Next Generation Sequencing in Crop Legumes: a Focus On Developing Countries.

Genome sequencing has been transformative in plant biology research and more recently in plant breeding/improvement. Advances in sequencing technologies, both in  terms of throughput and reduction of cost, means that more genomes will be sequenced thereby affecting more crop plants than ever before.  To this end, we are involved in the sequencing of several food crops from developing countries, specifically cowpea, pigeonpea and common bean. These genomes are being sequenced using a combination of approaches including Sanger and next generation sequencing. I will discuss three aspects of crop genome sequencing. First, how changes in sequencing technology have affected the quantity and quality of genome sequences. Secondly, how do we ensure that crop genome sequences are produced that they are in such a form that they are useful to the community, especially the international research community. Finally, how are genome sequences useful for crop improvement in the developing world?