The banana (Musa acuminata) genome and the evolution of monocotyledonous plants

TLDR

Bananas (Musa spp.) are giant perennial monocots vital for food security worldwide, with domestication beginning ~7,000 years ago and current production largely dependent on the Cavendish triploid clone, while emerging pests and diseases threaten global yields. The study aims to present a draft 523‑Mb genome sequence of a Musa acuminata doubled‑haploid genotype to facilitate banana genetic improvement. The authors sequenced and assembled a 523‑Mb draft genome from a doubled‑haploid Musa acuminata plant. The genome analysis revealed three independent whole‑genome duplications in Musa, positioned it as a key comparative resource outside Poales, clarified commelinid‑monocot phylogeny, highlighted Poaceae‑specific traits, and uncovered conserved non‑coding sequences predating monocot‑eudicot divergence.

Abstract

Bananas (Musa spp. ), including dessert and cooking types, are giant perennial monocotyledonous herbs of the order Zingiberales, a sister group to the well-studied Poales, which include cereals. Bananas are vital for food security in many tropical and subtropical countries and the most popular fruit in industrialized countries. The Musa domestication process started some 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. It involved hybridizations between diverse species and subspecies, fostered by human migrations, and selection of diploid and triploid seedless, parthenocarpic hybrids thereafter widely dispersed by vegetative propagation. Half of the current production relies on somaclones derived from a single triploid genotype (Cavendish). Pests and diseases have gradually become adapted, representing an imminent danger for global banana production. Here we describe the draft sequence of the 523-megabase genome of a Musa acuminata doubled-haploid genotype, providing a crucial stepping-stone for genetic improvement of banana. We detected three rounds of whole-genome duplications in the Musa lineage, independently of those previously described in the Poales lineage and the one we detected in the Arecales lineage. This first monocotyledon high-continuity whole-genome sequence reported outside Poales represents an essential bridge for comparative genome analysis in plants. As such, it clarifies commelinid-monocotyledon phylogenetic relationships, reveals Poaceae-specific features and has led to the discovery of conserved non-coding sequences predating monocotyledon-eudicotyledon divergence.