Methods for mapping and categorization of DNA sequence reads from allopolyploid organisms

Genome read categorization determines the genome of origin for sequence reads from an allopolyploid organism. Different techniques have been used to perform read categorization, mostly based on homoeo-SNPs identified between extant diploid relatives of allopolyploids. We present a novel technique for read categorization implemented by the software PolyDog. We demonstrate its accuracy and improved categorization relative to other methods. We discuss the situations in which one method or another might be most appropriate.