Botanical descriptions, Genetic resources and historica/economic importance -- C. cardunculus propagation -- In vitro tissue culture (Virus free plants), callus induction -- C. cardunculus as a multiuse crop -- Synthetic pathways of bioactive compounds -- Genetics and Breeding -- Cytological details of genome -- Genomics -- Chloroplast Genomics -- miRNome -- Genome re-sequencing -- Genome database -- Towards a GWAS approach -- Future prospects.

This book presents the latest information on the genetics and genomics of the globe artichoke. It focuses on the latest findings, tools and strategies employed in genome sequencing, physical map development and QTL analyses, as well as genomic resources. The re-sequencing of four globe artichoke genotypes, representative of the core varietal types in cultivation, as well as the genotype of cultivated cardoon, has recently been completed. Here, the five genomes are reconstructed at the chromosome scale and annotated. Moreover, functional SNP analyses highlight numerous genetic variants, which represent key tools for dissecting the path from sequence variation to phenotype, as well as for designing effective diagnostic markers. The wealth of information provided here offers a valuable asset for scientists, plant breeders and students alike.