Disakisperma Steud. is a genus of four predominantly perennial C4 (NAD-ME) species in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Its species previously were treated in Eleusine, Eragrostis, Coelachyrum, Cypholepis, Leptochloa, or Diplachne by nearly all authors.It includes the widespread North and South American amphitropical disjunct Disakisperma dubium (type of the genus), Disakisperma eleusine from southern Africa, Disakisperma obtusiflorum from central and northern Africa to southern Asia, and Disakisperma yemenicum, comb. nov. from eastern and southern Africa to Yemen. This paper provides a key to the species, geographic distributions, descriptions, including comments on the anatomy of leaves, stems, lemmatal micromorphology, a phylogram based on five molecular markers, and discussions of chromosome numbers. The species are rarely, if at all, known outside of their native ranges and are unlikely to become aggressively invasive. All species are considered Least Concern following IUCN guidelines. Lectotypes are designated for Diplachne dubia var. pringleana Kuntze, Disakisperma mexicana Steud., Eragrostis yemenica Schweinf., and Leptochloa appletonii Stapf.

Cortaderia (Poaceae; Danthonioideae) is a medium-sized genus of C3 tussock grasses, widespread in the temperate to tropic-alpine regions of South America. It is particularly important in the subalpine and alpine zones of the Andes. We revised the classification of the genus, and recognize 17 species grouped into five informal groups. We describe one new species, Cortaderia echinata H.P.Linder, from Peru. We provide a key to the groups and the species, complete nomenclature for each species including new lectotypes, and notes on the ecology, distribution and diagnostic morphological and anatomical characters.

Plastid genome analysis of non-model organisms provides valuable information for basic research e.g., molecular evolutionary genomics, phylogeny and phylogeography. Deschampsia cespitosa is the most widespread species of the genus and it is a common grass that is found across Eurasia and North America. Scattered populations in regions of appropriate ecological conditions are also found in Australia, New Zealand and southern South America, where it is sympatric with D. antarctica. We analyzed the plastid genome of a sample of Deschampsia cespitosa of the Austrian Alps using high-throughput sequencing. The plastid (cp) genome shows the typical quadripartite structure with a length of 135,340 bp, comprising a large single-copy (LSC) region of 79,992 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 12,572 bp and two inverted repeats (IR) regions of 21,388 bp each. It contains 115 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, four ribosomal RNA genes and 30 transfer RNA genes. The GC content (%), number of repeats and microsatellites, RNA editing sites and codon usage were highly similar to those of D. antarctica. The results of this present study highlight the extremely conserved nature of the cp genome in this group, since the comparison involved individuals separated by about 13,000 km, from the Alps to Antarctica.

Diplachne P. Beauv. comprises two species with C4 (NAD-ME) photosynthesis. Diplachne fusca has a nearly pantropical-pantemperate distribution with four subspecies: D. fusca subsp. fusca is Paleotropical with native distributions in Africa, southern Asia and Australia; the widespread Australian endemic D. f. subsp. muelleri; and D. f. subsp. fascicularis and D. f. subsp. uninervia occurring in the New World. Diplachne gigantea is known from a few widely scattered, older collections in east-central and southern Africa, and although Data Deficient clearly is of conservation concern. A discussion of previous taxonomic treatments is provided, including molecular data supporting Diplachne in its newer, restricted sense. Many populations of Diplachne fusca are highly tolerant of saline substrates and most prefer seasonally moist to saturated soils, often in disturbed areas. Some populations of Diplachne fusca in southern Asia combine nitrogen-fixation, high salinity tolerance and palatibilty to livestock, which should be pursued with further research for purposes of soil reclamation. Diplachne fusca subsp. uninervia is the most invasive of the subspecies and is becoming weedy in some non-native areas, including in the Old World. This monograph provides detailed descriptions of all taxa, a key to the species and subspecies, geographic distributions and information on the anatomy of leaves, stems, lemmatal micromorphology and discussions of the chromosome numbers. Lectotypes are designated for: Atropis carinata Grisb.; Diplachne acuminata Nash; Diplachne capensis (Nees) Nees var. concinna Nees; Diplachne capensis (Nees) Nees var. obscura Nees, Diplachne capensis (Nees) Nees var. prolifera subvar. minor Nees, Diplachne halei Nash, Diplachne maritima E.P. Bicknel, Diplachne muelleri Benth., Diplachne reverchonii Vasey, Diplachne tectoneticola Backer, Leptochloa imbricata Thurb., Leptochloa neuroglossa Peter, Leptochloa uninervia var. typica fo. abbreviata Parodi, Triodia ambigua R. Br. and Triodia parviflora R. Br.

