Analyses were performed based on high-quality assembled genomes, population resequencing, time-series transcriptomics and gene functional validation.
Key Findings
The core functional gene SMPED1 governing synchronized male and female floral development timing was mapped.
A single Mendelian locus of this gene was proven to determine the outcrossing mating system of ginger species.
Broad conservation of this gene across angiosperms was verified, providing core empirical evidence for the evolution of plant mating systems.
The corresponding article Ginger genome reveals the SMPED1 gene causing sex-phase synchrony and outcrossing in a flowering plant was published in Nature Plants (IF: 15.0)