Lolium multiflorum Raw sequence reads. Lolium multiflorum

Compared to traditional molecular markers, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is more common within plant genomes, making it a better tool for variety identification in modern plant breeding programs. In particular, owing to the rapid development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, such as simplified genome sequencing (e.g., RAD-seq, GBS and so on), the acquisition of SNP markers has recently become cheaper and more efficient. Although GBS markers provide a good result for variety distinction among lucerne varieties, the RAD-seq has been a better choice for some species such as Italian ryegrass that lacks genome information. This study uses large-size mixed samples with multiple datasets to identify eleven Italian ryegrass varieties, thereby providing a reference for auxiliary identification of OPVs, especially for species whose genome information is lacking or limited.