The genus Zoysia Willd. (Chloridoideae) is widely distributed from the temperate regions of Northeast Asia-including China, Japan, and Korea-to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. Among these, four species-Zoysia japonica Steud., Zoysia sinica Hance, Zoysia tenuifolia Thiele, and Zoysia macrostachya Franch. & Sav.-are naturally distributed in the Korean Peninsula. In this study, we report the complete plastome sequences of these Korean Zoysia species (NCBI acc. nos. MF953592, MF967579~MF967581). The length of Zoysia plastomes ranges from 135,854 to 135,904 bp, and the plastomes have a typical quadripartite structure, which consists of a pair of inverted repeat regions (20,962~20,966 bp) separated by a large (81,348~81,392 bp) and a small (12,582~12,586 bp) single-copy region. In terms of gene order and structure, Zoysia plastomes are similar to the typical plastomes of Poaceae. The plastomes encode 110 genes, of which 76 are protein-coding genes, 30 are tRNA genes, and four are rRNA genes. Fourteen genes contain single introns and one gene has two introns. Three evolutionary hotspot spacer regions-atpB~rbcL, rps16~rps3, and rpl32~trnL-UAG-were recognized among six analyzed Zoysia species. The high divergences in the atpB~rbcL spacer and rpl16~rpl3 region are primarily due to the differences in base substitutions and indels. In contrast, the high divergence between rpl32~trnL-UAG spacers is due to a small inversion with a pair of 22 bp stem and an 11 bp loop. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified in 59 different locations in Z. japonica, 63 in Z. sinica, 62 in Z. macrostachya, and 63 in Z. tenuifolia plastomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Zoysia (Zoysiinae) forms a monophyletic group, which is sister to Sporobolus (Sporobolinae), with 100% bootstrap support. Within the Zoysia clade, the relationship of (Z. sinica, Z japonica), (Z. tenuifolia, Z. matrella), (Z. macrostachya, Z. macrantha) was suggested.

Orphan genes refer to a group of protein-coding genes lacking recognizable homologs in the other organisms. Extensive studies have demonstrated that numerous newly sequenced genomes contain a significant number of orphan genes, which have important roles in plant's responses to the environment. Due to a lack of phylogenetic conservation, the origin of orphan genes and their functions are currently not well defined. In the present study, a Poaceae orphan genes database (POGD; http://bioinfo.ahau.edu.cn/pogd) was established to serve as a user-friendly web interface for entry browsing, searching and downloading orphan genes from various plants. Four Poaceae species, including Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays, are included in the current version of POGD. The database provides gene descriptions (chromosome strands, physical location), gene product records (protein length, isoelectric point, molecular weight as well as gene and protein sequences) and functional annotations (cellular role, gene ontology category, subcellular localization prediction). Basic Local Alignment Search Tool and comparative analyses were also provided on the website. POGD will serve as a comprehensive and reliable repository, which will help uncover regulatory mechanisms of orphan genes and may assist in the development of comparative genomics in plant biology.

Plant species of the Poaceae family are not only used as fodder and forage but also contribute substantially to the treatment of various health disorders, particularly in livestock. Consequently, the present study was aimed to document the therapeutic uses of Poaceae practiced by the inhabitants of the Punjab Province for the treatment of various veterinary health disorders. Semi structured interviews, group discussion and field walks were conducted to collect the data. Quantitative indices including cultural significance index (CSI), relative frequency of citations (RFC), fidelity level (FL), relative popularity level (RPL), and Jaccard Index (JI) were used for the data analysis. Traditional uses of 149 species belonging to 60 genera and 16 tribes of 5 sub families of Poaceae were recorded. Whole plants and leaves were the most consistently used parts with 40.94 and 29.53%. The plants were mainly given orally as fodder (59 reports) without processing followed by decoction (35 reports). Most of the species were employed to treat infectious diseases (25.93%), and digestive disorders (14.10%). Triticum aestivum had the highest CSI, RFC and RPL levels at 8.00, 0.96, 1.00, respectively, followed by Oryza sativa and Poa annua. Likewise, T. aestivum and Saccharum spontaneum had 100% FL and ROP. Jaccard index ranged from 12.25 to 0.37. Twelve plant species namely Chrysopogon zizanioides (anti-inflammatory), Pennisetum lanatum (improve bull fertility), Cymbopogon citratus (glandular secretion), Sorghum saccharatum and Themeda triandra (malaria), Aristida funiculate (anticancer), Koeleria argentia (skin allergies), Tetrapogon villosus (antibacterial), Cynodon radiatus (eyes infection), Sporobolus nervosa (Jaundice), Enneapogon persicus (antifungal), and Panicum repens (dysfunctional cattle organs) were reported for the first time, with novel ethnoveterinary uses. The inhabitants of the study area had a strong association with their surrounding plant diversity and possessed significant knowledge on therapeutic uses of Poaceae to treat various health disorders in animals. Plant species with maximum cultural and medicinal values could be a potential source of novel drugs to cure health disorders in animals and human as well.

