Grasses in Pennisetum genus are important high-quality forages in tropical and subtropical regions， characterized by high biomass， strong stress tolerance， and excellent feeding value. They serve as a key resource to alleviate the shortage of forage supply in China. To date， 17 Pennisetum cultivars have been registered in China， most of which are adapted to the southern ecological zones， while there is a lack of stress-tolerant and high-yielding cultivars in northern China， highlighting an urgent need for breeding elite new varieties. This paper reviewed the research progress in conventional breeding techniques， including introduction and domestication， cross breeding， and mutation breeding， as well as molecular breeding approaches such as molecular marker-assisted breeding and genetic engineering. It also analyzed the existing problems， including the shortage of self-incompatible lines， low efficiency of distant hybridization， and an underdeveloped molecular breeding system. Finally， the paper discussed prospects for germplasm resource exploration， optimization of breeding objectives， and application of new technologies， aiming to provide a reference for genetic improvement and industrial development of Pennisetum forages.

Pennisetum  /  Forage breeding  /  Hybrid breeding  /  Engineering breeding