Genetic analysis of 430 Chinese Cynodon dactylon accessions using sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers.

Although Cynodon dactylon (C. dactylon) is widely distributed in China, information on its genetic diversity within the germplasm pool is limited. The objective of this study was to reveal the genetic variation and relationships of 430 C. dactylon accessions collected from 22 Chinese provinces using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Fifteen primer pairs were used to amplify specific C. dactylon genomic sequences. A total of 481 SRAP fragments were generated, with fragment sizes ranging from 260-1800 base pairs (bp). Genetic similarity coefficients (GSC) among the 430 accessions averaged 0.72 and ranged from 0.53-0.96. Cluster analysis conducted by two methods, namely the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and principle coordinate analysis (PCoA), separated the accessions into eight distinct groups. Our findings verify that Chinese C. dactylon germplasms have rich genetic diversity, which is an excellent basis for C. dactylon breeding for new cultivars.

Integrated multi-omics reveals the molecular mechanisms underlying efficient phosphorus use under phosphate deficiency in elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum).

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient element for plant growth, and deficiency of inorganic phosphate (Pi) limits plant growth and yield. Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is an important fodder crop cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. However, the mechanisms underlying efficient P use in elephant grass under Pi deficiency remain poorly understood. In this study, the physiological and molecular responses of elephant grass leaves and roots to Pi deficiency were investigated. The results showed that dry weight, total P concentration, and P content decreased in Pi-deprived plants, but that acid phosphatase activity and P utilization efficiency (PUE) were higher than in Pi-sufficient plants. Regarding Pi starvation-responsive (PSR) genes, transcriptomics showed that 59 unigenes involved in Pi acquisition and transport (especially 18 purple acid phosphatase and 27 phosphate transporter 1 unigenes) and 51 phospholipase unigenes involved in phospholipids degradation or Pi-free lipids biosynthesis, as well as 47 core unigenes involved in the synthesis of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids, were significantly up-regulated by Pi deprivation in leaves or roots. Furthermore, 43 unigenes related to Pi-independent- or inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi)-dependent bypass reactions were markedly up-regulated in Pi-deficient leaves, especially five UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and 15 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase unigenes. Consistent with PSR unigene expression changes, metabolomics revealed that Pi deficiency significantly increased metabolites of Pi-free lipids, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids in leaves and roots, but decreased phospholipid metabolites. This study reveals the mechanisms underlying the responses to Pi starvation in elephant grass leaves and roots, which provides candidate unigenes involved in efficient P use and theoretical references for the development of P-efficient elephant grass varieties.

Polymorphism analysis in identification of genetic variation and relationships among Stylosanthes species.

A total of 148 accessions representing six important species of the genus Stylosanthes, including S. guianensis, S. hamata, S. scabra, S. seabrana, S. macrocephala, and S. capitata, were used to evaluate genetic variation and relationships using sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers. The results showed that the 18 selected primer pairs generated 138 distinct fragments. The fragment sizes ranged from 150 to 2000 bp. Genetic similarity coefficients among the 148 accessions ranged from 0.51 to 0.99, with an average of 0.79. The effective allele number (ne) generated by the 18 primer pairs averaged 1.3552 and ranged from 1.2069 to 1.6080; Nei's gene diversity (He) ranged from 0.1304 to 0.3207, with an average of 0.2070; and Shannon's information index (I) averaged 0.3213 and ranged from 0.2233 to 0.4582. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages at the 0.69 similarity level separated the 148 accessions into two distinct groups. One group belonged to S. guianensis, and the other group belonged to the non-S. guianensis type. This study verified that Stylosanthes have rich genetic variation, which is an excellent basis for Stylosanthes breeding for new cultivars. This study demonstrates that the SRAP technique is a reliable tool for differentiating Stylosanthes accessions and for discerning genetic relationship among them.