California Scientists Unlock Genetic Map To Boost Pistachio Yields

As climate change threatens California’s lucrative pistachio industry, scientists at the University of California, Davis, have created a high-resolution genetic map of the nut that could help secure its future.

The UC Davis team successfully sequenced the genome of the Kerman cultivar—the most widely grown pistachio variety in the U.S.

The breakthrough, published in New Phytologist, could support the breeding of more resilient and nutritious pistachios while guiding more sustainable farming practices, Noah Jampol reported for The Cool Down.

California produces 99% of America’s pistachios, an industry worth about $3 billion annually.

But pistachios are highly sensitive to climate: they need cold winters and foggy springs to flower properly. Rising temperatures have begun to erode yields, and since pistachio trees take up to 50 years to mature, long-term planning is crucial.

The UC Davis team successfully sequenced the genome of the Kerman cultivar—the most widely grown pistachio variety in the U.S.

“The improvement in accuracy of the new reference genome is like going from a hand-drawn map of a landscape to a satellite image from Google Earth,” said co-author J. Grey Monroe.

The researchers also identified four key stages in the nut’s seven-month growth cycle. “Knowing how the nut changes through development will help farmers make better decisions, like when to water their trees,” said co-author Bárbara Blanco-Ulate.