Iran: Unlocking the genetic secrets of drought resilience in Persian walnuts

The walnut (Juglans regia L.), which was domesticated in ancient Persia, is a globally cultivated nut crop. With global water scarcity, walnut production is facing significant challenges due to abiotic stresses, especially drought. Photosynthesis is a key physiological mechanism involved in adaption to abiotic stresses and regulation of plant development.Research has mainly focused on the physiological effects of drought on walnut, but the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Many new genomic tools have been extensively used for investigating genomic diversity and association mapping in walnut.Persian walnut reference genome and SNP genotyping arrays have facilitated advanced genomic studies, including QTL mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS).Techniques like genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) approaches have the potential to generate large marker datasets. However, many small effect SNP markers are always ...