Chromosome-scale Genome assemblies and re-sequencings of 344 accessions highlight differential selections and domestication of cowpeas

Cowpeas are major legume crops consumed both as staple food in Africa, Latin America and common vegetables in Asia countries. However, the genomic basis and selection footprints for two cowpea subspecies remains largely unknown. Thus, we tried to assembly a grain-use and a vegetable-use cowpea genomes, and re-sequence 344 cowpea accessions representing two different cowpea subspecies to discover the genomic structural variations that potentially influence cowpea subspecies domestication and traits improvement.