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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #222743
Title: Genetic variability of a forage bermudagrass core collection

Author
item Anderson, William - Bill
item Maas, Andrea
item OZIAS-AKINS, PEGGY - UNIV OF GA

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2009
Publication Date: 7/1/2009
Citation: Anderson, W.F., Maas, A.L., Ozias-Akins, P. 2009. Genetic variability of a forage bermudagrass core collection. Crop Science 49:1347-1358.

Interpretive Summary: Bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) is an important warm-season forage grass for the South and could also be used as a bio-energy feedstock. Identification of genes that confer reduced recalcitrance to cell wall degradation will be necessary for breeding programs as well as genetic diversity for marker assisted selection (MAS). The objective was to compare the genetic diversity among 168 bermudagrass accessions using dendrograms constructed from the plant phenotype and AFLP analysis. The results of this work demonstrate the combined genetic and phenotypic variability found within the bermudagrass collection is sufficient to will allow crosses that can maximize potential genetic gain for yield and quality traits.

Technical Abstract: Bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) is an important warm-season forage grass for the South and could also be used as a bio-energy feedstock. Cultivars have been developed with high yield and rumen digestibility, but further improvements are needed. Identification of genes that confer reduced recalcitrance to cell wall degradation will be necessary for breeding programs as well as the identification of candidate associative polymorphic bands for marker assisted selection (MAS). The objective was to compare the genetic diversity among the 168 entry bermudagrass core collection using dendrograms constructed from the plant phenotype and AFLP analysis. The 168 Cynodon clonal forage bermudagrass core collection and seven commercial forage cultivars maintained at Tifton, GA were assessed using amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP). The collection was also assed for 22 phenotypic traits including forage quality, plant architecture, growth habits, and ploidy level. Phenotypic variability was preserved in the forage bermudagrass core collection constructed based on 21 phenotypic traits and ploidy levels. Genetic diversity was high among the plant material in this study and well distributed across phenotypic trait clusters and ploidy levels. Overall the combined genetic and phenotypic variability found within the bermudagrass core collection will allow for parental crosses that can maximize potential genetic gain for yield and quality traits.