Avocado Domestication Genomics

Mar 1, 2023 · 1 min read
project

Overview

We investigated the domestication history of avocado (Persea americana) and identified potential genetic contributors to heterodichogamy - the fascinating synchronized daily alternation between male and female flower phases unique to avocado.

Funding: Collaborator USDA NIFA grant + UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (salary and sequencing costs) Role: First author (G3 2023), Co-author (bioRxiv 2025)

Publications:

  • G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics (2023) - “Insights into the domestication of avocado and potential genetic contributors to heterodichogamy” (First author)
  • bioRxiv (2025) - “Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies an ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado” (Co-author)

Key Contributions

  • Domestication analysis revealing avocado’s complex evolutionary history
  • Heterodichogamy genetics - first identification of genetic contributors to this unique flowering behavior
  • Genomic resources for avocado breeding and improvement

Impact

Provides essential genomic resources for:

  • Breeding programs targeting improved varieties
  • Understanding avocado’s unique reproductive biology
  • Developing climate-resilient cultivars

Press Coverage

Featured in San Diego Supercomputer Center press releases.

Genomics Evolution Crops Bioinformatics Domestication
Edwin Solares
Authors
Edwin Solares (he/him)
Executive Director, ESB AI Lab Corporation
Executive Director of ESB AI Lab Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing research in AI, machine learning, computer vision, and genomics. Previously a Lecturer at UC San Diego. My research harnesses AI and bioinformatics for food security and species conservation. Published in Nature Plants, PNAS, Genome Research, and G3 (h-index: 7).