiao et al 2024
Barley PanGenome v2
76 assemblies, Jayakodi 2024
AVAILABLE
Barley PanGenome v2
76 assemblies, Jayakodi 2024
AVAILABLE
Einkorn Wheat
2 assemblies, Ahmed et al 2023
Einkorn Wheat
2 assemblies, Ahmed et al 2023
Aegilops
3 assemblies, Avni et al 2022
AVAILABLE
Aegilops
3 assemblies, Avni et al 2022
Avena
3 assemblies, Peng et al 2022
AVAILABLE
Avena
3 assemblies, Peng et al 2022
Avena
3 assemblies, Kamal et al 2022
AVAILABLE
Avena
3 assemblies, Kamal et al 2022
Aegilops tauschii
4 assemblies, Zhou et al 2021
AVAILABLE
Aegilops tauschii
4 assemblies, Zhou et al 2021
Barley PanGenome v1
19 assemblies, Jayakodi 2020
AVAILABLE
Barley PanGenome v1
19 assemblies, Jayakodi 2020
10+ Wheat PanGenome Project
10 assemblies, Walkowiak et al 2020
AVAILABLE
10+ Wheat PanGenome Project
10 assemblies, Walkowiak et al 2020
Avena; Diploid Oat
2 assemblies, Maughan et al 2019
AVAILABLE
Avena; Diploid Oat
2 assemblies, Maughan et al 2019
PanOat
35 assemblies, 2025
AVAILABLE
PanOat
35 assemblies, 2025
Barley OSU
5 assemblies (coming soon)
Barley OSU
5 assemblies (coming soon)
Fusarium
14 strains, 2025
Fusarium
14 strains, 2025
Informational Links
Publications:
A genome : Hanin et al. 2023. Einkorn genomics sheds light on history of the oldest domesticated wheat. Nature 620:830-838
B genome : Avni et al. 2022. Genome sequences of three Aegilops species of the section Sitopsis reveal phylogenetic relationships and provide resources for wheat improvement. Plant J. 110:179-192.
D genome : Cavalet-Giorsa et al. 2024. Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome. Nature 633:848-855.
A genome : Hanin et al. 2023. Einkorn genomics sheds light on history of the oldest domesticated wheat. Nature 620:830-838
B genome : Avni et al. 2022. Genome sequences of three Aegilops species of the section Sitopsis reveal phylogenetic relationships and provide resources for wheat improvement. Plant J. 110:179-192.
D genome : Cavalet-Giorsa et al. 2024. Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome. Nature 633:848-855.
Other Pan-Genome Studies:
Einkorn Wheat (A genome) Resource
Aegilops Wheat (B genome) Resource
Wheat Pangenome site
