Genome and methylome of the root crop table beet (Beta vulgaris)
- 1Institute of Computational Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, BOKU University, Muthgasse 18, Vienna 1190, Austria
Abstract
Table beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. vulgaris), also known as red beet, garden beet, or beetroot, is an important crop with both nutritional and agricultural value, yet high-quality genomic resources for this taxon are limited. We present the chromosome-scale genome assembly RefTab-1 based on PacBio and Hi-C data of the inbred table beet genotype W357B. The assembly has a size of 668.6 Mbp and an N50 of 72 Mbp, with 96% of the assembly anchored to nine pseudo-chromosomes. We annotated 64% repetitive DNA, 24,863 protein-coding genes, and 10,405 non-coding RNA loci including a 5S rRNA cluster on chromosome 4. Genome-wide methylation profiling using EM-seq revealed high levels of cytosine methylation in repeats and context-specific methylation in gene bodies and promoters. We propose three terpene synthase candidate genes based on functional annotation and based on their location near a genetic marker on chromosome 8 previously associated with geosmin concentration, responsible for the earthy aroma of table beet. Comparative analysis with sugar beet indicated overall structural conservation and a 9 Mbp inversion on chromosome 9. These high-quality resources for table beet will enhance genetic, epigenetic, and comparative studies in Beta vulgaris, advancing beet biology and breeding programs.
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BibTeX
@misc{holzweber2026genome,
title = {{Genome and methylome of the root crop table beet (Beta vulgaris)}},
author = {T. Holzweber and K. M. Dorn and L. A. Rasaki and J. C. Dohm and H. Himmelbauer},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.07.749830},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749830v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Genome and methylome of the root crop table beet (Beta vulgaris)
AU - T. Holzweber
AU - K. M. Dorn
AU - L. A. Rasaki
AU - J. C. Dohm
AU - H. Himmelbauer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/07
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.07.749830
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749830v1
AB - Table beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. vulgaris), also known as red beet, garden beet, or beetroot, is an important crop with both nutritional and agricultural value, yet high-quality genomic resources for this taxon are limited. We present the chromosome-scale genome assembly RefTab-1 based on PacBio and Hi-C data of the inbred table beet genotype W357B. The assembly has a size of 668.6 Mbp and an N50 of 72 Mbp, with 96% of the assembly anchored to nine pseudo-chromosomes. We annotated 64% repetitive DNA, 24,863 protein-coding genes, and 10,405 non-coding RNA loci including a 5S rRNA cluster on chromosome 4. Genome-wide methylation profiling using EM-seq revealed high levels of cytosine methylation in repeats and context-specific methylation in gene bodies and promoters. We propose three terpene synthase candidate genes based on functional annotation and based on their location near a genetic marker on chromosome 8 previously associated with geosmin concentration, responsible for the earthy aroma of table beet. Comparative analysis with sugar beet indicated overall structural conservation and a 9 Mbp inversion on chromosome 9. These high-quality resources for table beet will enhance genetic, epigenetic, and comparative studies in Beta vulgaris, advancing beet biology and breeding programs.
ER -