High density genetic map construction for St. Augustinegrass using GBS

St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] is a warm-season, perennial turfgrass species well adapted for home lawns and commercial landscapes with economic and ecological value. However, a lack of genomic resources in St. Augustinegrass has hindered the full utilization of genetic variance for maximizing genetic gain and limited our understanding of the species’ evolution. In this study, a large number of SNP markers were developed using a genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approach, which could be used to construct the first high-density linkage map for St. Augustinegrass.