Cytogenetics and Breeding of Brachiaria Species
Summary
The genus Brachiaria, recently reclassified under Urochloa by some authorities, encompasses a group of C4 tropical forage grasses that underpin livestock production across marginal and acidic soils worldwide. Cytogenetic investigations reveal remarkable variation in chromosome number and genome structure, ranging from diploid to polyploid levels. Polyploidy and apomixis—a form of clonal seed reproduction—complicate conventional breeding but also offer unique avenues for cultivar stability and adaptability. Modern breeding strategies integrate flow cytometry, molecular markers and genome‐scale analyses to characterise ploidy, identify parental combinations and track recombination. The interplay of sexual reproduction in diploids and obligate or facultative apomixis in polyploids shapes genetic diversity, enabling the fixation of desirable traits while preserving germplasm diversity. Cytogenetic insights inform the development of hybrids with enhanced stress tolerance, pest resistance and seed yield, thus contributing to sustainable forage production and food security in tropical regions.
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Cytogenetics and Breeding of Brachiaria Species publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in cytogenetics and breeding of brachiaria species across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Apomixis: A form of asexual seed formation enabling clonal propagation of the maternal genotype without fertilisation.
Polyploidy: The condition of possessing more than two complete sets of chromosomes, common in Brachiaria and pivotal for trait diversification.
Flow cytometry: A technique to measure nuclear DNA content and estimate ploidy levels in plant tissues rapidly and accurately.
Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A variation at a single base pair in the genome used as a marker for genotyping and diversity studies.
References
- Effects of Closing Cut Date and Nitrogen Fertilization on Seed Yield and Seed Quality in Two Novel Cultivars of Urochloa spp.. Agronomy (2022).
- Complex polyploid and hybrid species in an apomictic and sexual tropical forage grass group: genomic composition and evolution in Urochloa (Brachiaria) species. Annals of Botany (2021).
- Nuclear DNA content and chromosome number in Brachiaria spp. genotypes. Revista Ciência Agronômica (2014).
- Diverged subpopulations in tropical Urochloa (Brachiaria) forage species indicate a role for facultative apomixis and varying ploidy in their population structure and evolution. Annals of Botany (2022).
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