A Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of Garlic (Allium sativum) Provides Insights into Genome Evolution and Allicin Biosynthesis

Garlic,an economically important vegetable,spice,and medicinal crop,produces highly enlarged bulbs and unique organosulfur compounds.Here,we report a chromosome-level genome assembly for garlic,with a total size of approximately 16.24 Gb,as well as the annotation of 57561 predicted protein-coding genes,making garlic the first Allium species with a sequenced genome.Analysis of this garlic genome assembly reveals a recent burst of transposable elements,explaining the substantial expansion of the garlic genome.We examined the evolution of certain genes associated with the biosynthesis of allicin and inulin neoseries-type fructans,and provided new insights into the biosynthesis of these two compounds.Furthermore,a large-scale transcriptome was produced to characterize the expression patterns of garlic genes in different tissues and at various growth stages of enlarged bulbs.The reference genome and large-scale transcriptome data generated in this study provide valuable new resources for research on garlic biology and breeding.