Analysis and exploitation of cereal genomes with the aid of brachypodium

Brachypodium was proposed to become the Arabidopsis of the cereals due to its small stature, rapid life cycle, phylogenetic proximity to the “core Pooids,” and small genome. Due to the availability of a high quality genome sequence and the development of many tools for functional genomics, it has lived up to this promise. Here, the biology, genetics, and genomics of Brachypodium will be reviewed as a context for the use of the plant, particularly the annual diploid B. distachyon, as a research system. The available resources will be summarized. The use of Brachypodium as a tool for research on the cereal crops will be presented, as will current research in Brachypodium itself on traits relevant to grain and bioenergy production.