Evolutionary origins of the African forage grass Urochloa
Background and Aims The grass genus Urochloa (Brachiaria) sensu lato includes forage crops that are important for beef and dairy industries in tropical and sub-tropical Africa, South America, and Oceania/Australia. Economically important species include U. brizantha, U. decumbens, U. humidicola, U. mutica, U. arrecta, U. trichopus, U. mosambicensis, and Megathyrsus. maximus, all native to the African continent. Perennial growth habits, large, fast growing palatable leaves, intra- and interspecific morphological variability, apomictic reproductive systems, and frequent polyploidy are widely shared within the genus. The combination of these traits likely favoured the selection for forage domestication and weediness, but trait emergence across Urochloa cannot be modelled, as a robust phylogenetic assessment of the genus has not been conducted. We aim to produce a phylogeny for Urochloa that includes all important forage species, and identify their closest wild relatives (crop wild relatives). Finally, we will use our phylogeny and available trait data to infer the ancestral states of important forage traits across Urochloa s.l. and model the evolution of forage syndromes across the genus. Methods Using a target enrichment sequencing approach (Angiosperms353 baits), we inferred a species level phylogeny for Urochloa s.l.s.ensu lato, encompassing 547 species (~50% of the genus) and outgroups. Phylogenies were inferred using a multispecies coalescent model and maximum likelihood method. We determined the phylogenetic placement of agriculturally important species and identifiedy their closest wild relatives, or crop wild relatives, based on well-supported monophyly. Further, we mapped key traits associated with Urochloa forage crops potential to the species tree and estimated ancestral states for forage traits along branch lengths for continuous traits and at ancestral nodes in discrete traits, exploring trait distribution across the genus.  Key Results Agricultural species belong to five independent clades, including U. brizantha and U. decumbens lying in a previously defined species complex. Crop wild relatives were identified for these clades supporting previous sub-generic groupings in Urochloa based on morphology. Using ancestral trait estimation models, we find that five morphological traits that correlate with forage potential (perennial growth habits, culm height, leaf size, a winged rachis, and large seeds) independently evolved in forage clades.  Conclusions Urochloa s.l. is a highly diverse genus that contains numerous species with agricultural potential, including crop wild relatives that are currently underexploited. All forage species and their crop wild relatives naturally occur on the African continentThe African continent is the centre of origin for these clades and their conservation across their native distributions is essential. Genomic and phenotypic diversity in forage clade species and their wild relatives needs to be better assessed to improve sustainability in Urochloa cultivar production.