Genetic Diversity of Elymus sibiricus and Its Breeding in China
老芒麦遗传多样性及育种研究进展

Abstract The study of Elymus sibiricus is important to not only grassland improvement in the northern steppe and Alpine meadow of the Tibetan Plateau but also the development of grassland livestock husbandry. Recent advances in study of the genetic diversity of E. sibiricus, including morphology, cytogenetics, protein markers and DNA molecular markers as well as breeding in China, are reviewed. So far, genetic diversity studies of E. sibiricus have mainly focused on the genetic relation of Elymus species and their relatives from Triticeae. However, the genetic differentiation among E. sibiricus accessions or populations is poorly documented and understood. To date, only 6 cultivars have been approved by the National Forage Cultivar Approval Committee in China; moreover, the breeding methods are simple and outdated. The predominant agronomic traits of these released cultivars are only in yield and adaptability, and germplasm resources with abiotic tolerance are lacking. On the basis of current problems, the further research are suggested.