Sclerocarya birrea is an agriculturally, biologically, medicinally and economically important African orphan crop.
The tree is a single stemmed tree with a wide spreading crown. It is characterised by a grey mottled bark. The tree grows up to 18m tall mostly in low altitudes and open woodlands. The fruits, which ripen between December and March, have a light yellow skin, with white flesh that is rich in vitamin C.
Wikipedia includes in its list of uses; the fruit is used for food in Africa; the tree produces a high quality cooking oil; on an industrial level the fruit is processed where pulp, pips, kernels and kernal oil are extracted and stored for processing. The fruit is also used to make the cream liqueur Amarula, and the oil used in cosmetics.
Here we present draft genome information of Sclerocarya birrea. The assembled genome of Sclerocarya birrea is 331 Mb, and we predict 18937 protein-coding genes for this crop species. We have further analyzed the expansion and contraction of selected gene families, and characterized root-nodule-symbiosis genes, transcription factors and starch biosynthesis related genes in the genome of this species.

Keywords:

• orphan crops
• food security
• whole-genome sequencing
• transcriptome
• root nodule symbiosis
• transcription factors

Read the peer-reviewed publication(s):

(PubMed: 30535374)

Related datasets:

doi:10.5524/101057 IsPartOf doi:10.5524/100504

Additional information:

www.africanorphancrops.org

Projects: