Twenty Years of Plant Genome Sequencing: Achievements and Challenges

Publication of the complete genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant reference genome, in December 2000 heralded the beginning of the plant genome era. Over the past 20 years reference genomes have been generated for hundreds of plant species, spanning non-vascular to flowering plants. Releasing these plant genomes has dramatically advanced studies in all disciplines of plant biology. Importantly, multiple reference-level genomes have been generated for the major crops and their progenitors, enabling the creation of pan-genomes and exploration of domestication history and natural variations that can be adopted by modern crop breeding. We summarize the progress of plant genome sequencing and the challenges of sequencing more complex plant genomes and generating pan-genomes.