A Chromosome-scale Reference Assembly of Vigna Radiata Enables Delineation of Centromeres and Telomeres

Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek var. radiata (mungbean) is a pulse crop important for both the global protein security and sustainable crop production. Here, to facilitate genomics-assisted breeding programs in mungbean, we present a high-quality reference genome originating from the crop's centre of origin, India. In this study, we present a significantly continuous genome assembly of V. radiata Indian cultivar, achieved through a combination of long-read PacBio HiFi sequencing and Hi-C sequencing. The total assembled genome size is ~596 Mb equating to ~98% of the predicted genome size complemented by a contig N50 value of 10.35 Mb and a BUSCO score of 98.5%. Around 502 Mb of the assembled genome is anchored on 11 pseudochromosomes conforming to the chromosome count in the crop with distinctly identified telomeres and centromeres. We predicted a total of 43,147 gene models of which 39,144 protein coding genes were functionally annotated. The present assembly was able to resolve several gaps in the genome and provides a high-quality genomic resource for accelerating mungbean breeding programs.