Medicago truncatula

Medicago truncatula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Medicago
Species:
M. truncatula
Binomial name
Medicago truncatula
Synonyms

Medicago tribuloides Desr.
Medicago tribuloides var. breviaculeata Moris
Medicago truncatula var. breviaculeata (Moris) Urb.
Medicago truncatula var. longiaculeata Urb.
Medicago truncatula var. tribuloides (Desr.) Burnat
Medicago truncatula f. tricycla Nègre
Medicago truncatula var. tricycla (Nègre) Heyn

Medicago truncatula, the barrelclover,[2] strong-spined medick,[3] barrel medic, or barrel medick, is a small annual legume native to the Mediterranean region that is used in genomic research. It is a low-growing, clover-like plant 10–60 centimetres (3.9–23.6 in) tall with trifoliate leaves. Each leaflet is rounded, 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) long, often with a dark spot in the center. The flowers are yellow, produced singly or in a small inflorescence of two to five together; the fruit is a small, spiny pod.

This species is studied as a model organism for legume biology because it has a small diploid genome, is self-fertile, has a rapid generation time and prolific seed production, is amenable to genetic transformation, and its genome has been sequenced.[4]

It forms symbioses with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia (Sinorhizobium meliloti and Sinorhizobium medicae) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi including Rhizophagus irregularis (previously known as Glomus intraradices). The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana does not form either symbiosis, making M. truncatula an important tool for studying these processes.

It is also an important forage crop species in Australia.

  1. ^ Rhodes, L. (2016). "Medicago truncatula". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. IUCN: e.T176489A19401776. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T176489A19401776.en.
  2. ^ NRCS. "Medicago truncatula". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ^ Young, Nevin D.; Debellé, Frédéric; Oldroyd, Giles E. D.; Geurts, Rene; Cannon, Steven B.; Udvardi, Michael K.; Benedito, Vagner A.; Mayer, Klaus F. X.; Gouzy, Jérôme; Schoof, Heiko; Van de Peer, Yves; Proost, Sebastian; Cook, Douglas R.; Meyers, Blake C.; Spannagl, Manuel; Cheung, Foo; De Mita, Stéphane; Krishnakumar, Vivek; Gundlach, Heidrun; Zhou, Shiguo; Mudge, Joann; Bharti, Arvind K.; Murray, Jeremy D.; Naoumkina, Marina A.; Rosen, Benjamin; Silverstein, Kevin A. T.; Tang, Haibao; Rombauts, Stephane; Zhao, Patrick X.; et al. (16 November 2011). "The Medicago genome provides insight into the evolution of rhizobial symbioses". Nature. 480 (7378): 520–524. Bibcode:2011Natur.480..520Y. doi:10.1038/nature10625. PMC 3272368. PMID 22089132.