ANALYSIS OF LONG-READ GENOME DATA AND POPULATION GENOMICS OF THE SUMMER TRUFFLE (TUBER AESTIVUM)

Truffles are relevant ectomycorrhizal fungi, both for their ecological role and for their economic value. They establish symbiotic association with different host plants, through which they contribute to soil functioning, nutrient cycling, and forest ecosystem stability. In addition, truffle production represents an important resource for local economies, particularly in marginal rural areas. In the Apennines, increasing interest has been directed toward the cultivation of the summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) as a strategy to recover abandoned woodlands and enhance the sustainable use of forest landscapes. Within a broader project aimed at investigating the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of T. aestivum, a long-read genome assembly was obtained (total size of scaffolds 144300040, number of scaffolds 24, GC content 48.5%, longest scaffold 13866245, and percentage of scaffolds > 1M nt 91.7%) with the aim of contributing to a better genomic understanding of this species. The availability of a high-quality genome assembly provides a valuable resource for studying genomic structure and variability in this species. Therefore, core genes, repetitive elements, genome organization, and other relevant genomic features were analysed with the aim of presenting an integrated genomic characterization relevant to population structure, adaptation, and diversification.