Diversity of Turfgrass Germplasm in the Asian Pacific Rim Countries and Potential for Reducing Genetic Vulnerability

Abstract

The Asian Pacific Rim countries have traditionally been noted for their wealth of botanical diversity. Many cultivated agronomic, ornamental, and turfgrass species trace their primary or secondary origins to this region of the world, including turf species of the genera Zoysia, Eremochloa, Axonopus, Stenotaphrum, and Paspalum. Compared with Europe and North America, the indigenous turfgrasses of the Pacific Rim have been minimally collected and exploited by plant breeders. Plant collectors early in this century introduced exotic Asian turfgrass species to the West, but only within the last 12 yr have collectors returned in earnest to explore Asia's diversity of turfgrass germplasm. Many have found that the fertile grasslands well suited to the growth of high‐maintenance turfgrass species have been replaced with production agriculture, urban sprawl, or desert. Nevertheless, the future prospects for low‐maintenance germplasm from the Asian Pacific Rim appears good. Many remote, rocky, or infertile sites are relatively untouched and contain an abundance of turfgrass plants capable of withstanding adverse conditions. The future for discovery and collection of previously unutilized turfgrass species from the region is promising and may help to reduce the genetic vulnerability of present cultivars.