Complex polyploid and hybrid species in an apomictic and sexual tropical forage grass group: genomic composition and evolution in Urochloa (Brachiaria) species.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Diploid and polyploid Urochloa (including Brachiaria, Panicum and Megathyrsus species) C4 tropical forage grasses originating from Africa are important for food security and the environment, often being planted in marginal lands worldwide. We aimed to characterize the nature of their genomes, the repetitive DNA and the genome composition of polyploids, leading to a model of the evolutionary pathways within the group including many apomictic species.

Methods

Some 362 forage grass accessions from international germplasm collections were studied, and ploidy was determined using an optimized flow cytometry method. Whole-genome survey sequencing and molecular cytogenetic analysis were used to identify chromosomes and genomes in Urochloa accessions belonging to

SUBMITTER: Tomaszewska P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9904353 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature