Genomic Constitution of \u3cem\u3eFestulolium\u3c/em\u3e Varieties

Hybrids between species of ryegrass (Lolium) and fescue (Festuca) combine useful agronomical characteristics such as rapid establishment from seed and fodder quality from ryegrass and tolerance against abiotic and biotic stressses from fescue. The superior potential of hybrids has stimulated breeding programs generating so called Festulolium varieties. While the varieties have been evaluated extensively for their agronomic characteristics, little information is publicly available on their genomic constitution. The aim of our study was to analyse genomic constitution of a representative set of commercially available European Festulolium cultivars. To do this, we have employed genomic in situ hybridization (GISH)