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

番红花（Crocus sativus）是番红花属植物中最重要的经济树种。它的长柱头被用来生产香料，世界上最昂贵的香料。在过去的三年中，我们能够澄清该作物在番红花系列中的关系，并能够鉴定C。cartwrighttianus，有时被称为“野生美洲龙”，作为唯一的祖先参与的形成和驯化美洲龙在希腊南部。藏红花是一种雄性不育的节段异源三倍体，只能无性繁殖，这阻止了所有的育种方法。现在已经明确了玉米的祖先和地理起源，我们希望探索多倍体在作物形成中的作用，并筛选天然存在的玉米基因型和代谢产物的多样性。cartwrightianus和C.大蒜从芳香化学型开始，我们已经在南阿提卡确定，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）我们将继续进行第一步，以C。cartwrighttianus基因组草图，并（iv）分析了世界各地生长的C.栽培品种，以了解他们的关系和适应不同的气候条件下，他们在其栽培地区的经验。随着第二阶段项目的开展，我们将开启一个预育种（或合成）项目的可能性，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.