Welcome to Teak Genes Database!

The Teak Genes Database (TGD) at ICFRE-IFGTB gathers, aggregates, and integrates data generated from ongoing teak genetic and genomic research. TGD offers tools for data mining, sequence searching (BLAST), genome browsing (JBrowse), and data download capabilities. Through the creation and export of customized annotation datasets integrated with research data for use in downstream studies, TGD aims to speed up genomics analysis for researchers lacking scripting abilities. In addition to providing a data foundation for further study, these databases provide a forum for researchers to exchange data and findings from previous studies.

The Teak Genes Database is hosted at the EIACP Programme Centre Resource Partner on Forest Genetic Resources and Tree Improvement hosted by ICFRE - Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Coimbatore Sponsored by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India. It is supported by INDO-DENMARK JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT grant no. IC-12013(12)/2/2021-EEB-DBT from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India under the project entitled, “Genomic selection for superior heartwood formation in two commercial timber species teak (Tectona grandis) and European oak (Quercus robur) – FastWood”.

Published a handbook entitled, “A MANUAL ON FIELD AND LABORATORY DATA COLLECTION OF TEAK BASED ON THE STUDIES CONDUCTED UNDER DBT, GoI Funded INDO-DENMARK JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT: Genomic selection for superior heartwood formation in two commercial timber species: teak (Tectona grandis) and European oak (Quercus robur) – FastWood” – (ISBN NO: 978-93-82387-27-5). Please click here to download. (download link)

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.,): A Valuable Tropical Hardwood

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f., with 2n = 36 chromosomes) is a highly regarded tropical hardwood that produces the world's finest timber. This deciduous tree plays a crucial role in the environment and ecology. Native to India, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, with naturalized populations in Java, teak exhibits significant diversity across its populations. Notably, it relies on outcrossing for reproduction due to self-incompatibility. Teak demonstrates remarkable adaptability, thriving in various environmental conditions. Different populations exhibit variations in several traits, including stem form, reproductive success, leaf shape, branching patterns, the ratio of sapwood to heartwood, wood and fiber characteristics, and resistance to various stresses. Due to its valuable timber, teak plantations are widespread across continents, with over 60 countries involved in its cultivation. Studying the genetic variations within teak populations using molecular tools is a growing area of research.

A draft genome of 317 Mb assembly at 151× coverage has been deposited in the NCBI database under BioProject accession PRJNA374940 (Yasodha et. al., 2018). Funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, the project aimed to develop genomic tools for teak conservation and management.

Followed by this, a highly contiguous, chromosomal-scale genome assembly using high-coverage Pacific Biosciences long reads coupled with high-throughput chromatin conformation capture was generated to facilitate teak research and variety improvement by the research team from Michigan State Univesity, USA (Zhao et. al., 2019). These genomic resources lay foundation for deeper insights on genetic diversity and facilitate advancements for tree improvement of teak.

References

• Yasodha R, Vasudeva R, Balakrishnan S, Sakthi AR, Abel N, Binai N, Rajashekar B, Bachpai VKW, Pillai C, Dev SA Draft genome of a high value tropical timber tree , Teak ( Tectonagrandis L . f ): insights into SSR diversity , phylogeny and conservation. DNA Res 2018;25:409–419. https://doi.org/10.1093/dnares/dsy013.
• Zhao D, Hamilton JP, Bhat WW, Johnson R, Godden GT, Kinser TJ, et al. A chromosomal-scale genome assembly of Tectona grandis reveals the importance of tandem gene duplication and enables discovery of genes in natural product biosynthetic pathways. Gigascience. 2019;8(3):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giz005