Dalbergia latifolia Raw sequence reads

Wood being the most important natural and permanently sustainable energy source, plays an important role as an eco-efficient alternative to fossil fuels. Wood, also known as secondary xylem, is the major structure that gives stability to woody plants and supplies all other plant tissues with water from the roots. Over the last decades, our knowledge of cellular wood formation (xylogenesis) has increased significantly. Wood is formed due to the action of the vascular cambium, which is composed of meristematic initials that generate phloem or xylem precursor cells. Hormonal signals predominate in the proliferation of the cells of the vascular cambium, and the plant hormone auxin plays a critical role in wood formation. Although many genes encoding the com ponents (cellulose, xylan, glucomannan, and lignin) of wood biosynthesis have been identified and functionally characterized in poplar and Arabidopsis, how and which genes particularly affect the wood properties are largely unknown. To tailor wood for our use, it is critical to dissect the molecular and biochemical mechanisms controlling wood formation. The knowledge gained from such studies can be applied to genetically modify the wood quantity and quality. With the sequencing of the genomes of increasing numbers of tree species (excluding model plants), it is now possible to uncover the molecular mechanisms controlling the formation of wood.D. latifolia produces unique dark red colored, closed grain, highly durable timber wood which has high demand in domestic and international market. This is one of the major causes of illegal logging which reduces the plant number drastically. As per the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) it is red listed plant and requires serious efforts to bring it back from the verge of extinction. Several other Dalbergia species have also got similar international attention and genome level information of Dalbergia sissoo and Dalbergia odoriferaI is available. However, there is no genome level information available for D. latifolia, one of the highly valued commercial timber-tree of India. Genome level information is a critical scientific resource, can be utilizes further as a stepping stone for several researches. One of the pivotal applications in the area of forest-genomics can reveal genetic makeup of Indian rosewood and help researchers to pinpoint underlying key traits related to wood quality and disease resistance mechanism.Genome level information can also provide insights about critical core processes governing heartwood formation by understanding the involvement of specific gene or group of genes and pathways. Genetic information can also be utilized accurately for identification of closely related species by using sequence-level barcoding to authenticate the high value timber.