De novo chromosome‐level genome of a semi‐dwarf cultivar of Prunus persica identifies the aquaporin PpTIP2 as responsible for temperature‐sensitive semi‐dwarf trait and PpB3‐1 for flower type and size

Peach (Prunus persica) is one of the most important fruit crops globally, but its cultivation can be hindered by large tree size. ‘Zhongyoutao 14’ (CN14) is a temperature‐sensitive semi‐dwarf (TSSD) cultivar which might be useful as breeding stock. The genome of CN14 was sequenced and assembled de novo using single‐molecule real‐time sequencing and chromosome conformation capture assembly. A high‐quality genome was assembled and annotated, with 228.82 Mb mapped to eight chromosomes. Eighty‐six re‐sequenced F(1) individuals and 334 previously re‐sequenced accessions were used to identify candidate genes controlling TSSD and flower type and size. An aquaporin tonoplast intrinsic protein (PpTIP2) was a strong candidate gene for control of TSSD. Sequence variations in the upstream regulatory region of PpTIP2 correlated with different transcriptional activity at different temperatures. PpB3‐1, a candidate gene for flower type (SH) and flower size, contributed to petal development and promoted petal enlargement. The locus of another 12 agronomic traits was identified through genome‐wide association study. Most of these loci exhibited consistent and precise association signals, except for flesh texture and flesh adhesion. A 6015‐bp insertion in exon 3 and a 26‐bp insertion upstream of PpMYB25 were associated with fruit hairless. Along with a 70.5‐Kb gap at the F‐M locus in CN14, another two new alleles were identified in peach accessions. Our findings will not only promote genomic research and agronomic breeding in peach but also provide a foundation for the peach pan‐genome.