Abstract
The Festuca genus is thought to be the most numerous genus of the Poaceae family. One of the most agronomically important forage grasses, Festuca pratensis Huds. is treated as a model plant to study the molecular mechanisms associated with tolerance to winter stresses, including frost. However, the precise mapping of the genes governing stress tolerance in this species is difficult as its karyotype remains unrecognized. Only two F. pratensis chromosomes with 35S and 5S rDNA sequences can be easily identified, but its remaining chromosomes have not been distinguished to date. Here, two libraries derived from F. pratensis nuclear DNA with various contents of repetitive DNA sequences were used as sources of molecular probes for fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH), a BAC library and a library representing sequences most frequently present in the F. pratensis genome. Using FISH, six groups of DNA sequences were revealed in chromosomes on the basis of their signal position, including dispersed-like sequences, chromosome painting-like sequences, centromeric-like sequences, knob-like sequences, a group without hybridization signals, and single locus-like sequences. The last group was exploited to develop cytogenetic maps of diploid and tetraploid F. pratensis, which are presented here for the first time and provide a remarkable progress in karyotype characterization.
Highlights
Grasses (Poaceae) constitute a large family of monocotyledonous plants
The most important forage grasses used in agriculture are species derived from the Festuca-Lolium complex, i.e. Festuca pratensis Huds., F. arundinacea Schreb., Lolium multiflorum Lam. (Italian ryegrass), and L. perenne L
The most numerous class that was physically mapped in diploid F. pratensis chromosomes comprises sequences with a length of 10 000 bp and more
Summary
Grasses (Poaceae) constitute a large family of monocotyledonous plants. This family encompasses cereals, turf and pasture grasses, and others such as bamboos or sugarcane. The genetic/ genomic resources for grassland species are still limited [1, 2]. The most important forage grasses used in agriculture are species derived from the Festuca-Lolium complex, i.e. Festuca pratensis Huds. Lolium species possess higher forage quality and productivity in favourable conditions but a significantly lower performance under stresses. The species of these two genera are closely related and their
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