The draft genome of the C panicoid grass species Dichanthelium oligosanthes.

Background: Comparisons between C and C grasses often utilize C species from the subfamilies Ehrhartoideae or Pooideae and C species from the subfamily Panicoideae, two clades that diverged over 50 million years ago. The divergence of the C panicoid grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes from the independent C lineages represented by Setaria viridis and Sorghum bicolor occurred approximately 15 million years ago, which is significantly more recent than members of the Bambusoideae, Ehrhartoideae, and Pooideae subfamilies. D.

Cross species selection scans identify components of C4 photosynthesis in the grasses.

C photosynthesis is perhaps one of the best examples of convergent adaptive evolution with over 25 independent origins in the grasses (Poaceae) alone. The availability of high quality grass genome sequences presents new opportunities to explore the mechanisms underlying this complex trait using evolutionary biology-based approaches. In this study, we performed genome-wide cross-species selection scans in C lineages to facilitate discovery of C genes.

Growth-defence balance in grass biomass production: the role of jasmonates.

Growth-defence balance is the selective partitioning of resources between biomass accumulation and defence responses. Although it is generally postulated that reallocation of limited carbon pools drives the antagonism between growth and defence, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this regulation. Jasmonates (JAs) are a group of oxylipins that are required for a broad range of responses from defence against insects to reproductive growth.

Enhancing the productivity of grasses under high-density planting by engineering light responses: from model systems to feedstocks.

The successful commercialization of bioenergy grasses as lignocellulosic feedstocks requires that they be produced, processed, and transported efficiently. Intensive breeding for higher yields in food crops has resulted in varieties that perform optimally under high-density planting but often with high input costs. This is particularly true of maize, where most yield gains in the past have come through increased planting densities and an abundance of fertilizer.

Bundle sheath suberization in grass leaves: multiple barriers to characterization.

High-yielding, stress-tolerant grass crops are essential to meet future food and energy demands. Efforts are underway to engineer improved varieties of the C3 cereal crop rice by introducing NADP-malic enzyme C4 photosynthesis using maize as a model system. However, several modifications to the rice leaf vasculature are potentially necessary, including the introduction of suberin lamellae into the bundle sheath cell walls.