Population genomics uncovers loci for trait improvement in the indigenous African cereal tef (Eragrostis tef)

Simple item page
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research institute
cg.contributor.affiliationNorwich Research Park
cg.contributor.affiliationEthiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
cg.contributor.affiliationScuola Superiore Sant’Anna
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Livestock Research Institute
cg.contributor.affiliationAberystwyth University
cg.contributor.affiliationKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Bern
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Birmingham
cg.contributor.donorRoyal Society
cg.contributor.donorBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, United Kingdom
cg.contributor.donorEuropean Research Council
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Fund
cg.contributor.donorEuropean Union
cg.contributor.donorConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Mexico
cg.contributor.donorJohn Innes Centre
cg.contributor.initiativeSustainable Animal Productivity
cg.coverage.countryEthiopia
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2ET
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.creator.identifierAbel Teshome Gari: 0000-0001-7137-5991
cg.creator.identifierChris Jones: 0000-0001-9096-9728
cg.creator.identifierOluwaseyi Shorinola: 0000-0003-3516-303X
cg.creator.identifierCristobal Uauy: 0000-0002-9814-1770
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.dataurlhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13837318
cg.identifier.dataurlhttps://github.com/Uauy-Lab/tef_kGWAS_2024
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08206-5
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn2399-3642
cg.journalCommunications Biology
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.speciesEragrostis tef
cg.subject.actionAreaResilient Agrifood Systems
cg.subject.ilriCROPS
cg.subject.ilriGENETICS
cg.subject.impactAreaPoverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs
cg.subject.sdgSDG 2 - Zero hunger
cg.volume8
dc.contributor.authorJones, M.R.W.
dc.contributor.authorKebede, W.
dc.contributor.authorTeshome, Abel
dc.contributor.authorGirija, A.
dc.contributor.authorTeshome, A.
dc.contributor.authorGirma, D.
dc.contributor.authorBrown, J.K.M.
dc.contributor.authorQuiroz-Chavez, J.
dc.contributor.authorJones, Christopher S.
dc.contributor.authorWulff, B.B.H.
dc.contributor.authorAssefa, K.
dc.contributor.authorTadele, Z.
dc.contributor.authorMur, L.A.J.
dc.contributor.authorChanyalew, S.
dc.contributor.authorUauy, C.
dc.contributor.authorShorinola, Oluwaseyi
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-27T09:08:56Z
dc.date.available2025-05-27T09:08:56Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/174844
dc.titlePopulation genomics uncovers loci for trait improvement in the indigenous African cereal tef (Eragrostis tef)en
dcterms.abstractTef (<i>Eragrostis tef</i>) is an indigenous African cereal that is gaining global attention as a gluten-free “superfood” with high protein, mineral, and fibre contents. However, tef yields are limited by lodging and by losses during harvest owing to its small grain size (150× lighter than wheat). Breeders must also consider a strong cultural preference for white-grained over brown-grained varieties. Tef is relatively understudied with limited “omics” resources. Here, we resequence 220 tef accessions from an Ethiopian diversity collection and also perform multi-locational phenotyping for 25 agronomic and grain traits. Grain metabolome profiling reveals differential accumulation of fatty acids and flavonoids between white and brown grains. k-mer and SNP-based genome-wide association uncover important marker-trait associations, including a significant 70 kb peak for panicle morphology containing the tef orthologue of rice <i>qSH1</i>—a transcription factor regulating inflorescence morphology in cereals. We also observe a previously unknown relationship between grain size, colour, and fatty acids. These traits are highly associated with retrotransposon insertions in homoeologues of <i>TRANSPARENT TESTA 2</i>, a known regulator of grain colour. Our study provides valuable resources for tef research and breeding, facilitating the development of improved cultivars with desirable agronomic and nutritional properties.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademics
dcterms.audienceScientists
dcterms.available2025-05-26
dcterms.bibliographicCitationJones, M.R.W., Kebede, W., Teshome, A., Girija, A., Teshome, A., Girma, D., Brown, J.K.M., Quiroz-Chavez, J., Jones, C.S., Wulff, B.B.H., Assefa, K., Tadele, Z., Mur, L.A.J., Chanyalew, S., Uauy, C. and Shorinola, O. 2025. Population genomics uncovers loci for trait improvement in the indigenous African cereal tef (<i>Eragrostis tef</i>). Communications Biology 8: 807.
dcterms.extent807
dcterms.issued2025-05-26
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherNature Research
dcterms.subjectcereals
dcterms.subjectcrops
dcterms.subjectgenomics
dcterms.subjectteff
dcterms.typeJournal Article

Files

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.75 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

ILRI articles in journals
CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity
ILRI Livestock Genetics, Nutrition and Feed Resources theme outputs (2025-)