This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Genetics and Breeding for Productivity Traits in Forage and Bioenergy Grasses" that was published in Agronomy

Annotation The Special Issue to provide a forum for contemporary studies of the genetics, genomics and phenomics of productivity traits in forage and bioenergy grasses, along with the application of such data to breeding practices and cultivar development.

Forage crops include several species of grasses and legumes that are widely used as animal fodder in the form of hay, pasturage and silage, as well as for turf and erosion control. Some forage grasses are also being considered for bio-energy generation. In this book leading researchers review the latest advances in molecular genetics and genomics; they also examine the success of breeding programs for forage grasses and legume species. The book will be useful for students and young researchers with an interest in forage, turf and bio-energy crops improvements.

Grasslands are among the largest ecosystems in the world and consequently are of great importance to mankind. The genotypes of the species which are the main components of the grasslands have great influence on total outcome and successful utilization of grasslands. Therefore fodder crops and turf swards should be constantly improved to follow modern trends in agriculture production and landscape architecture. The wide range of breeding programs for forage and amenity species, as well as new breeding methods and techniques, is rapidly expanding the boundaries and is making it possible to achieve outstanding breeding results. This book includes papers presented at the 30th EUCARPIA Fodder Crops and Amenity Grasses Section Meeting. The challenging title of the book focuses on breeding of quantitative traits, which directly impact the profitability and sustainability of grasslands and fodder crops production, as well as on multidisciplinary approach in grassland research and utilisation. Included papers offer a unique collection of ideas and breakthroughs in the fields of fodder crops and amenity grasses breeding and genetics, as well as in the creative and innovative application of new tools in practical breeding.

The abiotic stresses like drought, temperature, cold, salinity, heavy metals etc. affect a great deal on the yield performance of the agricultural crops. To cope up with these challenges, plant breeding programs world-wide are focussing on the development of stress tolerant varieties in all crop species. Significant genomic advances have been made for abiotic stress tolerance in various crop species in terms of availability of molecular markers, QTL mapping, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genomic selection (GS) strategies, and transcriptome profiling. The broad-range of articles involving genomics and breeding approaches deepens our existing knowledge about complex traits. The chapters are written by authorities in their respective fields. This book provides comprehensive and consolidated account on the applications of the most recent findings and the progress made in genomics assisted breeding for tolerance to abiotic stresses in many important major crop species with a focus on applications of modern strategies for sustainable agriculture. The book is especially intended for students, molecular breeders and scientists working on the genomics-assisted genetic improvement of crop species for abiotic stress tolerance.

Forage plant breeding has entered the genome era. This timely book reviews the latest advances in the development and application of molecular technologies which supplement conventional breeding efforts for our major forage crops. It describes the plethora of new technologies and tools now available for high-throughput gene discovery, genome-wide gene expression analysis, production of transgenic plants, genome analysis and marker-assisted selection as applied to forage plants. Detailed accounts are presented of current and future opportunities for innovative applications of these molecular tools and technologies in the identification, functional characterisation, and use of valuable genes in forage production systems and beyond. This book represents a valuable resource for plant breeders, geneticists, and molecular biologists, and will be of particular relevance to advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers with an interest in forage legumes and grasses.

This edited book is collection of information on molecular interventions needed for climate-resilient forage crops. The main focus is to address the gap in the advanced scientific knowledge for the forage species. Agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate, and even slight change in climatic factors such as temperature causes tremendous losses in yield potential. Forage crops are crucial in global food security and environmental sustainability and face several environmental challenges in field conditions. However, the research on forage crops is far-off compared to agricultural crops and causes a substantial gap in forage demand and productivity. Further, this gap is directly associated with animal health, reproduction, and productivity. Abiotic stresses mainly affect the plant's crucial processes, ultimately reducing the final yield. The problem of abiotic stresses is more frequent in forage crops as they are growing and cultivated in less productive soil and harsh conditions. This book discusses current aspects of crucial physiological, biochemical and molecular processes in forage crops, which are essential for forage crops improvement. The text's major focus is on the advanced technologies and approaches such as seed priming, bio-fortification, breeding, omics, transgenic and bioengineering of metabolic pathways in unique ways, which helps us develop innovative solutions for forage crops. This book covers all the crucial advance technologies, which help mitigate the abiotic stresses in forage crops. We believe that this book will initiate and introduce the readers to state-of-the-art developments and unique in this field of study. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, capacity builders, and policymakers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists and policymakers will also find this a worthwhile read.