Browse Articles

Article|16 Apr 2026|OPEN
Graph-based pangenomics reveals the genetic basis of agronomic traits in tomato fruits
Xiao Su1 ,† , Ran Du2 ,† , Zijing Xing3 , Qinqin Yang1 , Yun Liu1 , Yan Wang1 , Yingfang Zhu4 , , Jie Ye3 , and Tao Lin,1 ,
1College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
2Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
3National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
4State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475001, China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: zhuyf@henu.edu.cn,yejie@mail.hzau.edu.cn,lintao35@cau.edu.cn
†Both authors contributed equally to the study.

Horticulture Research 13,
Article number: uhag147 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag147
Views: 54

Received: 23 Dec 2025
Accepted: 08 Apr 2026
Published online: 16 Apr 2026

Abstract

Tomato serves as a globally important vegetable crop and a genetic model organism, and the improvement of its agronomic traits represents a central objective in breeding. While graph-based pangenomes comprehensively capture species-wide genetic diversity, those built from large cohorts of individuals frequently present considerable computational challenges. To address this, we constructed a graph-based pangenome that integrated only the spectrum of genetic variants between wild (Solanum pimpinellifolium) and cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). By balancing reduced resource demands with reliable variant calling accuracy, this resource establishes a practical foundation for high-throughput genetic analysis. Using the graph-based pangenome and an F7 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) pinpointed known loci for trichome, vegetative form, and weight traits, as well as a novel fruit-weight locus, fw6.4. The candidate gene SlILL6 within this region likely affects fruit weight (FW) by modulating cell expansion. Metabolite profiling revealed micro-scale quality variation and identified 128 differentially accumulated metabolites. Among these, a GDSL lipase-like caffeoyltransferase (SlCGT) was found to function as a negative regulator of chlorogenic acid content, thereby affecting fruit resistance to pathogenic fungi. Integrating a graph-based pangenome with multi-omics data, this research deciphered the genetic basis of complex traits and supplies new genomic resources, analytical tools, and candidate genes for tomato improvement.