The origin of saffron. Part 2: The role of polyploidy for saffron secondary metabolites

番红花（Crocus sativus）是番红花中最重要的经济树种。它长长的柱头被用来生产藏红花，世界上最昂贵的香料。在过去的三年里，我们澄清了藏红花系列作物之间的关系，并确定了C. cartwrightianus，有时被称为“野生藏红花”，是希腊南部藏红花形成和驯化的唯一祖先。藏红花是一种雄性不育的节段异体三倍体，只能无性繁殖，这阻止了所有的育种方法。既然藏红花的祖先和地理起源已经明确，我们想要探索多倍体在作物形成中的作用，并筛选C. cartwrightianus和C. sativus基因型和代谢物的自然多样性。从芳香化学型开始，我们已经在Attica南部发现，我们将(i)探索倍性变化对代谢物含量的影响，（ii）比较不同倍性水平个体之间的转录差异，（iii）我们将继续向C. cartwrightianus基因组草图迈出第一步。（iv）最后分析全球种植的sativus品种的种群结构，了解它们在其栽培区域内对不同气候条件的适应和相互关系。随着第二个项目阶段的工作，我们将为藏红花的预育种（或合成）计划开辟可能性，并更好地了解其宝贵特性的遗传基础。

Crocus sativus is the economically most important species within Crocus. Its long stigmas are used to produce saffron, the worldwide most expensive spice. During the last three years we were able to clarify the relationships of the crop within series Crocus and could identify C. cartwrightianus, sometimes called ‘wild saffron,’ as the only progenitor involved in the formation and domestication of saffron in southern Greece. Saffron is a male-sterile segmental allotriploid that can only be propagated vegetatively, which prevents all breeding approaches. Now that the progenitor and geographic origin of saffron is clear we want to explore the role of polyploidy in the formation of the crop and screen the naturally occurring diversity of genotypes and metabolites of C. cartwrightianus and C. sativus. Starting from aromatic chemotypes, which we already identified in southern Attica, we will (i) explore the influence of ploidy change on the metabolite content and (ii) compare transcriptional differences between individuals at different ploidy levels, (iii) we will proceed with first steps towards a C. cartwrightianus draft genome, and (iv) finally analyze the population structure of the worldwide grown C. sativus cultivars to understand their relationships and adaptation to the different climate conditions they experience in their cultivation areas. With the work of this second project phase we will open up the possibility for a pre-breeding (or synthesis) program for saffron and for a better understanding of the genetic basis of its valuable properties.