Abstract
GourdBase is an integrative data platform for the bottle gourd to examine its multifarious intuitive morphology and annotated genome. GourdBase consists of six main modules that store and interlink multi-omic data: the genome (with transcriptomic data integrated) module, the phenome module, the markers/QTLs module, the maps (genetic, physical and comparative) module, the cultivars module, and the publications module. These modules provide access to various type of data including the annotated reference genome sequence, gene models, transcriptomic data from various tissues, physical and comparative genome maps, molecular markers in different types, phenotypic data for featuring traits including fruit shape and umami taste, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that underlie these traits. GourdBase is intuitive, user-friendly and interlinked and is designed to allow researchers, breeders and trained farmers to browse, search and fetch information on interests and assist in genomics-driven studies and breeding. The knowledge base and web interface can be accessed at http://www.gourdbase.cn/ .