Prunus dulcis

Data

Tools

Overview

Genus Prunus
Species dulcis
Common Name Almond, sweet almond
Abbreviation P. dulcis
Ploidy Diploid
Chromosome Number 2n = 2x = 16
Genome Size 240 Mb
Genome Assemblies 3
Cross Reference NCBI taxon: 3755

Organism Image

Description

The almond (Prunus amygdalus, syn. Prunus dulcis) is a species of small tree from the genus Prunus, cultivated worldwide for its seed, a culinary nut. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.

The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. Blanched almonds are shelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the seedcoat, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo. Once almonds are cleaned and processed, they can be stored over time. Almonds are used in many cuisines, often featuring prominently in desserts, such as marzipan.

The almond tree prospers in a moderate Mediterranean climate with cool winter weather. Native to Iran and surrounding countries including the Levant, today it is rarely found wild in its original setting. Almonds were one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees, due to the ability to produce quality offspring entirely from seed, without using suckers and cuttings. Evidence of domesticated almonds in the Early Bronze Age has been found in the archeological sites of the Middle East, and subsequently across the Mediterranean region and similar arid climates with cool winters.

California produces over half of the world's almond supply. Due to high acreage and water demand for almond cultivation, and need for pesticides, California almond production may be unsustainable, especially during the persistent drought and heat from climate change in the 21st century. Droughts in California have caused some producers to leave the industry, leading to lower supply and increased prices.

Whole Genomes

Whole Genome Sequences & Annotations for Prunus dulcis

S genes

Prunus S genes Nucleotide

Prunus S genes Protein

Downloads

The Prunus S gene sequences are available in FASTA format.

CDS and Protein (FASTA file) S-gene_Prunus

Publications

Sánchez-Pérez R, Pavan S, Mazzeo R, Moldovan C, Aiese Cigliano R, Del Cueto J, Ricciardi F, Lotti C, Ricciardi L, Dicenta F, López-Marqués RL, Møller BL. Mutation of a bHLH transcription factor allowed almond domestication. Science. 2019 Jun 14;364(6445):1095-1098. doi: 10.1126/science.aav8197.

Alioto T, Alexiou KG, Bardil A, Barteri F, Castanera R, Cruz F, Dhingra A, Duval H, Fernández I Martí Á, Frias L, Galán B, García JL, Howad W, Gómez-Garrido J, Gut M, Julca I, Morata J, Puigdomènech P, Ribeca P, Rubio Cabetas MJ, Vlasova A, Wirthensohn M, Garcia-Mas J, Gabaldón T, Casacuberta JM, Arús P. Transposons played a major role in the diversification between the closely related almond and peach genomes: results from the almond genome sequence. Plant J. 2020 Jan;101(2):455-472. doi: 10.1111/tpj.14538.

D'Amico-Willman KM, Ouma WZ, Meulia T, Sideli GM, Gradziel TM, Fresnedo-Ramírez J. Whole-genome sequence and methylome profiling of the almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb] cultivar 'Nonpareil'. G3 (Bethesda). 2022 May 6;12(5):jkac065. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac065.

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