Genomic Selection in Tropical Forage Grasses: Current Status and Future Applications

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Genomics

Background:

• Global population growth and increased wealth necessitate greater animal product consumption, particularly milk and beef.
• Tropical regions are key to meeting this demand through pasturelands, requiring improved, sustainable forage production without expanding cultivated areas.
• Conventional tropical forage grass breeding has yielded adapted cultivars but shows low genetic gains, insufficient for future food security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the challenges, achievements, and resources for implementing genomic selection (GS) in tropical forage grasses (TFGs).
• To assess the potential of GS to enhance genetic gains and overcome bottlenecks in TFG breeding programs.
• To discuss the current status and future prospects of GS in TFG development.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging genotyping, phenotyping, and envirotyping strategies for enhanced breeding programs.
• Utilizing genomic selection (GS) and genome-wide association studies for increased selection accuracy and reduced cycle times.
• Developing large training populations and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker panels for effective marker validation.

Main Results:

• Initial results show GS provides notable improvements over traditional phenotypic selection in TFGs.
• Genomic resources and statistical methods for GS in TFGs are advancing, though practical impact is still under evaluation.
• Prediction accuracies are improving, and genebank diversity offers potential for harnessing valuable genetic resources.

Conclusions:

• Genomic selection is still incipient in TFGs but holds significant potential to accelerate genetic gains.
• Advances in genomic tools and statistical models will facilitate wider GS implementation in TFG breeding.
• TFG breeding programs must prepare for the integration of GS to meet future demands effectively.