Unraveling the diversity and cultural heritage of fruit crops through paleogenomics

Highlights

• Paleogenomics provides new ways to study the cultural history and genetic diversity of landrace fruit crops.

• Paleogenomics holds the potential to unlock valuable genetic insights from extinct or ancestral fruit-crop cultivars.

• This information enables the reconstruction of important chapters in plant domestication and can track their ways of dispersal, introgression, and potential adaptations.

• Case studies on grapevines, date palms, and tomatoes, presented in this review highlight the power of paleogenomics in revealing historical aspects.

• The examples discussed demonstrate the importance of legacy/heritage cultivars for enhancing food security and agricultural sustainability in different environmental conditions over time.

Abstract

Abundant and plentiful fruit crops are threatened by the loss of diverse legacy cultivars which are being replaced by a limited set of high-yielding ones. This article delves into the potential of paleogenomics that utilizes ancient DNA analysis to revive lost diversity. By focusing on grapevines, date palms, and tomatoes, recent studies showcase the effectiveness of paleogenomic techniques in identifying and understanding genetic traits crucial for crop resilience, disease resistance, and nutritional value. The approach not only tracks landrace dispersal and introgression but also sheds light on domestication events. In the face of major future environmental challenges, integrating paleogenomics with modern breeding strategies emerges as a promising avenue to significantly bolster fruit crop sustainability.

Abstract

Abundant and plentiful fruit crops are threatened by the loss of diverse legacy cultivars which are being replaced by a limited set of high-yielding ones. This article delves into the potential of paleogenomics that utilizes ancient DNA analysis to revive lost diversity. By focusing on grapevines, date palms, and tomatoes, recent studies showcase the effectiveness of paleogenomic techniques in identifying and understanding genetic traits crucial for crop resilience, disease resistance, and nutritional value. The approach not only tracks landrace dispersal and introgression but also sheds light on domestication events. In the face of major future environmental challenges, integrating paleogenomics with modern breeding strategies emerges as a promising avenue to significantly bolster fruit crop sustainability.