B razil is one of the primary beef-producing and -exporting countries in the world. The production system is mostly forage based, and the largest livestock herd in the world (215 million head) relies on ?163 million ha of grasslands (ABIEC, 2019). In addition, only 12.6% of the slaughtered animals come from feedlots (ABIEC, 2019). The forage-based system reduces the production cost and brings competitive advantages to Brazil compared with countries where beef production is highly dependent on feedlots that are labor intensive and depend heavily on expensive equipment, concentrate feeds, and fossil fuel (Dias-Filho, 2014).Despite the importance of grazed pastures, ?70% of Brazilian planted pastures are in some stage of degradation (Macedo et al., 2013), which negatively affects system sustainability (Pequeno et al., 2015). Among the main causes of pasture degradation are the incompatibility of the grass with the local environment and management practices used (Dias-Filho, 2014). Forage breeding programs are important tools for generating new cultivars (i.e., greater productivity, quality, and pest and disease resistance), supporting the release of plants that are well adapted to specific