Lathyrus sativus commonly known as grasspea is a nutrient dense legume crop with tolerance for various abiotic stresses like drought and flood and has potential for climate smart agriculture. It is also a reservoir of nutrients and pharmacological compound that can contribute to human health. Grasspea has received little attention from breeders and researchers in the past due to the presence of neurotoxic compound in its seeds and other plant parts that causes a disease called neurolathyrism. However, in the current climate change scenario, interest on grasspea research is renewed due its hardiness to both drought and flooding. Several genomic resources in grasspea have been developed from the last 10 years. As per NCBI data, 246 transcriptome sequences of grasspea have been published. Two genome assemblies and one reference genome sequence have recently been published. This article discusses about currently sequenced grasspea genomes and how it can be utilized for improving the grasspea.
Grasspea. Genome Sequence, Blueprint Grasspea, Grasspea Improvement
Edwards, A., et al. (2023). Genomics and biochemical analyses reveal a metabolon key to β-L-ODAP biosynthesis in Lathyrus sativus. Nature Communications, 14, Article 876. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-00876-0
Rajarammohan, S., et al. (2023). Genome sequencing and assembly of Lathyrus sativus—A nutrient-rich hardy legume crop. Scientific Data, 10, Article 32. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-01932-1
Vigouroux, M., et al. (2024). A chromosome-scale reference genome of grasspea (Lathyrus sativus). Scientific Data, 11, Article 1035. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03868-y.
