De novo Assembly of Lens ervoides to Aid in Genomic-Assisted Selection of Lentil Interspecific Crosses

Increasing genetic diversity of cultivated lentil (Lens culinaris) through the introgression of wild germplasm is becoming more important for enhancing resilience of the crop. In particular, Lens ervoides has been shown to exhibit high levels of disease resistance relevant to Canadian lentil cultivars. Breeders can more efficiently utilize the genepools of wild relatives through better understanding of the wild genomes, thereby saving time developing breeding material. Mate-pair (2K, 4K, 8K) and paired-end (250bp, 350bp, 550bp) libraries from L. ervoides line L01-827A were developed and sequenced using the Illumina platform. The assembly is being carried out using SOAPdenovo2 and scaffolded with SSPACE. A linkage map has been developed for LR-66, an intraspecific L. ervoides population, to aid in anchoring and ordering of the scaffolds. The assembled genome will provide the ability to track introgressions of L. ervoides-specific DNA into cultivated germplasm, by comparing the sequence with the recently completed L. culinaris genome reference. This will ultimately provide breeders with additional context regarding the domestication of lentil, allowing them to better pinpoint desirable genes for introgression while minimizing introduction of negative traits that are associated with traditional breeding practices.