Editorially curated · qa-date-palm-genome-program
Qatar Date Palm Genome and Research Program
Qatar's foundational date-palm genomics effort produced a draft reference assembly, genome-wide gene and multivariety polymorphism sets, sex-linked regions and subsequent genetic maps and population resources to support cultivar identification, breeding and resilient agriculture.
01 / Project overview
What the record establishes.
- Geographic scope
- Qatar, with comparative material and research partners from the wider date-palm-growing world
- Project type
- crop reference-genome and applied genomics program
- Research domain
- agricultural genomics, crop improvement and food security
- Years
- 2008–2017
- Lifecycle status
- funded program completed; reference resources remain public and downstream outputs continued
- Status basis
- WCM-Q began genome mapping in 2008, launched a five-year, USD 4.5 million applied research program in October 2012, and published later program outputs through at least 2018-2019.
- Status evidence date
- 2019-06-17
- Scale
- First draft mapping began in 2008; the 2011 release provided a Khalas female reference plus multivariety sequence comparisons, and the 2012 applied program received USD 4.5 million for five years. Later work genotyped 179 commercial fruits and produced further cultivar and organellar-genome resources.
02 / Organizations and population
Who and what the project connects.
- Lead organizations
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar · Qatar Ministry of Environment Biotechnology Center
- Partner organizations
- Qatar Ministry of Environment Department of Agriculture · Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement · Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen · Qatar National Research Fund · USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates
- Organism / population
- date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), including Khalas and other cultivars
03 / Data and access
What exists and how it can be reached.
Data types
- whole-genome shotgun sequencing
- reference assembly
- genome annotation
- SNP discovery
- genetic mapping
- genotyping-by-sequencing
- organellar genome sequencing
Data access
Core assembly, raw reads, fosmid sequences and variant resources are public through GenBank/SRA and publication supplements; the original WCM-Q download page may be archival.
Identifiers
- Other
ACYX00000000 - Other
ACYX02000000 - SRA Study
SRA029799 - Sequence study
SRP005625 - Other
JF313259 - Other
JF313260 - Other
JF313261 - Other
GU183367 - Other
GU183365 - Other
GU183366
04 / Evidence and provenance
Why the record is included.
Inclusion basis
Long-running named national crop-genomics program with a reusable public reference, sequence accessions and multiple multi-sample outputs.
Editorial note
The five-year applied program launched in 2012 is treated as continuity of the genome work begun in 2008. End year reflects the announced grant term; papers after 2017 are downstream outputs rather than proof that the funded program remained operational.
Sources
- primary record source Verified 2026-08-15
- additional record source Verified 2026-08-15
- additional record source Verified 2026-08-15
- additional record source Verified 2026-08-15
- additional record source Verified 2026-08-15
- additional record source Verified 2026-08-15
- additional record source Verified 2026-08-15
Release v0.2.0