FAQ

What are the main features of the Musa genome?

The Musa genome has a relatively small haploid genome of 500 to 600 Mb (only 25% larger than rice) divided among 11 chromosomes. Being a monocotyledon but taxonomically very distantly related to rice, Musa is an excellent candidate for studying synteny between distantly related species.
The diverse arrays of polyploid and diploid genomes in Musa create opportunities not only to study the relationship of polyploid formation to phenotype, but also the causes and consequences of polyploidy for genome organization. Musa was the first species where a pararetrovirus was shown to be integrated in the plant genome with the capacity to give rise to episomal banana streak badnavirus.

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