Mountains support a great diversity of species and habitat types. Grasslands are the dominant landscape in the Andes and play an important ecological role. However, they are threatened by many factors, including climate change and human activities. The spatial distribution of species that compose, and the ecological and evolutionary factors that provide for the spatial biodiversity patterns, are little known. The largest Poa L. (Poaceae) genera are widely diversified and distributed in the Andes. In particular, P. scaberula Hook. f. shows great environmentally mediated phenotypic plasticity, and is distributed from North America to the tip of South America. However, the impact of environmental variables has on the spatial distribution of this species, remain largely unknown. Using high-resolution climatic data, herein we modeled the current suitable habitat for P. scaberula and identified the main climatic variables that best predict its potential distribution. In addition, we assess the species status in the predicted habitats through herbarium data and relate it with species distribution models. The models showed that P. scaberula has a suitable habitat of ca. 162.747 km2 along the Andes and high elevation regions. The most influential variables with a 68.5% contribution to the distribution of the species, particularly high elevation areas, included mean cold hardiness, water vapor pressure and temperature seasonality. The areas of greatest suitability with the highest occurrence of the species were identified geographically by the models. The present study provides useful information that can assist in the identification of areas where the species is most sensitive to different variables, including climate change and human activities and contributes in assessing the conservation status of Andean grassland at a regional scale.

Intronless genes are a feature of prokaryotes; however, they are widespread and unequally distributed among eukaryotes and represent an important resource to study the evolution of gene architecture. Although many databases on exons and introns exist, there is currently no cohesive database that collects intronless genes in plants into a single database.

Phyllostachys angusta McClure is a precious wood-use bamboo resource, with almost straight stem. The complete chloroplast genome of the P. angusta McClure was assembled for the first time from Illumina pair-end sequencing data in this work. The total genome size of P. angusta McClure was 139,678 bp in length, containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,212 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 12,870 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 21,798 bp. The overall GC content of the genome was 38.89%, and the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 36.97, 33.17, and 44.22%, respectively. A total of 131 genes were annotated, including 85 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis results strongly supported that P. angusta McClure was closely related to P. reticulate.

Tripidium ravennae is a cold-hardy, diploid species in the sugarcane complex (Poaceae subtribe Saccharinae) with considerable potential as a genetic resource for developing improved bioenergy and ornamental grasses. An improved understanding of the genetic regulation of reproductive processes (e.g., floral induction, inflorescence development, and seed development) will enable future applications of precision breeding and gene editing of floral and seed development. In particular, the ability to silence reproductive processes would allow for developing seedless forms of valuable but potentially invasive plants. The objective of this research was to characterize the gene expression environment of reproductive development in T. ravennae.

Arundo formosana Hack. belongs to the Arundionideae subfamily of Poaceae. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of A. formosana. The complete chloroplast genome was 136,919 bp in size, including a large single copy region of 82,039 bp, a small single-copy region of 12,108 bp and a pair of reverse repeats of 21,386 bp in size. The annotation of A. formosana indicates that it contained 81 protein-coding genes, 47 tRNA and 8 rRNA. Our phylogenetic analysis of the 36 grass complete chroloplast genomes of protein-coding genes using Cyperus rotundus as outgroup showed that A. formosana is closely related to Crinipes species to form the Arundionideae lineage of the grass family.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Oryza eichingeri (GenBank accession number: KX085496) was generated by de novo assembly with low-coverage whole-genome sequence data. The chloroplast genome is 134,821 bp in length and showed conserved typical chloroplast structure. The cpDNA contained four rRNA, 39 tRNA, and 79 unique protein-coding genes. Seventeen genes contain one intron, only ycf3 contains two introns; rps12 is trans-spliced, one of its exons is in the LSC region (5'_end) and the two reside in the IR regions (3'_end) separated. A pair of gene ndhH, due to the 5' part of ndhH which overlaps the IR/SSC junctions, was two unique genes. The AT content of O. eichingeri cp genome is 61%. Phylogenomic analysis showed that O. eichingeri is closely related to O. officinalis. The complete cpDNA of O. eichingeri provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis for the genus Oryza.

