Teshome Abel, Lire Hailu, Higgins Janet, Olango Temesgen Magule, Habte Ermias Haile, Negawo Alemayehu Teressa, Muktar Meki Shehabu, Assefa Yilikal, Pereira Jorge Fernando, Azevedo Ana Luisa Sousa, Machado Juarez Campolina, Nyamongo Desterio, Zhang Jiyu, Qi Yan, Anderson William, De Vega Jose, Jones Christopher Stephen
Feed and Forage Development, International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Wondogenet Agricultural Research Centre, P.O. Box 2003, Wondogenet, Ethiopia.
G3 (Bethesda). 2025 Jul 9;15(7). doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaf113.
Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus) is a C4 perennial grass species native to Sub-Saharan Africa and widely used as livestock feed in the region. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of 450 Napier grass individuals from 18 countries, identifying over 170 million DNA variants (SNPs and Indels). Approximately 1% of these SNPs were informative and used to assess genetic diversity within the collection. Our resequencing study provided valuable insights into the global genetic diversity of Napier grass. Additionally, a genome-wide association study on 2 independent populations identified multiple quantitative trait loci significantly associated with key agronomic traits, including biomass yield, nitrogen and cellulose content. These findings serve as a crucial resource for preserving and understanding Napier grass genetic diversity in the context of climate change. Moreover, they will support genomics-based breeding programs aimed at developing high-yielding and drought-tolerant varieties for forage and biofuel production.
象草（Cenchrus purpureus）是一种原产于撒哈拉以南非洲的C4多年生草本植物，在该地区广泛用作牲畜饲料。在本研究中，我们对来自18个国家的450株象草个体进行了基因组测序，鉴定出超过1.7亿个DNA变异（单核苷酸多态性和插入缺失）。这些单核苷酸多态性中约1%具有信息性，用于评估样本中的遗传多样性。我们的重测序研究为象草的全球遗传多样性提供了有价值的见解。此外，对2个独立群体进行的全基因组关联研究确定了多个与关键农艺性状显著相关的数量性状位点，包括生物量产量、氮和纤维素含量。这些发现是在气候变化背景下保护和理解象草遗传多样性的关键资源。此外，它们将支持旨在培育高产和耐旱的饲料及生物燃料生产品种的基于基因组学的育种计划。
