Advances and perspectives in the application of genomic tools for research and breeding of forage crops

Next-generation sequencing technologies have offered the possibility to sequence the genome of a few
forage legume and grass species such as red clover or perennial ryegrass for which reference genome
sequences and annotated gene sets are now publicly available. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of the
forage crop genomes and the funding allocated to them, the quality of these reference genomes still needs
improvement to obtain contiguous chromosome-scale assemblies. The latest sequencing technologies
will facilitate the assembly process, and implementation of novel bioinformatics methods can improve
the quality of the genome annotation. With or without the aid of a reference genome sequence, it is
now possible to genotype a large number of individuals or pools of individuals with several thousands of
markers, bringing routine implementation of marker-assisted selection within reach for a large number
of forage crop breeding programmes. Exemplary illustrations are provided in the context of parentage
testing, genome wide association studies, genomic selection and population genetics to identify adaptive
traits.

ISBN:978-3_033-07278-7