Development of genomic resources for Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana), draft genome and annotated variant discovery

Genomic resources for grasses, especially warm-season grasses are limited despite their commercial and environmental importance. Here, we report the first annotated draft whole genome sequence for diploid Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana), a tropical C4 species. Generated using long read nanopore sequencing and assembled using the Flye software package, the assembled genome is 603 Mbp in size and comprises 5,233 fragments that were annotated using the GenSas pipeline. The annotated genome has 46,087 predicted genes corresponding to 92.0% of the expected genomic content present via BUSCO analysis. Gene ontology terms and repetitive elements are identified and discussed. An additional 94 individual plant genotypes originating from three diploid and two tetraploid Rhodes grass cultivars were short-read whole genome resequenced (WGR) to generate a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) resource for the species that can be used to elucidate inter- and intra-cultivar relationships across both ploidy levels. A total of 75,777 high quality SNPs were used to generate a phylogenetic tree, highlighting the diversity present within the cultivars which agreed with the known breeding history. Differentiation was observed between diploid and tetraploid cultivars. The WGR data were also used to provide insights into the nature and evolution of the tetraploid status of the species, with results largely agreeing with the published literature that the tetraploids are autotetraploid.