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Like many other crops, the cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is of hybrid origin and has a polyploid genome - that is, possessing a chromosomal heritage with more than two complete lots of chromosomes -that contains essentially complete sets of chromosomes from two ancestral species.

Exploring genomic diversity across 200 landraces and cultivars

The authors of the article report the genome sequence of peanut and studied the genomic structures of 200 landraces and cultivars. They show that after its polyploid origin, the genome has evolved mainly through deletions and by the flow of genetic information between the ancestral chromosomes (that is, homeologous recombination).

Reconstructing phenotypic variation in synthetic peanuts hybrids

Using new polyploid hybrids obtained by crossing the ancestral species, the researchers show how this can generate phenotypic changes such as spontaneous changes in flower color.

Finally, this study suggests that the diversity generated by these genetic mechanisms has contributed to favor the domestication of the polyploid A. hypogaea compared to other diploid species of Arachis grown by humans. These results highlight a potential greater importance of these genetic mechanisms in accounting for the higher than expected frequency of polyploids in domesticated plants.