Lotus

Abstract

The genus Lotus contains many dozens of species distributed worldwide, including cultivated forage, such as L. corniculatus, L. glaber, L. subbiflorus, and L. uliginosus. Among these, L. japonicus has been widely used as a model system to investigate the genetic background of legume-specific phenomena such as symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Substantial resources of information and experimental materials including genomic and cDNA sequences, corresponding DNA libraries, and high-density linkage maps demonstrate L. japonicus as an excellent model system. Resource centers for Lotus species have been established with the aim to support the development of legume researches by providing access to their research material. Based on these material and information resources, transfer of knowledge from L. japonicus to forage Lotus species using both traditional and advanced approaches is currently ongoing.