GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An international team of scientists led by the University of Florida and Virginia Tech is the first to publish the DNA sequence for the strawberry — a development expected to yield tastier, hardier varieties of the berry and other crops in its family.
The genome sequence, obtained by a team of 75 researchers from 38 institutions around the globe, will be published Dec. 26 in the online version of the journal Nature Genetics.
“We’ve created the strawberry parts list,” said researcher Kevin Folta, an associate professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “For every organism on the planet, if you’re going to try any advanced research, such as molecular-assisted breeding, a parts list is really helpful. In the old days, we had to go out and figure out what the parts were. Now we know the molecular nuts and bolts that make up the strawberry plant.”
Having that “parts list” in hand will enable strawberry breeders to bring new varieties to market faster, creating plants that can be grown with less environmental impact, better nutritional profiles and larger yields.
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