July 2022 - 15

VEGETABLE CROP UPDATE
in the assembly process. The new study
used the Monoe-Viroflay cultivated
variety of spinach, which is highly
inbred, combined with the advanced
sequencing and assembly technologies,
making the assembly of its genome
much easier and of higher quality than
the varieties used in the earlier study.
The team also sequenced the
genomes of 295 cultivated varieties
of S. oleracea and 10 accessions of
the two wild relatives. Next, they
conducted comparative genomic
analyses and genome-wide association
studies (GWAS) to probe the plant's
evolutionary history and look for
genes associated with specific traits.
Most of the genetic differences
between wild and cultivated spinach
result from the plant's adaptation to
new environments as it spread from
its origins in Persia (modern-day
Iran) across Asia and Europe, with
other variations reflecting the local
preferences for traits such as flat or
wrinkled leaves.
" I think our most interesting finding
is that the genetic diversity between
Asian and European spinach is higher
than it is between cultivated and wild
spinaches, which is not very common
in other crops, " Jiao said. " This
increases our knowledge of how human
selection diversifies crop plants. "
" Our results provide rich
resources for the spinach
community, especially those
working on increasing downy
mildew resistance, improving
leaf texture and reducing
oxalate content. "
− Chen Jiao, College of Agriculture
and Biotechnology, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang,
China
The GWAS confirmed the known
role for the NBR-LRR family of genes
in spinach downy mildew resistance.
It also identified other locations on the
genome with lesser but still important
roles in resistance, such as a promoter
region in WSD6, which encodes an
enzyme that may reinforce the physical
barrier of spinach upon pathogen
invasion.
" Like most plants, disease resistance
in spinach is controlled by a network
of genetic regions, " said Fei, who is
also an adjunct professor in Cornell's
School of Integrative Plant Science. " If
you can 'stack' disease-resistant gene
variants into one variety, then you will
get better resistance than with just one
gene variant. "
Down with oxalates
The team also found two genes
encoding metal and metal ion
transporters that may regulate oxalates
in spinach. Although more research
is needed to understand their full
function, modulating these genes
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to reduce oxalates could help boost
the market with cultivars that are
better for human health and appeal to
consumers who dislike the vegetable
because of spinach teeth.
However, oxalates probably play
important roles in spinach survival,
such as warding off pests and
pathogens, Fei said. If so, reducing
oxalates would also require identifying
and modifying other genes to maintain
the plant's protective mechanisms.
" Plants usually depend on
networks of genetic factors to defend
themselves; removing one means
finding the right balance among the
others, " Fei said. VGN
A cultivated variety of spinach grows in a greenhouse at Shanghai Normal University.
Photo: Xiafeng Cai
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VGN | JULY 2022 | 15

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July 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2022