2023 article
Advances in genomic characterization of<i>Urochloa humidicola</i>: exploring polyploid inheritance and apomixis
C. L. Moraes Aline, Mollinari, M., Ulbricht, R., Aono, A., Castro Lara, L. A., Pessoa-Filho, M., … Vigna, B. (2023, September 3). (Vol. 9). Vol. 9.
open access via doi.org (repository)
Source: ORCID
Added: January 28, 2024
AbstractTropical forage grasses are an important food source for animal feeding, withUrochloa humidicola, also known as Koronivia grass, being one of the main pasture grasses for poorly drained soils in the tropics. However, genetic and genomic resources for this species are lacking due to its genomic complexity, including high heterozygosity, evidence of segmental allopolyploidy, and reproduction by apomixis. These complexities hinder the application of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding programs. Here, we developed the highest-density linkage map currently available for the hexaploid tropical forage grassU. humidicola. This map was constructed using a biparental F1 population generated from a cross between the female parent H031 (CIAT 26146), the only known sexual genotype for the species, and the apomictic male parent H016 (BRS cv. Tupi). The linkage analysis included 4,873 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers with allele dosage information. It allowed mapping of the apospory locus and phenotype to linkage group 3, in a region syntenic with chromosome 3 ofUrochloa ruziziensisand chromosome 1 ofSetaria italica. We also identified hexaploid haplotypes for all individuals, assessed the meiotic configuration, and estimated the level of preferential pairing in parents during the meiotic process, which revealed the autopolyploid origin of sexual H031 in contrast to H016, which presented allopolyploid behavior in preferential pairing analysis. These results provide new information regarding the genetic organization, mode of reproduction, and allopolyploid origin ofU. humidicola, potential SNPs markers associated to apomixes for MAS and resources for research on polyploids and tropical forage grasses.Key messageWe present the highest-density genetic map for the hexaploidUrochloa humidicola. SNP markers expose genetic organization, reproduction, and species origin, aiding polyploid and tropical forage research.