Chromosome level genome assembly of oriental armyworm Mythimna separata
Chao Xu, Jichao Ji, Xiangzhen Zhu, Ningbo Huangfu, Hui Xue, Li Wang, Kaixin Zhang, Dongyang Li, Lin Niu, Ran Chen, Xueke Gao, Junyu Luo, Jinjie Cui
Abstract
The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata, is an extremely destructive polyphagous pest with a broad host range that seriously threatens the safety of agricultural production. Here, a high-quality chromosome-level genome was assembled using Illumina, PacBio HiFi long sequencing, and Hi-C scaffolding technologies. The genome size was 706.30 Mb with a contig N50 of 22.08 Mb, and 99.2% of the assembled sequences were anchored to 31 chromosomes. In addition, 20,375 protein-coding genes and 258.68 Mb transposable elements were identified. The chromosome-level genome assembly of M. separata provides a significant genetic resource for future studies of this insect and contributes to the development of management strategies.