The Citrus Genome

This book reviews how the release of the citrus genome facilitates the investigation of ancestral species, the study of their complex biological features, and the genetic basis of agronomic traits of paramount importance for their sustainable cultivation. The first chapters discuss citrus origin and distribution, and the economic importance and varietal composition of the cultivated species, providing an overview of citrus and related genera genetic resources. The book then describes the role of traditional breeding techniques (for scion and rootstocks) as well as the potential of genomic breeding and innovative protocols for biotechnological approaches. The second part provides essential information on the genus Citrus, the attributes of pure citrus species, genetic admixtures, hybrids and citrus relatives, and on the horticultural classification of cultivated species, varieties and rootstocks. The third part then focuses on the different molecular mechanisms, covering various aspects of citrus biology, including the role of beneficial compounds of citrus fruits. In addition, it examines the molecular responses of citrus to abiotic stresses and to field and post-harvest diseases. Providing insights gained in recent years, it is a valuable guide for those who are interested in gene discovery, comparative genomics, molecular breeding and new breeding techniques. It is particularly useful for scientists, breeders and students at universities and public sector institutes involved in research for the citrus industry.

The Genus Citrus presents the enormous amount of new knowledge that has been generated in recent years on nearly all topics related to citrus. Beginning with an overview of the fundamental principles and understanding of citrus biology and behavior, the book provides a comprehensive view from Citrus evolution to current market importance. Reporting on new insights supported by the elucidation of the citrus genome sequence, it presents groundbreaking theories and fills in previous knowledge gaps. Because citrus is among the most difficult plants to improve through traditional breeding, citrus researchers, institutions and industries must quickly learn to adapt to new developments, knowledge and technologies to address the biological constraints of a unique fruit-tree such as citrus. Despite the challenges of working with citrus, tremendous progress has been made, mostly through advances in molecular biology and genomics. This book is valuable for all those involved with researching and advancing, producing, processing, and delivering citrus products. Includes the most current research on citrus genomic information Provides the first detailed description of citrus origin, a new proposal for citrus taxonomy, and a redefinition of the genus Citrus Details citrus challenges including climate change, global disease impacts, and plant improvement strategies

This book is intended to provide consolidated information on citrus breeding in the era of biotechnology, which is likely to hasten the pace of variety development aimed at resolving the problems faced by grove owners growing currently available cultivars. The subjects covered are focused on citrus while providing information equally useful to the breeders of other tree crops. It will also help students of genetic and breeding identify appropriate applications of biotechnology in citrus breeding. While providing information on future avenues, it also reviews the past progress and achievements ensuring continuity of the subject. Several chapters include protocols for novel techniques that should facilitate their broader application by citrus breeders.

Biology of Citrus provides a concise and comprehensive discussion of all major developmental, genetic and horticultural aspects of citriculture in an easily readable text. The book deals with the history, distribution and climatic adaptation of the crop, followed by taxonomy and systematics, including a horticultural classification of edible citrus species. Subsequent chapters cover tree structure and function, reproductive physiology, including flowering, fruiting, productivity, ripening, post-harvest and fruit constituents. The main aspects of cultivated citrus, such as rootstocks, irrigation, pests, viruses and diseases are dealt with, leading to a concluding chapter that considers genetic improvement, including the use of tissue culture and plant biotechnology. The book includes many specially produced original illustrations and the extensive reading lists will make it invaluable for students and citrus specialists.

Fruit ripening is an important aspect of fruit production. The timing of it affects supply chains and buying behaviour, and for consumers ripeness not only affects perceptions of health but has nutritional effects too. Ripeness is closely related to spoilage which has a major financial impact on agricultural industries. Currently there are fast moving developments in knowledge of the factors affecting fruit ripeness, and this up-to-date monograph seeks to draw together the disparate research in this area. The aim of the book is to produce a comprehensive account covering almost every area related to fruit ripening including the latest molecular mechanisms regulating fruit ripening, its impact on human nutrition and emerging research and technologies.

With the detailed genomic information that is now becoming available, we have a plethora of data that allows researchers to address questions in a variety of areas. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become a vital approach to identify candidate regions associated with complex diseases in human medicine, production traits in agriculture, and variation in wild populations. Genomic prediction goes a step further, attempting to predict phenotypic variation in these traits from genomic information. Genome-Wide Association Studies and Genomic Prediction pulls together expert contributions to address this important area of study. The volume begins with a section covering the phenotypes of interest as well as design issues for GWAS, then moves on to discuss efficient computational methods to store and handle large datasets, quality control measures, phasing, haplotype inference, and imputation. Later chapters deal with statistical approaches to data analysis where the experimental objective is either to confirm the biology by identifying genomic regions associated to a trait or to use the data to make genomic predictions about a future phenotypic outcome (e.g. predict onset of disease). As part of the Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters provide helpful, real-world implementation advice.

This volume introduces software used for gene prediction with focus on eukaryotic genomes. The chapters in this book describe software and web server usage as applied in common use-cases, and explain ways to simplify re-annotation of long available genome assemblies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary computational requirements, step-by-step, readily reproducible computational protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Gene Prediction: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for researchers and research groups working on the assembly and annotation of single species or small groups of species. Chapter 3 is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license via link.springer.com.