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Molecular understandings on ‘the never thirsty’ and apomictic Cenchrus grass

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Abstract

The genus Cenchrus comprises around 25 species of ‘bristle clade’ grasses. Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel grass) is a hardy, perennial range grass that survives in poor sandy soils and limiting soil moisture conditions and, due to the very same reasons, this grass is one of the most prevalent fodder grasses of the arid and semi-arid regions. Most of the germplasms of Cenchrus produce seeds asexually through the process of apomeiosis. Therefore, the lack of sufficient sexual lines has hindered the crop improvement efforts in Cenchrus being confined to simple selection methods. Many attempts have been initiated in buffel grass to investigate the various molecular aspects such as genomic signatures of different species and genotypes, molecular basis of abiotic stress tolerance and reproductive performance. Even though it is an important fodder crop, molecular investigations in Cenchrus lack focus and the molecular information available on this grass is scanty. Cenchrus is a very good gene source for abiotic stress tolerance and apomixis studies. Biotechnological interventions in Cenchrus can help in crop improvement in Cenchrus as well as other crops through transgenic technology or marker assisted selection. To date no consolidated review on biotechnological interventions in Cenchrus grass has been published. Therefore we provide a thorough and in depth review on molecular research in Cenchrus focusing on molecular signatures of evolution, tolerance to abiotic stress and apomictic reproductive mechanism.

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Conflict of interest

The authors would like to state that there is no conflict of interest with respect to this review article.

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  1. Divya P. Syamaladevi

    Present address: Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Regional Research Station, Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Avikanagar, Rajasthan, 304501, India

    Divya P. Syamaladevi, S. S. Meena & R. P. Nagar

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  1. Divya P. Syamaladevi
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Correspondence to Divya P. Syamaladevi.

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Syamaladevi, D.P., Meena, S.S. & Nagar, R.P. Molecular understandings on ‘the never thirsty’ and apomictic Cenchrus grass. Biotechnol Lett 38, 369–376 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-015-2004-0

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