Scientific Name	Medicago truncatula
Common Name	-
Taxonomy ID	3880
Lineage	cellular organisms > Viridiplantae > Streptophyta > Streptophytina > Embryophyta > Tracheophyta > Euphyllophyta > Spermatophyta > Magnoliophyta > Mesangiospermae > eudicotyledons > Gunneridae > Pentapetalae > rosids > fabids > Fabales > Fabaceae > Papilionoideae > Trifolieae > Medicago
External Links	NCBI; EBI; JGI; PLAZA; Specialized Database
Representative Assembly	MedtrA17_4.0	GCF_000219495.3	DNA GFF RNA Protein

Description:

Medicago truncatula, the barrelclover, strong-spined medick, barrel medic or barrel medick, is a small annual legume native to the Mediterranean region that is used in genomic research. This species is studied as a model organism for legume biology because it has a small diploid genome (~500 Mbp), is self-fertile, has a rapid generation time and prolific seed production, is amenable to genetic transformation and its genome has been sequenced. As a legume, M. truncatula establishes symbiotic relationships with nitrogen fixing Rhizobia. Roots of M. truncatula are also colonized by beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. 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. Among legumes it is considered an outstanding model for genome research as it has a diploid genome, simple genetics, and short generation time. There is high conservation between the genome of M. truncatula and the genomes of alfalfa and pea. There is moderate conservation between the genome of M. truncatula and the genome of soybean. This leads to the idea that M. truncatula can be a nodal species for comparative and functional genomics of legumes. The genome sequence of M. truncatula was deposited in NCBI in mid 2011 as chromosome pseudomolecules.