Genome sequence of jackfruit decoded

A group of scientists from Bangladeshi and Canadian institutions have successfully decoded the genome sequence of jackfruit, opening up a new window for molecular breeding for year-round fruiting stress tolerant and high-quality variety which is essential for its commercial cultivation and agro-processing.

The institutions are the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), the Horticultural Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), the Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, University of British Columbia and National Research Council of Canada, said a press release.

The research, led by Prof Tofazzal Islam and funded by the Ministry of Education, was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

Bangladesh is the second-largest producer of jackfruit in the world. As it has a lot of varieties and grows only in one season, the country has yet to start commercial jackfruit farming.

The researchers hope that through biotechnology, it will now be possible to develop new varieties of jackfruit with different flavours and characteristics, which will lead to the commercial farming of jackfruit and the development of a processing industry.

They have completed the genome sequencing, using Illumina next-generation sequencing (NGS) systems at the IBGE.

Prof. Tofazzal Islam said, “We for the first time sequenced the whole-genome of a year round jackfruit variety originated in the forest of Ramgarh of Chattogram. We identified the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and orthologous flowering genes. The genomic data, associated orthogroups, and SNPs identified in this research will be useful for characterization of trait-specific genes and development of markers for molecular breeding for the improvement of jackfruit, and provides an opportunity to develop this underutilized crop for ensuring food and nutritional security for the increasing population of Bangladesh and other tropical countries.”

Another scientist from the Global Institute for Food Security in Canada Dr Andrew Sharpe said that the whole-genome sequencing and annotation of a year-round jackfruit has laid a foundation for the biotechnological improvement of this highly nutritious national fruit of Bangladesh.

“Development of year-round fruiting new jackfruit varieties would offer commercial cultivation and development of jackfruit-based processing industry.”