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

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dc.creatorJones, M.R.W.
dc.creatorKebede, W.
dc.creatorTeshome, Abel
dc.creatorGirija, A.
dc.creatorTeshome, A.
dc.creatorGirma, D.
dc.creatorBrown, J.K.M.
dc.creatorQuiroz-Chavez, J.
dc.creatorJones, Christopher S.
dc.creatorWulff, B.B.H.
dc.creatorAssefa, K.
dc.creatorTadele, Z.
dc.creatorMur, L.A.J.
dc.creatorChanyalew, S.
dc.creatorUauy, C.
dc.creatorShorinola, Oluwaseyi
dc.date2025-05-26
dc.date2025-05-27T09:08:56Z
dc.date2025-05-27T09:08:56Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T16:50:33Z
dc.descriptionTef (<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.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/174844
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/134768
dc.languageen
dc.publisherNature Research
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceJones, 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.
dc.subjectcereals
dc.subjectcrops
dc.subjectgenomics
dc.subjectteff
dc.titlePopulation genomics uncovers loci for trait improvement in the indigenous African cereal tef (Eragrostis tef)
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Pecuarias (ILRI)