Somatic mutation detection in plants: a critical evaluation through simulations and reanalyses

Mutation, the source of genetic diversity, is the raw material of evolution; however, it remains an understudied process in plants. Using simulations, we demonstrate that generic variant callers, commonly used to detect mutations in plants, are outperformed by methods developed for cancer research. Reanalysis of published data identified up to 7x more somatic mutations than initially reported, advocating the use of cancer research callers to boost mutation research in plants.