The Bread Wheat Reference Genome Sequence

In 2018, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium published a reference genome sequence for bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The landmark achievement was the culmination of a thirteen-year international effort focused on the production of a genome sequence linked to genotypic and phenotypic maps to advance understanding of traits and accelerate improvements in wheat breeding. In this chapter, we describe the challenges of the project, the strategies employed, how the project adapted over time to incorporate technological improvements in genome sequencing and the project outcomes.