Ancient genomes reveal early Andean farmers selected common beans while preserving diversity.

摘要: All crops are the product of a domestication process that started less than 12,000 years ago from one or more wild populations1,2. Farmers selected desirable phenotypic traits (such as improved energy accumulation, palatability seeds and reduced natural shattering3) while leading domesticated populations through several gradual demographic contractions2,4. As consequence, erosion genetic variation5 is typical modern cultivars, making them highly susceptible to pathogens, pests environmental change6,7. The loss diversity hampers further crop improvement programmes increase food production in changing world, posing serious threats security8,9. Using both ancient seeds, we analysed temporal dynamics variation selection during common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) southern Andes. Here, show most domestic were for before 2,500 ago, with no only minor whole-genome heterozygosity. In fact, changes at coding genes linked regions differentiate genomes already present here, all dated between 600 variable (at least wild). Single cultivars when compared indicating intensive within past few centuries probably partitioned ancestral different genetically homogenous cultivars. When Andean pooled, genomic pool higher observed north central western Argentina. Considering controlled by multiple polymorphic genes10, plausible explanation this decoupling early farmers applied relatively weak pressure2 using many phenotypically similar but diverse individuals parents. Our results imply strategies centuries, earlier times, intensively produced improvements focusing on plants carrying interest, cost marked landraces.