Pan-transcriptome sequences of alfalfa

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), which is grown worldwide, is a highly productive perennial forage species with the capacity for biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. However, because of insufficient cold tolerance, cold stress is a major limitation to alfalfa production. Thus, improvement of cold tolerance is an important breeding aim for high yield and longer production periods in alfalfa, especially in northern climates. Therefore, we have collected eight varieties of alfalfa, and performed pan-transcriptome sequencing work to investigate molecular mechanism of cold tolerance in alfalfa.