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Title: Selection and phenotypic characterization of a core collection of Brachypodium distachyon inbred lines.

Author
item TYLER, LUDMILA - University Of Massachusetts
item FANGEL, JONATAN - University Of Copenhagen
item FAGERSTROM, ALEXANDRA - University Of Copenhagen
item STEINWAND, MICHAEL - University Of California
item RAAB, THEODORE - Carnegie Institute - Washington
item WILLATS, WILLIAM - University Of Copenhagen
item Vogel, John

Submitted to: BMC Plant Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/2/2014
Publication Date: 1/14/2014
Citation: Tyler, L., Fangel, J.U., Fagerstrom, A.D., Steinwand, M., Raab, T.K., Willats, W.G., Vogel, J.P. 2014. Phenotypic diversity in a core collection of Brachypodium distachyon inbred lines. Biomed Central (BMC) Plant Biology. 14:25.

Interpretive Summary: The model grass Brachypodium distachyon is increasingly used to study various aspects of grass biology. A large, diverse collection of B. distachyon lines has been assembled by the research community. The natural variation in this collection can serve as a powerful experimental tool for many areas of inquiry, including investigating biomass traits. We surveyed the phenotypic diversity in a subset of lines with an emphasis on traits relevant to the use of grasses as biofuel and grain crops. We examined several phenotypic characters including plant height, growth habit, stem density, flowering time, cell wall composition and seed weight. In all cases, we observed extensive natural variation including a two-fold variation in stem density and a 1.7-fold variation in seed mass. Our data can provide the criteria for selecting diverse lines for future investigations of the genetic basis of the observed phenotypic variation, such as genome resequencing and mapping.

Technical Abstract: The model grass Brachypodium distachyon is increasingly used to study various aspects of grass biology. A large and genotypically diverse collection of B. distachyon germplasm has been assembled by the research community. The natural variation in this collection can serve as a powerful experimental tool for many areas of inquiry, including investigating biomass traits. In this paper we survey the phenotypic diversity in a subset of lines with an emphasis on traits relevant to the use of grasses as biofuel and grain crops. We examined several phenotypic characters including plant height, growth habit, stem density, flowering time, and seed weight. We also surveyed differences in cell wall composition using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and comprehensive microarray polymer profiling (CoMPP). In all cases, we observed extensive natural variation including a two-fold variation in stem density, four-fold variation in ferulic acid bound to hemicellulose, and 1.7-fold variation in seed mass. These characterizations can provide the criteria for selecting diverse lines for future investigations of the genetic basis of the observed phenotypic variation, such as genome resequencing and mapping.