We aim to define the relationships, biodiversity and germplasm resources of a major group of tropical grasses. The project has both fundamental outcomes in defining species and their evolution or phylogeny; and applied outcomes directed to understanding the world’s biodiversity and allowing access to novel genes for breeding improvement and increased sustainability of half the world’s agricultural land used for grazing, mostly of grasses. We will plan to study a near-complete range of about 90 species in the complex genus Urochloa sensu lato (including Brachiaria, Megathyrus, and Panicum), a major tropical forage grass group. The relationships of many species are unclear, particularly with the widespread polyploid taxa. The project will build on our work showing genome compositions in some Urochloa polyploid species (Tomaszewska et al. 2022), the framework of relationships of African grass accessions (Masters et al. 2024). Genomic approaches enable natural (evolutionary) relationships between all plant species to be defined (Zutini, Vorontsova, et al. 2024) and measures intraspecifc diversity. A comprehensive evolutionary study (eg., see Liu et al., 2024) is essential, extending to encompass nature, interactions and regulation of genomes in polyploid species, identifying structural variation between genomes. The research necessitates state-of-the-art molecular biology, cytogenomics, and bioinformatics, using the laboratories available in Leicester, complemented by an international herbarium collection. We will define both relationships and genome origin in polyploid species. We will test whether genes are preferentially expressed from one genome in polyploids, looking at transcriptomes and epigenetic aspects (DNA methylation; chromatin conformation, alternative splicing), finding genetic characters that makes species useful as forage grasses or for improvement of germplasm, and those that are an environmental threat as invasive weeds, investigating distribution changes and threats from climate change.
Figure 1: Urochloa forage grasses. Left to right: a flower held in hand in Leicester greenhouse; part of an international herbarium specimen; cattle grazing forage; trial plots of Urochloa accessions in Colombia
This project is not suitable for CASE funding
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1) morphological analysis based in the herbarium at the RBG, Kew; quantitative study of grass spikelets, leaves and ideally roots, harnessing the Kew herbarium to understand diversity across space; and link data to living material and agronomic performance (including environmental-related traits), including the utility for breeding (20%)
2) genetic, epigenetic, chromosomal and genomic analysis based at UoL. The genomic studies will involve DNA and RNA extraction, and long-molecule sequencing with DNA methylation calling on a Nanopore system. Chromosomal preparations will be made to determine ploidy and used for in situ hybridization to characterize genome composition.
3) Development of baiting strategies to identify genes common to grasses and agronomic or morphological differentiation. Bioinformatics to understand within-species diversity and phylogeny. Make the data available to plant breeders
DRs will be awarded CENTA Training Credits (CTCs) for participation in CENTA-provided and ‘free choice’ external training. One CTC can be earned per 3 hours training, and DRs must accrue 100 CTCs across the three and a half years of their PhD.
Research is based at the University of Leicester (UoL) and Kew, with potential research in Africa and South America. Students will receive training in modern quantitative taxonomic, morphological and collection methods using RBG Kew grass taxonomy expertise; and work with wet- and dry-lab molecular biology and crop germplasm at UoL with genomic and bioinformatic work at both sites.
Both partners provide extensive training in plant science, and have expertise in science communication, and international partnerships.
Skills developed are interdisciplinary and relevant to many fields in industry and academia including plant science, crop breeding, development programmes, project management, and science communication.
An equal partnership between UoL and RBG Kew builds on ongoing collaboration. Links include CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture), Kew-Madagascar Conservation Centre and University of Wroclaw, Poland. Equal time will be spent in Kew and Leicester, making best use of outstanding facilities, including the premier collection of grasses in the world. PHH provides expertise in genomics, cytogenetics, biodiversity measurement, and grass genetic improvement; MV provides expertise on tropical grass taxonomy and collections. Both Partners have extensive collaboration with tropical partners; third co-PI Paulina Tomaszewska, formerly MarieCurie Fellow, has extensive publications on Urochloa, and is now an academic in Wroclaw.
Year 1: Study herbarium and germplasm collections for variability of Urochloa (200 accessions, 100 species); Grow seedlings and plants, make chromosome preparations, 20x DNA and RNA extractions of high molecular weight DNA or RNA, with Nanopore or Illumina sequencing.
Year 2: Measure key morphological traits and identify genes related to forage uses, biodiversity and sustainability. Analyse genome methylation in a tetraploid accession; ChiP sequencing; correlate with full length RNA expression patterns. Generate oligonucleotide baits to isolate key ;
Year 3: Quantify diversity, evolutionary patterns, and genome interactions using molecular (DNA, RNA), cytogenomics (genomes, methylation) and morphological (herbarium, plants) data, writing up.
Liu Q, Ye L, Li M, Wang Z, Xiong G, Ye Y, Tu T, Schwarzacher T, Heslop-Harrison JS. 2023. Genome-wide expansion and reorganization during grass evolution: from 30 Mb chromosomes in rice and Brachypodium to 550 Mb in Avena. BMC Plant Biology 23:627. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-023-04644-7.
Masters LE, Tomaszewska P, Hackel J, Zuntini AR, Schwarzacher T, Heslop-Harrison JS, Vorontsova MS. 2024. Phylogenomic analysis reveals five independently evolved African forage grass clades in the genus Urochloa. Annals of Botany. 2024 Feb 14:mcae022. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae022
Tomaszewska P, Vorontsova MS, Renvoize SA, Ficinski SZ, Tohme J, Schwarzacher T, Castiblanco V, de Vega JJ, Mitchell RA, Heslop-Harrison P. 2022. Complex polyploid and hybrid species in an apomictic and sexual tropical forage grass group: genomic composition and evolution in Urochloa (Brachiaria). Annals of Botany 131(1).: 87–108. doi:10.1093/aob/mcab147
Zuntini AR, Carruthers T, Maurin O, Bailey PC, Leempoel K, Brewer GE, Epitawalage N, Françoso E, Gallego-Paramo B, McGinnie C, Vorontsova M, Masters L et al. 2024. Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms. Nature 629(8013): 843-850.
www.molcyt.org includes relevant publications and information about some current projects.
RBG Kew https://www.kew.org/science/our-science/people/bat-vorontsova
For any enquiries related to this project please contact Pat Heslop-Harrison, [email protected]
To apply to this project:
Applications must be submitted by 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 7th January 2026.