The complete chloroplast genome of Melilotus albus: an important source of forage species

Melilotus albus belongs to the legume family. It is known as the greatest potential forage crop and native to Eurasia and North Africa. The nitrogen fixation rate of Melilotus albus is superior to other legumes, making it beneficial for crop rotations. Melilotus albus has also been a species with good forage productivity and is more and more important in the medicinal value of its high coumarin content. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of Melilotus albus was assembled and analysed. The complete chloroplast genome of Melilotus albus was 127,205 bp in length. It harbours 108 functional genes, including 76 protein-coding genes, 28 transfer RNA, and four ribosomal RNA genes species. The overall nucleotide composition was: 33.3% A, 33.1% T, 16.3% C, and 17.3% G, with a total A + T rich content of 66.4%. Phylogenetic relationship analysis showed that Melilotus albus has closely related to Medicago.