Dissecting the Genomes of Citrus Cultivars

A collection of 8 citrus cultivars have been sequenced by the International Citrus Genome Consortium, including pummelos, oranges and mandarins. Comparative genome analysis of the citrus octet allows us to reconstruct the genomes of the two ancestral species C. maxima and C. reticulata, and to delineate the genetic makeup and admixture patterns in the different citrus genomes. Population genetic analysis points to an ancient divergence time of 2-3 Mya for the two ancestral species. Phased haplotype analysis reveals unexpected kinship among the cultivars, including the parentage of Clementine Mandarin and Sweet Orange.