The subject of this study is Aegilops aucheri Boiss. 1844: a member of the section Sitopsis, subsection Truncata. This species is infrequently included in phylogenetic studies and is commonly regarded as a heterotypic synonym of Aegilops speltoides Tausch. The aim of this study was to detect genetic differences between Ae. aucheri and Ae. speltoides using the phylogenetic signal retrieved from chloroplast genomes. Plastomes of five Ae. aucheri accessions from different geographical locations were sequenced, annotated, and subjected to a phylogenetic analysis. Plastome sizes were found to range between 135,666 and 135,668 bp in Ae. aucheri. Comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome sequences from five Ae. aucheri accessions revealed single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (indels) relative to the Ae. speltoides plastome. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic divergence within the Truncata subsection, sequencing the nuclear genome of Ae. aucheri and comparing it to that of Ae. speltoides is essential.
Keywords: Aegilops speltoides; Sitopsis; Truncata; chloroplast genome; phylogeny.