This book describes the latest advances in Allium genome research. Allium includes plant species known for their huge nuclear genome size, which makes them ideal for somatic chromosome observations in high school experiments.

In order to advance the genome analysis of A. cepa and its functional study, scientists in international research collaborations have developed several types of artificially manipulated genetic stocks and analyzed them using modern technologies.

The Allium vegetable crop includes garlic, shallot, wakegi onion, Japanese bunching onion, and rakkyo. Bulb onion is one of the world's most important Allium commercial crops, with an estimated annual production of 85.8 million tons in 2013, and ranking third after tomato and watermelon in terms of global vegetable crops.

Economic/Academic importance

Botanical descriptions
Classical genetics on gene mapping
Cytological details of genome
Molecular mapping of genes & QTLs
Structural & functional genomic resources developed
Requirement of whole-genome sequencing and the potential usefulness of the information
Background history of the national and international genome initiatives, public and private partners involved
Strategies & tools for sequencing
Enumeration of sequences
Cytoplasmic genome
Repetitive sequences
Gene annotation
Metabolomics
Synteny with allied & model genomes
Comparison of gene families
Allium genetic resources
Impact on plant breeding.