Toward a first high-quality genome draft for marker-assisted breeding in leaf chicory, Radicchio (Cichorium intybus L.)

Radicchio (Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus var. foliosum L.) is one of the most important leaf chicories, used mainly as a component for fresh salads. Recently, we sequenced and annotated the first draft of the leaf chicory genome, as we believe it will have an extraordinary impact from both scientific and economic points of view. Indeed, the availability of the first genome sequence for this plant species will provide a powerful tool to be exploited in the identification of markers associated with or genes responsible for relevant agronomic traits, influencing crop productivity and product quality. The plant material used for the sequencing of the leaf chicory genome belongs to the Radicchio of the Chioggia type. Genomic DNA was used for library preparation with the TruSeq DNA Sample Preparation chemistry (Illumina). Sequencing reactions were performed with the Illumina platforms HiSeq and MySeq, and sequence reads were then assembled and annotated. We are confident that our efforts will extend the current knowledge of the genome organization and gene composition of leaf chicory, which is crucial for developing new tools and diagnostic markers useful for our breeding strategies in Radicchio.