PRJNA422746
Santalum album Genome sequencing and assembly
Santalum album L. is renowned for its high quality fragrant oil extracted from the heartwood of stem and root. The genomic resources for this species is extremely scanty and no microsatellite markers are developed till data for population analysis of S. album.The present study was taken up to generate the first draft genome sequence of Indian sandalwood. Whole genome sequencing from leaf DNA was conducted using Illumina NextSeq 500 and de novo assembled using Velvet genome assembler and CLC Genomic workbench. Gene prediction was done with Agustus tool and annotated using homology based annotation tools.The draft genome of S. album will be the first reference for Santalales and will aid in understanding the sesquiterpenoid biosynthetic pathway governing santalol production; accelerating breeding programs targeting heartwood formation and santalol content through genomic predictions and association genetics. It will also facilitate identification of extended next generation DNA barcodes using organelle genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences.