Abstract
Triploid Miscanthus × giganteus (Greef et Deu. ex Hodkinson et Renvoize) is a sterile, perennial grass used for biomass production in temperate environments. While M. × giganteus has been intensively researched, a scale standardizing description of M. × giganteus morphological stages has not been developed. Here we provide such a scale by adapting the widely-used Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt, CHemische Industrie (BBCH) scale and its corresponding numerical code to describe stages of morphological development in M. × giganteus using observations of the “Freedom” and “Illinois” clone in Iowa, USA. Descriptive keys with images are also presented. Because M. × giganteus plants overlap in the field, the scale was first applied to individual stems and then scaled up to assess plants or communities. Of the 10 principal growth stages in the BBCH system, eight were observed in M. × giganteus. Each principal stage was subdivided into secondary stages to enable a detailed description of developmental progression. While M. × giganteus does not have seed development stages, descriptions of those stages are provided to extend the scale to other Miscanthus genotypes. We present methods to use morphological development data to assess phenology by calculating the onset, duration, and abundance of each developmental stage. This scale has potential to harmonize previously described study-specific scales and standardize results across studies. Use of the precise staging presented here should more tightly constrain estimates of developmental parameters in crop models and increase the efficacy of timing-sensitive crop management practices like pest control and harvest.
Highlights
Miscanthus × giganteus is an interspecific hybrid of M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis (Greef et al, 1997; Hodkinson and Renvoize, 2001) with C4 photosynthesis and a perennial growth habit
We modified the BBCH scale to describe morphological development stages of M. × giganteus using peer-reviewed literature supplemented by field observations made over a range of plant age and growth conditions
We present descriptions of M. × giganteus principal growth stages (Table 2) and use morphological development data to demonstrate the calculation of stage summary statistics as well stage onset, duration, and abundance for phenology assessment
Summary
Miscanthus × giganteus is an interspecific hybrid of M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis (Greef et al, 1997; Hodkinson and Renvoize, 2001) with C4 photosynthesis and a perennial growth habit. A major target of perennial grass improvement programs is to develop genotypes with variant plant morphology and phenology that allow more efficient resource capture or improved. To advance understanding of phenology in Miscanthus and related species, we propose using a common morphological development scale based on triploid M. Numerical naming conventions for morphological stages would allow unambiguous and quantitative characterization of M. × giganteus development, as well as its seasonal timing i.e., phenology (Sanderson et al, 1997), as has been done in other major crops. Morphological development descriptions are crucial to practitioners who need to manage the crop at physiologically important times (e.g., for pest control and harvest) that are better described by a development stage than a substitute metric like Julian day or thermal time
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