DNA sequencing sheds light on the evolutionary history of peanut and identifies genes associated with phenotypic diversification

Abstract Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most widely grown oilseed crops worldwide, however the events leading to its origin and diversification are not fully understood. Here, by combining chloroplast and whole genome sequence data from a large germplasm collection, we show that the two A. hypogaea subspecies (hypogaea and fastigiata) likely arose from distinct allopolyploidization and domestication events. Peanut genetic clusters were then differentiated in relation to dissemination routes and breeding efforts. A combination of linkage mapping and genome-wide association studies allowed us to characterize genes and genomic regions related to main peanut morpho-agronomic traits, namely inflorescence architecture, inner integument color, growth habit, pod/seed weight, and oil content. Together, our findings shed light on peanut evolutionary history and provide an important genomic framework resource for the genetic improvement of this crop.