Genome and methylome of the root crop table beet (Beta vulgaris)
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 rDNA 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
@article{holzweber2026genome,
title = {{Genome and methylome of the root crop table beet (Beta vulgaris)}},
author = {Thomas Holzweber and Kevin M. Dorn and Laide A. Rasaki and Juliane C. Dohm and Heinz Himmelbauer},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-77397-6},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-77397-6},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Genome and methylome of the root crop table beet (Beta vulgaris)
AU - Thomas Holzweber
AU - Kevin M. Dorn
AU - Laide A. Rasaki
AU - Juliane C. Dohm
AU - Heinz Himmelbauer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-77397-6
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-77397-6
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 rDNA 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.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -