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Species Card Details

Thinopyrum distichum

Coastal Wheatgrass

Species Card Photograph

Group:

Monocot

Size:

0.5 m in height

Distribution:

The shores of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa.

PromethION Sequencing Report:

Output:

227.85 Gigabases

Approximate N50:

13.26 kilobases

Assembly N50:

8 949.62 kilobases

Contig number:

3 107

Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:

Assembler used:

Hifiasm

Genome Length:

10.54 Gigabases

BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):

99.5% [S: 11.3%, D: 88.0%]

BUSCO database:

viridiplantae

Importance:

It is the sole species of the genus that occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a wild relative of bread wheat and is a halophyte. If the genes conferring its ability to tolerate high levels of soil salinity can be transferred to commercial wheat, it has the potential to expand wheat production and increase food security.

Sample Contributor contact details:

Willem Botes
Stellenbosch University

Date Published:

2025-08-27

Photo credit:

© D. Richardson

Flora

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