Saudi Arabia has a rich genetic diversity of date palm that are not found anywhere else in the world. The date palm is interwoven with the culture and heritage and the Kingdom has been the center of date palm cultivation since the dawn of civilization. The scope of our effort in the date palm project is to enhance production and quality through breeding and improved agricultural practices. Our goals in this research project are:
Wheat remains one of the most important crops in the world, being the most widely planted crop and a primary source of calories and protein for over 20% of the world. Our research focuses on developing genomic resources and genomics assisted breeding to accelerate wheat improvement and the development of improved wheat germplasm.
This project proposes to generate fully annotated genome assemblies of two wild wheat species: Triticum dicoccoides and T. timopheevii. Also, we will analyse the population genomics of the respective species using the whole genome resequencing data. The aim is to identify novel genes in these wild wheats that can be used to improve heat, drought and salinity tolerance of the bread and pasta wheat. Once identified, such agronomically important genes could be transferred into commercial wheat varieties and improve the overall yield and quality of wheat in the KSA. The cutting-edge genetics of genomics research can’t be completed without a high-quality reference genome whereas the species we focused here lack such genomes. Therefore, by generating high-quality reference genome assemblies and mining whole genome sequencing data we can widen the avenues to the core genomics and population analysis of the species.
The climate crisis facing agriculture will center around one key resource: fresh water. Saltgrasses (Distichlis spp.) are among the most tolerant grasses to salinity, they are found growing in tidal plains and saltmarshes that often exceed seawater salinity levels. The objective of this research is to develop the genomic resources and fundamental knowledge of Distichlis, the unique genus of dioecious perennial saltgrasses. The D. spicata and D. palmeri, especially, have great potential for neodomestication as halophytic forage and grain crops, respectively. The critical tools needed rapid for neodomestication followed by sustained and scalable improvement of saltgrasses as a new halophyte crop are (1) referenced and curated germplasm collections, (2) genomic knowledge of Distichlis, with understanding of genome structure and population structure, (3) genetic characterization of important features, in particular, the sex-determining region (SDR). Through in-depth study of Distichlis, we will gain insight to the genomics of halophytes that will give biologically informed direction to future breeding efforts, as well as potentially novel approaches to increase salinity tolerance in crop plants.
Fruit and vegetable intake as per the recommendation of WHO is necessary for human health and disease prevention. Dragon fruit, claimed as a superfruit, has got attention in many countries owing to its high-value fruit and a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Dragon fruit has exceptional features, it can grow in poor quality soils and is tolerant to drought, it can also adapt to tolerate high temperatures (> 38 degree Celsius). Despite the Dragon fruit's importance due to its exceptional features, little work has been done from a breeding perspective to improve the quality and production of the fruits using the genetic diversity existing among the different species of dragon fruits. Our aim is to characterize the dragon fruit germplasm using the whole genome sequencing (WGS) approach to classify the accessions as per genetic diversity.
Sesame is one of the most ancient oil seed crops, known for its superior quality oil. It is well adapted to heat- and drought-stressed environments, making sesame a high-value, climate-resilient crop of the future. Sesame also has significant value for Saudi Arabia, being a crop that could be expanded in dryland areas and a major consumer market currently supplied from imports. While there is much potential for increasing sesame yield and production, there has been limited progress in sesame improvement, primarily hindered by a lack of characterized genetic resources and a lack of a hybrid seed system as an inbreeding species that cannot be readily hybridized. This project in KAUST is focused on developing a next-generation hybrid seed system in sesame by engineering a targeted nuclear male sterility with CRISPR-Cas9. To efficiently produce hybrids as needed for breeding and commercial seed production, we will engineer male-sterile maintainer lines that have (1) a complimentary fertility restorer gene, (2) a gene for inactivation of the male gametophyte (pollen disruption), and (3) a seed color marker gene, like the Seed Production Technology (SPT) originally described in maize. This produces an extremely efficient hybridization system where the male sterile line can be maintained and increased by automated seed color sorting. This system would enable both the capture of hybrid vigor in commercial hybrids and a favorable return on investment back into breeding. Simultaneously, we will compile the needed germplasm to establish breeding populations and heterotic groups targeted to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We will organize and evaluate a global panel of diverse sesame germplasm and a collection of local landraces to identify the most promising well-adapted materials suitable for hybrid cultivar development. The germplasm panels will be profiled with whole-genome sequencing to characterize genetic diversity and to identify and test potential heterotic groups. From these complimentary efforts, we will have the foundational tools to implement state-of-the-art hybrid breeding methods. These resources will enable rapid targeted improvement of sesame to unlock the potential for its cultivation and production in Saudi Arabia and throughout the MENA region.