An Exploration of Candidate Korean Native Poaceae Plants for Breeding New Varieties as Garden Materials in the New Climate Regime Based on Existing Data

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for low-maintenance public garden models, and environmental stress on plants due to climate change is growing. As a result, the demand for developing new plant varieties based on native species for use in gardens in response to climate change has increased significantly. Many plants in the Poaceae family are applied for various purposes, including food crops, fodder grasses, ornamental plants, and medicinal plants. Additionally, native plants provide economic and ecological benefits, making them advantageous for use in gardens. However, there are some difficulties in Poaceae breeding studies and the utilization of wild native plants for breeding. Model plants can be utilized in breeding studies of Poaceae plant species. In this study, to identify Korean native Poaceae species with the potential for use not only as garden materials but also as model plants for breeding research in response to climate change, candidate species were selected from the Korean Plant Names Index (KPNI). A total of three Korean native plants in the Poaceae family, including Brachypodium sylvaticum, Setaria viridis, and Zoysia japonica, were selected, and their properties and genome information were compared with the existing representative model plants, Arabidopsis thaliana and Brachypodium distachyon. The current research status of B. sylvaticum, S. viridis, and Z. japonica has been summarized, and the genome size and other characteristics of these model plants have been compared and discussed. As a result, both A. thaliana (2n = 2x = 10) and B. distachyon (2n = 2x = 10) are annual C3 plants, but B. sylvaticum (2n = 2x = 18) is a perennial C3 plant, and S. viridis (2n = 2x = 18) is an annual C4 plant. Thus, B. sylvaticum and S. viridis can be utilized as model plants for perennial C3 plants and annual C4 plants, respectively. Z. japonica (2n = 4x = 40) is a perennial C4 plant, but it can be unsuitable as a model plant because it is an allotetraploid. The application of these newly selected candidate plants in breeding research can build a foundation for breeding native Poaceae plants in Korea in the new climate regime.