Track 1-04: Germplasm Preservation, Domestication and Use of Native Forage Plants
Description
Elymus nutans Griseb. is not only an important alpine forage grass, but also as a crucial gene pool for improving cereal crops. Understanding and maintaining the genetic diversity of the species are essential for both conservation strategy and breeding programs. However, little is known about its genetic and geographical differentiation patterns. E. nutans is a perennial, caespitose and allohexaploid (2n=6x=42) species that contains the St, H and Y genomes. It is native to temperate and tropical Asia, ranging from western and central Asia in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, from Russia in the north to India and the Himalayas areas in the south (Clayton et al. 2006). It is distributed in the north, northwest and southwest China, particularly in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. E. nutans is a valuable forage grass in the alpine regions that is resistant to cold, drought and pests, which can be used to improve cereal crops. In addition, it can play an important role in the restoration of disturbed grasslands and the establishment of artificial grasslands, especially at altitudes from 3,000 to 4,500 m (Chen and Jia 2000). During recent decades, its distribution has contracted because of over-exploitation, habitat destruction and fragmentation. Therefore, it is urgent to understand and monitor the genetic and geographical differentiation of wild germplams of E. nutans.
Citation
Chen, Shiyong; Zhang, Xinquan; Ma, Xiao; and Miao, Jiamin, "Genetic Variation and Geographical Differentiation of Elymus nutans (Poaceae: Triticeae) from West China" (2019). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 9.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/22/1-4/9
Included in
Genetic Variation and Geographical Differentiation of Elymus nutans (Poaceae: Triticeae) from West China
Elymus nutans Griseb. is not only an important alpine forage grass, but also as a crucial gene pool for improving cereal crops. Understanding and maintaining the genetic diversity of the species are essential for both conservation strategy and breeding programs. However, little is known about its genetic and geographical differentiation patterns. E. nutans is a perennial, caespitose and allohexaploid (2n=6x=42) species that contains the St, H and Y genomes. It is native to temperate and tropical Asia, ranging from western and central Asia in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, from Russia in the north to India and the Himalayas areas in the south (Clayton et al. 2006). It is distributed in the north, northwest and southwest China, particularly in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. E. nutans is a valuable forage grass in the alpine regions that is resistant to cold, drought and pests, which can be used to improve cereal crops. In addition, it can play an important role in the restoration of disturbed grasslands and the establishment of artificial grasslands, especially at altitudes from 3,000 to 4,500 m (Chen and Jia 2000). During recent decades, its distribution has contracted because of over-exploitation, habitat destruction and fragmentation. Therefore, it is urgent to understand and monitor the genetic and geographical differentiation of wild germplams of E. nutans.
