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2020 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

Mapping Genetic Diversity in Taro (C. esculenta) to Test Domestication Models

Research Project

Project/Area Number 17H04614
Research InstitutionNational Museum of Ethnology

Principal Investigator

Matthews Peter  国立民族学博物館, 超域フィールド科学研究部, 教授 (70281590)

Project Period (FY) 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
KeywordsColocasia / Asia / fieldwork / DNA analysis / domestication / hybrid / biodiversity / ethnobotany
Outline of Annual Research Achievements

Surveys and sample collections were carried out in Thailand and Malaysia. In 2020, a new collaboration with the Universiti Malayasia, Sarawak, was started. In addition to samples from wild taro (C. esculenta), samples were obtained from C. fallax, C. lihengiae, C. oresbia, and C. spongifolia (sp. nova). With these, selected nuclear and chloroplast genome loci were sequenced (2019-2020), revealing: (i) a possible western-eastern Sundaland divide in the genetic diversity of wild taro (C. esculenta), (ii) natural wild taro populations in a vast karstic region located in northern Vietnam and southern China, and (iii) apparent hybrids between taro and other Colocasia species.

In 2020, DNA analysis was extended to include full chloroplast genome sequences from multiple Colocasia species, providing a strong new phylogenetic model for the genus. This shows that taro (C. esculenta) is a polyphyletic taxon in terms of plastid genetic diversity, a finding that has major implications for the evolution and taxonomy of wild and cultivated forms of taro. This and our survey results point to the need for deeper study of the nuclear genome in Colocasia species. In a new collaboration with the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University (2020), a pilot HPLC experiment was carried out to observe some of the chemical diversity present in wild Colocasia species. This work suggests a possible focus for the study of nuclear genome diversity in taro: relationships between chemical ecology, plant signals, and domestication history.

Research Progress Status

令和2年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Strategy for Future Research Activity

令和2年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

  • Research Products

    (5 results)

All 2021 2020 Other

All Journal Article (3 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 3 results,  Peer Reviewed: 3 results,  Open Access: 3 results) Presentation (1 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Invited: 1 results) Remarks (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] Perception gaps that may explain the status of taro (Colocasia esculenta) as an “orphan crop”2021

    • Author(s)
      Matthews, PJ , ME Ghanem
    • Journal Title

      Plants People Planet

      Volume: 3 Pages: 99-112

    • DOI

      10.1002/ppp3.10155

    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Evolutionary origins of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Southeast Asia2020

    • Author(s)
      Ahmed, I, PJ Lockhart, EMG Agoo, KW Naing, DV Nguyen, DK Medhi and PJ Matthews
    • Journal Title

      Ecology and Evolution

      Volume: 10 Pages: 13530-13543

    • DOI

      10.1002/ece3.6958

    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Chloroplast genome evolution in the Dracunculus clade (Aroideae, Araceae)2020

    • Author(s)
      Abdullah , CL Henriquez, F Mehmood , A Hayat , A Sammad, S Waseem, MT Waheed , P J Matthews, TB. Croat, P Poczai, I Ahmed
    • Journal Title

      Genomics

      Volume: 113 Pages: 183-192

    • DOI

      10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.12.016

    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Plant Exploration as an Iterative Process: Routine and Serendipity2020

    • Author(s)
      Matthews, PJ
    • Organizer
      the webinar Field Explorations in Botany: Internationalization, Documentation, Value Addition, and Conservation
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Remarks] wild-taro-research-project

    • URL

      https://researchcooperative.org/wild-taro-research-project

URL: 

Published: 2021-12-27  

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