Genetic relationship between wild and cultivated chestnut population and identification of the genes related to chestnut domestication

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K15524
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 39030:Horticultural science-related
• Research Institution: National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
• Principal Investigator: Nishio Sogo 国立研究開発法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構, 果樹茶業研究部門, 主任研究員 (30507596)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 遺伝的多様性 / 遺伝資源 / 遺伝的構造解析 / クリ / 栽培化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We collected wild chestnut populations distributed all over Japan. Genetic structure analysis was conducted using wild and cultivated chestnut populations. The wild populations in Kyushu were genetically distant from other populations, and the populations other than Kyushu were gradually differentiated among northeastern, Kanto and southwestern Japan. The bi-directional gene flow between cultivars and wild individuals were detected in Kanto region, whereas only direction from cultivars to wild populations was confirmed in Tanba region. Those results suggested cultivars in Kanto were selected from wild individuals in Kanto region, whereas cultivars in Tanba may be affected by genotypes introduced from other regions, several human selection steps, and complex domestication process.

Free Research Field

園芸学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本全国を網羅する野生グリを収集し、栽培グリとともに遺伝的関係を明らかにした。一部の収集した野生グリは農研機構ジーンバンクに登録しており、研究や育種目的に利用することができる。農研機構のクリ育種においても、遺伝的多様性の拡大や温暖地域への栽培適応を目的として、収集した九州の野生クリを交雑利用している。
また、一部の野生グリは栽培グリからの遺伝子流動により遺伝的構造が変化していることから、生息域内保存だけでなく、ジーンバンク等の生息域外保存が重要であることが示唆された。