Germplasm survey and collection of Festuca sinensis accessions associated with the endophyte Epichloë sinensis

Authors

  • Pei Tian State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Tao Hu State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Chao Xia State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Jiawen Sun State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Yanqun Zhao State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Zhongxiang Li State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Mei Zhang State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Longxuan Cui State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Jinhui Shen State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Yang Luo State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Yue Gao State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Wei Zhou State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Taixiang Chen State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Tian Wang State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Mingxiang Du State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Wencong Liu State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Chunjie Li State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
  • Zhibiao Nan State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33584/rps.18.2025.3821

Abstract

Festuca sinensis, a native grass in China, is a high-quality forage species in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and plays an increasingly important role in restoring degraded grasslands and improving the ecological environment. Epichloë endophytes form a mutualistic symbiosis with F. sinensis, which can be utilized in germplasm innovation and breeding. In order to breed new cultivars with associated beneficial endophytes, our group investigated their distribution in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. F. sinensis germplasm was collected across 356 sites, including 46 counties/districts in Qinghai Province, Gansu Province, Sichuan Province, and Xizang Autonomous Region, which suggested that F. sinensis was widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. During the investigation process, we noticed that F. sinensis normally grew in moist and shady areas, along streams, under forested areas and/or at the edges of farmland at altitudes ranging from 2,300 m to 4,700 m. It is normally a companion species of other grasses including Elymus nutans and Poa annua in natural grasslands. F. sinensis plants completed their growth stages and produced mature seeds between August 20th to September 30th, depending on their location. F. sinensis was scattered in the community with a height range of 30 cm to 80 cm, and a tiller number range of 1 to 4 in most survey sites. The frequency of endophyte within F. sinensis populations was also investigated by assessing seed. One hundred and sixty-six lines from 173 lines were infected by endophyte, with an infection frequency between 10% to 100%. The infection frequency of 122 lines was above 80%. This research clarified that the vast majority of F. sinensis on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was infected by endophyte and had a high infection frequency (>80%). Based on these collected resources, the first germplasm resource nursery of F. sinensis can be established to meet diverse breeding needs.

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Published

2025-12-04

How to Cite

Tian, P., Hu, T., Xia, C., Sun, J., Zhao, Y., Li, Z., Zhang, M., Cui, L., Shen, J., Luo, Y., Gao, Y., Zhou, W., Chen, T., Wang, T., Du, M., Liu, W., Li, C., & Nan, Z. (2025). Germplasm survey and collection of Festuca sinensis accessions associated with the endophyte Epichloë sinensis. NZGA: Research and Practice Series, 18, 145. https://doi.org/10.33584/rps.18.2025.3821

Issue

Vol. 18 (2025): Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium of Grass Microbial Endophytes

Section

R&P 18 Grass Microbial Endophytes 2025

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