Genomics

The incredible economic importance of the potato and tomato as major global agricultural crops has made them a target of intensive genomics studies. The active research community in Solanaceae published the tomato and potato genome in xxx, and pangenomes of these crops have since been sequenced, including their wild relatives. Most recently, pangenome of the entire genus Solanum was published showing the dynamic nature of gene duplications. The availability of these genomes enables us now to compare genome architecture across species and genera.

Great resources for searching through the existing genomes have been made available for Solanaceae. SoIR is a comprehensive portal for information on comparative and functional genomics across Solanaceae. The Solanaceae Genomics Network is a database and website dedicated to the genomic information of the nightshade family, including species such as tomato, potato, pepper, petunia and eggplant. See also the RTB-base that stands for Root Tubers & Banana Databases that hold genomic and phenotypic information for next-generation breeding applications.

The integration of taxonomy, phylogeny, and genomics in Solanum and the entire Solanaceae is expected to place the plant family among the most holistically understood of all plant families. Within the family, Solanum stands out with the large amount of genomic resources now available, combined with the morphological understanding of the group.