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Background Arundinelleae is a small tribe within the Poaceae (grass family) possessing a widespread distribution that includes Asia, the Americas, and Africa. Several species of Arundinelleae are used as natural forage, feed, and raw materials for paper. The tribe is taxonomically cumbersome due to a paucity of clear diagnostic morphological characters. There has been scant genetic and genomic research conducted for this group, and as a result the phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries within Arundinelleae are poorly understood. Results We compared and analyzed 11 plastomes of Arundinelleae, of which seven plastomes were newly sequenced. The plastomes range from 139,629 base pairs (bp) ( Garnotia tenella ) to 140,943 bp ( Arundinella barbinodis ), with a standard four-part structure. The average GC content was 38.39%, but varied in different regions of the plastome. In all, 110 genes were annotated, comprising 76 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Furthermore, 539 simple sequence repeats, 519 long repeats, and 10 hyper-variable regions were identified from the 11 plastomes of Arundinelleae. A phylogenetic reconstruction of Panicoideae based on 98 plastomes demonstrated the monophyly of Arundinella and Garnotia , but the circumscription of Arundinelleae remains unresolved. Conclusion Complete chloroplast genome sequences can improve phylogenetic resolution relative to single marker approaches, particularly within taxonomically challenging groups. All phylogenetic analyses strongly support the monophyly of Arundinella and Garnotia , respectively, but the monophylly of Arundinelleae was not well supported. The intergeneric phylogenetic relationships within Arundinelleae require clarification, indicating that more data is necessary to resolve generic boundaries and evaluate the monophyly of Arundinelleae. A comprehensive taxonomic revision for the tribe is necessary. In addition, the identified hyper-variable regions could function as molecular markers for clarifying phylogenetic relationships and potentially as barcoding markers for species identification in the future.

Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) is an important warm-season turfgrass that is able to survive in a range of soils, from infertile sands to clays, and to grow well under saline conditions. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in its resistance to salt stress. Here, we used high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate the changes in gene expression of Zoysia grass at high NaCl concentrations. We first constructed two sequencing libraries, including control and NaCl-treated samples, and sequenced them using the Illumina HiSeq™ 2000 platform. Approximately 157.20 million paired-end reads with a total length of 68.68 Mb were obtained. Subsequently, 100,800 unigenes with an N50 length of 1104 bp were assembled using Trinity, among which 70,127 unigenes were functionally annotated (E ≤ 10(-5)) in the non-redundant protein (NR) database. Furthermore, three public databases, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Swiss-prot, and Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs), were used for gene function analysis and enrichment. The annotated genes included 46 Gene Ontology (GO) terms, 120 KEGG pathways, and 25 COGs. Compared with the control, 6035 genes were significantly different (false discovery rate ≤0.01, |log2Ratio|≥1) in the NaCl-treated samples. These genes were enriched in 10 KEGG pathways and 58 GO terms, and subjected to 25 COG categories. Using high-throughput next-generation sequencing, we built a database as a global transcript resource for Z. japonica Steud. roots. The results of this study will advance our understanding of the early salt response in Japanese lawngrass roots.

Garnotia variyamensis Sunil, Naveen Kumar, & Sanilkumar, a new species of Garnotia from Ernakulam District of Kerala, India, is described and illustrated. The species is distinguishable by the presence of dissimilar spikelet pairs, with one sessile or nearly so with an unawned lemma with empty or male flowers, the other pedicelled with a shortly bifid lemma with a geniculate awn in the sinus and bisexual flowers. The species is also notable by the awned glumes and broad axes of the panicle and its branches. The novelty is probably allied to Garnotia courtallensis. Garnotia variyamensis Sunil, Naveen Kumar, & Sanilkumar, es una nueva especie de Garnotia de Ernakulam Distrito de Kerala, India, que se describe y se ilustra. La especie se distingue por la presencia de pares de espiguillas disimilares, una sésil o casi con un lema mútico con flores vacías o masculinas, la otra pedicelada con un lema cortamente bífido con una arista geniculada en el seno y flores bisexuales. La especie es también notable por sus glumas múticas y ejes de la panícula y sus ramas anchos. La novedad está relacionada con Garnotia courtallensis.

Increased urban populations and drought conditions strain municipal water supplies, often resulting in activation of water conservation plans. Supplemental irrigation can be eliminated in extreme situations, which diminishes functional and visual benefits of turfgrass landscapes. The objective of this research was to evaluate differential responses of four warm‐season turfgrasses receiving supplemental irrigation (subsurface drip) or natural rainfall only in semiarid climate. Celebration bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] and Legacy buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] were sodded in 2014; Jamur Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) and Zeon Manilagrass [Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr.] were sodded in 2016. Species were split with mowing treatments at 5 or 9 cm. Limited mowing effects on response variables led to pooling mowing heights for species. Supplemental irrigation supplied 69 and 173 mm of water from July to September in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Volumetric water content (VWC) in the upper 3.8 cm, canopy temperature, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and visual turf quality were recorded weekly. Drought stress symptoms were evident both years. Manilagrass experienced greatest drought stress, which lowered NDVI and turf quality with significant canopy temperature increase in 2017. Bermudagrass maintained lowest canopy temperature with greatest NDVI and turf quality with natural rainfall each year. Supplemental irrigation was required to lower canopy temperature and enhance NDVI and turf quality for other species. Results suggest bermudagrass maintains best functional and aesthetic quality under 123 mm rainfall. Japanese lawngrass and buffalograss improved with supplemental irrigation, but Manilagrass required supplemental irrigation to provide acceptable quality.