{
  "id": 3107694,
  "title": "Assembly of giant wild sunflower family genomes unlocks potential for new perennial crops",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/assembly-of-giant-wild-sunflower-family-genomes-unlocks-potential-for",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-24T20:40:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-giant-wild-sunflower-family-genomes.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have unlocked the genomes of two wild sunflower plant species, Silphium integrifolium and Silphium perfoliatum, paving the way for the development of more climate-resilient and sustainable perennial crops. This groundbreaking research, published in Nature Communications, provides the first chromosome-scale, haplotype-phased genomes for these deep-rooted North American prairie plants. The discovery could help introduce new perennial crops into agriculture, boosting crop diversity, productivity, and ecosystem health. David Van Tassel, lead scientist for The Land Institute's Perennial Oilseeds Program, highlighted the potential of wild perennial species to improve food security through sustainability-enhancing traits like deep roots. The newly assembled genomes will accelerate the domestication and breeding of these plants, making it faster and more efficient than traditional methods. The study also emphasizes the importance of preserving genetic diversity hotspots within Silphium species to understand how genetic and species diversity can help regulate the spread of infectious diseases. The research team is now working on scaling up genotyping to enable fingerprinting thousands of plants annually, and investigating the unique genomic characteristics of Silphium species, such as their exceptionally large chromosomes.",
  "summary": "The Land Institute and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, in collaboration with key partners, have assembled the first chromosome-scale, haplotype-phased genomes for Silphium integrifolium (rosinweed, silflower) and Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant, silphie). This landmark research promises to expand and accelerate the development of more climate-resilient, sustainable perennial crops.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}