Comprehensive evaluation of wild Elymus L. germplasm in Inner Mongolia

摘要

Grassland degradation is increasing in severity and is an important global issue in the 21st century. Increasing research is being conducted on how to solve these problems hi and Jiang 2004). Restoration and revegetation of degraded grassland and theestablishment of artificial pastures are important in addressing degradation. Successful restoration requires the identification of species and seed sources that are adapted to the ecological conditions of the restoration site. Elymus L. is a large genusthat contains about 150 species distributed across a wide range of ecological sites across temperate and subtropical regions of the world (Dewey 1984; Love 1984). There are at least 12 species in China (Guol987). Elymus includes many economically important forage grasses as well as species that possess useful genes for disease resistance, stress tolerance and adaptation, which can potentially be transferred to cereal crops through gene introgression. Species within Elymus have the potential for playing an important role in artificial pasture construction, grassland and animal husbandry development and ecological restoration. However, research is lacking on Chinese Elymus species, which can provide critical information for selecting suitable Elymus varieties and extending their use in China.