Haplotype-resolved genome of heterozygous African cassava cultivar TMEB117 (Manihot esculenta)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a vital tropical root crop providing essential dietary energy toover 800 million people in tropical and subtropical regions. As a climate-resilient crop, its significancegrows as the human population expands. However, yield improvement faces challenges from bioticand abiotic stress and limited breeding. Advanced sequencing and assembly techniques enabled thegeneration of a highly accurate, nearly complete, haplotype-resolved genome of the African cassavacultivar TMEB117. It is the most accurate cassava genome sequence to date with a base-level accuracyof QV > 64, N50 > 35 Mbp, and 98.9% BUSCO completeness. Over 60% of the genome comprisesrepetitive elements. We predicted over 45,000 gene models for both haplotypes. This achievementoffers valuable insights into the heterozygosity genome organization of the cassava genome, withimproved accuracy, completeness, and phased genomes. Due to its high susceptibility to AfricanCassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV) infections compared to other cassava varieties, TMEB117 provides anideal reference for studying virus resistance mechanisms, including epigenetic variations and smallRNAexpressions.