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Oat is an important crop with many health benefits and diverse applications. Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Helmholtz Munich, and the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) have decoded the pan-genome of 33 oat lines—mapping their full genetic diversity. This comprehensive overview provides leverage for breeding more resilient, higher-yielding plants, as oats, too, face mounting pressures from a changing climate.
Like many crops, the oat varieties we grow today are up against new challenges: they are not adapted to rising average temperatures, increasing drought, and emerging plant diseases. To breed varieties that can keep pace with rapidly shifting conditions, detailed knowledge of their genetics is becoming increasingly more important.
Researchers at TUM, Helmholtz Munich, and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), together with international partners, have now decoded the pan-genome of 33 oat lines. A pan-genome represents the total genetic diversity across the lines studied—it includes not only genes found in all plants but also those present in only some. The team’s findings were published in Nature.
Understanding and using genetic diversity
The team sequenced and analyzed genomes from oat lines originating in many regions around the world. According to the researchers, the pan-genome thus captures a large share of global oat genetic diversity. “Our results lay a foundation that will help us identify which genes are important for yield, climate adaptation, and plant health,” says Nadia Kamal, Professor of Computational Plant Biology at TUM and a co-first author of the study.
They examined 26 cultivated varieties—including landraces and old breeding lines—as well as several wild lines. Including landraces and wild lines was crucial because modern breeding has focused primarily on yield—sometimes at the expense of other traits that could prove advantageous going forward. Such traits may have persisted in older and wild germplasm, potentially making plants more tolerant to drought or disease.
A directory of gene activity
Professor Kamal’s team investigated how thousands of genes are active across different oat tissues and lines, revealing oats’ notable capacity for adaptation and resilience. Differences in gene-expression patterns often mirrored the geographic origins of the lines—an indication that oat populations have adapted to distinct environments through fine-tuned gene regulation. Building on this, the researchers created a pan-transcriptome for 23 of the lines included in the pan-genome—effectively a directory of gene activity. “The combination of the pangenome and pantranscriptome opens up new possibilities for breeding oat lines that are both high-yielding and adapted to different climatic conditions,” says Manuel Spannagl from Helmholtz Munich, a co-author of the study.
“Although oats make up a smaller share of the market than wheat, rice, or corn, it’s important not to overlook them in discussions of climate-resilient grains,” Kamal adds. “A broad range of foods benefits our health—and it also helps buffer against potential crop failures in other species.”
Prof. Dr. Nadia Kamal
Technical University of Munich
Professorship of Computational Plant Biology
Tel. +49 (8161) 71 – 5301
n.kamal@tum.de
https://www.mls.ls.tum.de/en/cpb/home/
Avni, R., Kamal, N., Bitz, L. et al.: A pangenome and pantranscriptome of hexaploid oat. Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09676-7, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09676-7
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