Format: ORAL

Jos Luis Blanco-Pastor1*, P. Barre2, J.F. Bourcier2, A. Boutet2, S. Delaunay2, A. Escobar-Gutirrez2, A.J. Muoz-Pajares3, E. Roy2, F. Surault2 et J.P. Sampoux2

1. Departamento de Biología, Instituto de Investigación Vitivinícola y Agroalimentaria (IVAGRO), Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario (ceiA3), Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. 2. INRAE, Centre Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Poitiers, UR4 (URP3F), Le Chêne – RD 150 CS 80006, 86600 Lusignan, France. 3. Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain.

In recent decades, there has been an increasing number of studies on the genetic basis of adaptation in a variety of species of agricultural importance. These studies are based on the idea that we can predict the optimal genetic component to cope with climate change by identifying the current allelic frequencies of adaptive genes in particular climates or geographical regions. This approach assumes that, in the absence of temporal data (future climate), these can be replaced by geographic data. Here we present results on geographic genetic variability in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) but also temporal genetic variability in meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.). We identified the temporal genetic change in meadow fescue using populations sampled long enough to empirically analyze allele frequency changes over evolutionary time. We sampled three meadow fescue populations from Switzerland that have evolved without artificial reseeding. We performed whole genome sequencing of pooled samples (pool-Seq) on individuals derived from seed samples of these populations, which were sampled in the late 1970s and resampled in 2021, and analyzed allele frequency differences across the genome. We also grew these individuals in a common garden and measured agronomic traits associated with adaptation to climate. Analysis of allele frequency and phenotypic changes in these populations will provide information on the candidate genomic and physiological mechanisms of adaptation to climate change in grassland species.