Melica scabrosa Trin. is an important forage grass of Poaceae, wildly distributed in the Northeast Asia to Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of M. scabrosa was obtained by de novo assembly using whole genome sequence data. The chloroplast genome is 134,889 bp in length, containing 80,560 bp in a large single copy (LSC), 12,706 bp in a small single copy (SSC) and 20,810 bp in a pair of inverted repeats (IRs). A total of 129 genes including 83 protein-coding genes and 38 structural RNA genes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis represented close relationship among Melica species. This chloroplast genome sequencing offers a useful resource for future genetics and phylogenetic studies.

Pennisetum flaccidum Grisebach is a typical high-quality forage and adrought-tolerant grass. In this study, we firstly reported the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of P. flaccidum, which was 138,336 bp in length, including a pair of inverted repeats (IR: 22,293 bp), a large single copy (LSC: 81,329 bp), and a small single copy (SSC: 12,421 bp) region. A total of 131 genes were annotated, containing seven rRNA genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 86 protein-coding genes. The GC content of the cp genome was 38.63%. The maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree indicated that P. flaccidum was closely related to P. cetaceum in Poaceae.

Endophytic bacteria represent microorganisms that live during the whole life cycle within the tissues of healthy plants without causing any obvious signs of disease. In this study, the ability of 128 endophyte bacterial isolates from some cultivated and wild grain plants (Poaceae family) in Van, Turkey, were investigated in terms of producing several extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. It was demonstrated that lipases, proteases, amylases, cellulases, pectinases, and xylanases were produced by the bacteria with relative frequencies of 74.2%, 65.6%, 55.4%, 32%, 21.8%, and 7.8%, respectively. In addition, molecular identification of a certain number of isolates selected according to their enzyme-producing capabilities was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using a next-generation sequencing platform. As a result of the analysis, the isolates yielded certain strains belonging to Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Paenibacillus, Streptococcus, Curtobacterium, Chryseobacterium, and Bacillus genera. Also, the strain G117Y1T was evaluated as a member of potential novel species based on 16S rRNA sequencing results.

Stipa breviflora (Poaceae) is one of the dominant species of the desert steppe in the eastern Eurasian grasslands. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed for use in genetic diversity studies of this species.

Bromus catharticus Vahl. belongs to the Pooideae subfamily of Poaceae. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of B. catharticus. The complete chloroplast genome was 134,718 bp in size, including a large single-copy region of 80,540 bp, a small single-copy region of 11,806 bp and a pair of reverse repeats of 21,186 bp in size. The annotation of B. catharticus indicates that it contained 89 protein-coding genes, 47 tRNA genes and eight rRNA genes. Our phylogenetic analysis of all protein-coding genes of the 36 grass complete chroloplast genomes using Cyperus rotundus as outgroup showed that B. catharticus is closely related to the Koeleria and Avena species to form the Pooideae lineage of the grass family.

Positional (or map-based) cloning is a common approach to identify the molecular lesions causing mutant phenotypes. Despite its large and complex genome, positional cloning has been recently shown to be feasible in maize, opening up a diverse collection of mutants to molecular characterization. •

The genus Deschampsia P. Beauv (Poaceae) involves a group of widespread polymorphic species. Some of them are highly tolerant to stressful and variable environmental conditions, and D. antarctica is one of the only two vascular plants growing in Antarctic. This species is a source of useful for selection traits and a valuable model for studying an environmental stress tolerance in plants. Genome diversity and comparative chromosomal phylogeny within the genus have not been studied yet as karyotypes of most Deschampsia species are poorly investigated. We firstly conducted a comparative molecular cytogenetic analysis of D. antarctica (Antarctic Peninsula) and related species from various localities (D. cespitosa, D. danthonioides, D. elongata, D. flexuosa (= Avenella flexuosa), D. parvula and D. sukatschewii by fluorescence in situ hybridization with 45S and 5S rDNA, DAPI-banding and sequential rapid in situ hybridization with genomic DNA of D. antarctica, D. cespitosa, and D. flexuosa. Based on patterns of distribution of the examined markers, chromosomes of the studied species were identified. Within these species, common features as well as species peculiarities in their karyotypic structure and chromosomal distribution of molecular cytogenetic markers were characterized. Different chromosomal rearrangements were detected in D. antarctica, D. flexuosa, D. elongata and D. sukatschewii. In karyotypes of D. antarctica, D. cespitosa, D. elongata and D. sukatschewii, 0-3 B chromosomes possessed distinct DAPI-bands were observed. Our findings suggest that the genome evolution of the genus Deschampsia involved polyploidy and also different chromosomal rearrangements. The obtained results will help clarify the relationships within the genus Deschampsia, and can be a basis for the further genetic and biotechnological studies as well as for selection of plants tolerant to extreme habitats.