Genetic Diversity Patterns Within and Among Varieties of Korean Italian Ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum ) and Perennial Ryegrass ( Lolium perenne ) Based on Simple Sequence Repetition

Dong-Geon Nam, Eun-Seong Baek, Eun-Bin Hwang, Sang-Cheol Gwak, Yun-Ho Lee, Seong-Woo Cho, Ju-Kyung Yu () and Tae-Young Hwang ()
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Dong-Geon Nam: Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Environmental Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Eun-Seong Baek: Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Environmental Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Eun-Bin Hwang: Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Environmental Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Sang-Cheol Gwak: Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Environmental Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Yun-Ho Lee: Crop Physiology and Production, National Institute of Crop Science, 181 Hyeoksin-ro, Iseo-myeon, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea
Seong-Woo Cho: Department of Smart Agro-Industry, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52725, Republic of Korea
Ju-Kyung Yu: Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Environmental Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Tae-Young Hwang: Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Environmental Chemistry, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Italian ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum , IRG) and perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L., PRG) are widely cultivated as forage grasses in Korea using heterogeneous and polycross techniques, which promote genetic diversity within varieties. However, their genetic diversity patterns in Korea remain underexplored. This study evaluated the genetic diversity of IRG (eight varieties, including one exotic) and PRG (two exotic varieties) using 66 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Across 87 samples (nine IRG and two PRG varieties), 655 alleles were identified, averaging 9.9 per locus. Key genetic parameters included heterozygosity (0.399), observed heterozygosity (0.675), fixation index (0.4344), and polymorphic informative content (0.6428). The lowest within-variety genetic distance was observed in ‘Hwasan 104ho’ (0.469), while ‘IR901’ had the highest (0.571). Between varieties, the closest genetic distance was between ‘Greencall’ and ‘Greencall 2ho’ (0.542), and the furthest was between ‘Kowinmaster’ and ‘Aspire’ (0.692). Molecular variance analysis showed 90% variation within varieties and 10% among varieties. Five clusters (I–V) were identified, with cluster I primarily including diploid IRG varieties and the tetraploid ‘Hwasan 104ho.’ Structural analysis differentiated diploid from tetraploid varieties (K = 2) and further separated tetraploid IRG and PRG (K = 3). Principal component analysis confirmed these groupings, with ‘Greencall’ and ‘Greencall 2ho’ exhibiting the closest genetic distance (0.227) and ‘Greencall’ and ‘Aspire’ the furthest (0.384). These findings provide a foundational resource for marker-assisted breeding to improve agronomic traits and enhance the efficiency of ryegrass breeding programs.

Keywords: Italian ryegrass; perennial ryegrass; genetic diversity; simple sequence repeat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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