Sequencing and Assembling the Nuclear and Organelle Genomes of North American Spruces

Reference genomes provide valuable information to study the molecular biology and the genomic architecture of species, and constitute a baseline for applied sciences such as molecular breeding and gene editing. The sequencing of conifer genomes still lags behind other plant and animal species, with only a few available conifers having full sequence genomes to date. This chapter aims to describe details on the sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of the nuclear and organelle genome assemblies of the economically important white spruce (Picea glauca), and closely related Picea species P. sitchensis and P. engelmannii. The chapter finishes by providing some perspectives for future genome assemblies of North American species.