Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.
Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany; Dept. of Biology, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2019 Jul;136:14-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.03.022. Epub 2019 Apr 1.
Crocus sativus, the saffron crocus, is the source of saffron, which is made from the dried stigmas of the plant. It is a male-sterile triploid lineage that ever since its origin has been propagated vegetatively. Its mode of evolution and area of origin are matters of long-lasting debates. Here we analyzed chloroplast genomes and genome-wide DNA polymorphisms obtained through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to infer the parent and area of origin of C. sativus. These data were complemented by genome size measurements and analyses of nuclear single-copy genes. We could place 99.3% of saffron GBS alleles in Crocus cartwrightianus, a species occurring in southeastern mainland Greece and on Aegean islands, identifying it as the sole progenitor of the saffron crocus. Phylogenetic and population assignment analyses together with chloroplast polymorphisms indicated the C. cartwrightianus population in the vicinity of Athens as most similar to C. sativus. We conclude that the crop is an autotriploid that evolved in Attica by combining two different genotypes of C. cartwrightianus. Triploid sterility and vegetative propagation prevented afterwards segregation of the favorable traits of saffron, resulting in worldwide cultivation of a unique clonal lineage.
番红花，即藏红花，是由植物的干燥柱头制成的。它是一种雄性不育的三倍体谱系，自起源以来一直通过营养繁殖进行繁殖。其进化方式和起源地一直是长期争论的话题。在这里，我们通过测序（GBS）的基因分型分析了叶绿体基因组和全基因组 DNA 多态性，以推断番红花的亲本和起源地。这些数据通过基因组大小测量和核单拷贝基因分析得到了补充。我们可以将 99.3%的番红花 GBS 等位基因置于 Cartwrightianus 番红花中，该物种分布在希腊东南部大陆和爱琴海岛屿上，将其确定为番红花的唯一祖先是番红花。系统发育和种群归属分析以及叶绿体多态性表明，雅典附近的 Cartwrightianus 种群与 C. sativus 最为相似。我们得出的结论是，该作物是一种通过组合 Cartwrightianus 番红花的两种不同基因型而进化而来的同源三倍体。三倍体不育和营养繁殖阻止了番红花有利性状的随后分离，导致其在全球范围内的单一克隆谱系种植。
