Sunflower genetics and genomics: from fundamental evolutionary insights to crop improvement

The sunflower genus, Helianthus, not only includes two crops (cultivated sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke) but also comprises approximately 50 diverse wild species that have served both as a model for foundational studies of adaptation and speciation and as a source of alleles for crop improvement. Extensive genomic resources, including genome assemblies, association populations, and a comprehensive expression atlas, have facilitated both evolutionary and agronomic studies. Despite these advances, sunflower remains recalcitrant to genetic transformation, which impedes functional analyses. The development of tools for functional genetics and genomics, including a graph-based pangenome, improved transformation methods, and doubled haploid technology, is needed to accelerate sunflower improvement and enhance its utility as an evolutionary model.