A genomic toolkit for the soybean of the tropics winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

A sustainable supply of plant protein is critical for future generations and needs to be achieved while reducing Green House Gas emissions from agriculture and increasing resilience in the face of climate volatility. Agricultural diversification with more nutrient-rich and stress tolerant crop options could provide the solution. However, it is often hampered by the limited availability of genomic resources and the lack of understanding of the genetic structure of breeding germplasm and the inheritance of important traits. One such crop with potential is winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), a high seed protein tropical legume which has been termed the soybean for the tropics. Here, we present the chromosome level winged bean genome assembly, an investigation of the genetic diversity of 130 worldwide accessions, together with two linked genetic maps, a trait QTL analysis (and expression studies) for regions with desirable ideotype traits for breeding; namely architecture, protein content and phytonutrients.