Jute Genome Sequencing: A Bangladeshi Initiative

Abstract

AbstractJute is the second most abundant natural source of bio-based fiber after cotton. This fiber, known to have high tensile strength, is non-abrasive in nature, light-weight, non-toxic, and most importantly biodegradable. Due to its excellent physical and mechanical properties as well as environment friendly nature, jute fiber is fittingly called the “Fiber of future”. Bangladesh is fortunate to be home to the finest-quality jute. For many decades, the jute industries have been the lifeblood of Bangladesh's economy, and they remain one of the foundations of the country's rural economy today. For the people of Bangladesh jute is not just a crop linked with the country’s pursuit for economic liberation; it is their national representation, their identity. Many of their time-worn folklore is based on the golden colored jute fibers from where the country got its maxim, “Sonar Bangla”. A strong and growing demand for jute fiber from environmental and commercial stand points in both local and international markets and the necessity for producing diversified value-added products demand a robust study on jute. Research on fiber development, physiology, genomics, and evolution are much needed to increase our knowledge and ability for improving jute yield and fiber quality. In this backdrop it is thus not surprising that Bangladesh took the initiative of unravelling the mystery of the wonder crop, it has been blessed with. An endeavor to decode the jute genome was made by the Government of Bangladesh in late 2009. Draft genome sequences of the two commercially cultivated species of jute, C. capsularis and C. olitorius, were published in 2017. In addition, transcriptomic data of these two species grown under varied conditions are available in public databases. These genomic and transcriptomic data have opened opportunities to improve jute yield and fiber quality and widened the scopes of potential applications. This chapter discusses the key findings of the jute genome sequence project and the studies that derived from this initiative.KeywordsJuteNatural fiberGenomeTranscriptomeStress tolerance Corchorus Macrophomina phaseolina