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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420118
Research Project: Genetic Improvement and Management of Warm-Season Forage, Feedstocks, Syrup, and Turf Grasses

Location: Crop Genetics and Breeding Research

Title: Identification of candidate genes for stigma color using a genome-wide association study in centipedegrass

Author
item Harris-Shultz, Karen
item WALLACE, JASON - University Of Georgia
item Sapkota, Suraj
item SCHWARTZ, BRIAN - University Of Georgia
item Read, Quentin
item Peterson, Jaymi
item SANTANA, ADINA - Kansas State University
item Smolensky, Dmitriy
item Coffin, Alisa

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2025
Publication Date: 11/29/2025
Citation: Harris-Shultz, K.R., Wallace, J., Sapkota, S., Schwartz, B., Read, Q.D., Peterson, J.M., Santana, A.L., Smolensky, D., Coffin, A.W. 2025. Identification of candidate genes for stigma color using a genome-wide association study in centipedegrass. Crop Science. 65, e70185. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70185.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70185

Interpretive Summary: Centipedegrass is a low maintenance, warm-season turfgrass commonly grown in the southeastern U.S. The pollen from this grass attracts bees, especially bumblebees and honeybees as well as hoverflies. Stigma color has a role in insect pollination as well as seed set yet limited information is known about the genetic regions that control centipedegrass traits. In this study we used genetic markers and stigma color data to identify a region on a centipede chromosome that controls stigma color. Sequencing accessions with purple or white stigmas revealed that accessions with white stigmas had a large insertion in a gene involved in anthocyanin accumulation. The presence of the insertion had no significant impact on the probability of observing bumblebees foraging or the amount of flowering. Rather, bumblebees foraged on plots that had high amount of flowering. This study was one of the first to identify genes that control centipedegrass traits and characterizes the genetics of stigma color. This study sets the ground work for further genetic research for additional centipede traits.

Technical Abstract: Centipedegrass, Eremochloa ophiuroides [Munro] Hack., is a low-maintenance, warm-season turfgrass commonly grown in the southeastern United States. Limited information is known about the genomic regions that control centipedegrass traits, including stigma color. Stigma color can impact seed set and can have a role in insect pollination in other plant species. In this study, we used a genome-wide association study to detect a genomic region on the Hi-C genome assembler (HIC-ASM)-8 found to control stigma color. Examination of the most associated single-nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers revealed that plants with a homozygous C/C allele had mainly purple stigmas but could be white or a mixture of colors, whereas accessions that were T/T for these loci had only white stigmas. Two candidate genes, ctg780.162 and ctg780.158, with homologs involved in anthocyanin accumulation, were identified near the most significant SNPs. The entire ctg780.158 gene was sequenced from multiple accessions, and the white stigma accessions contained a large insertion before the start codon. Similarly, white accessions (TT) had three SNPs in the ctg780.162 coding region as compared to purple accessions (CC). This study identified candidate genes for stigma color and characterized the utilization of the ctg780.158 insertion.