High Biomass Potential Research Articles

Degradation of atrazine and changes in soil biological indices throughout dendroremediation using poplars

Dendroremediation, a novel strategy for cleaning up contaminants from the environment by using special woody plant species and microbes, is a popular phytoremediation approach. It is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method that is being increasingly adopted. Poplar species (Populus L.) have been suggested for use in remediation because of their characteristics of high biomass production, fast growth, and potential for removing pollutants. Our environment is often contaminated by toxic substances produced by human activities, and remediation of contamination is therefore a global issue. Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in China. In the present study, ‘I-69/55’ poplar (P. deltoides cv. ‘I-69/55’) and hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides × nigra, DN34) grown in pots were assayed for their ability to remediate atrazine-contaminated soils. The degradation dynamics of atrazine were assessed with a high-performance liquid chromatography system using materials from a greenhouse with different rhizosphere environments. We studied the dynamic variation in microbes and microbial biomass carbon to elucidate the rhizosphere effects and mechanism of remediation of atrazine-contaminated soil by poplar. Our four treatments included a control with uncontaminated soil without a tree, atrazine pollution without a tree, atrazine pollution with ‘I-69/55’ poplar, and atrazine pollution with hybrid poplar. Hybrid poplar showed potential for remediation of atrazine-contaminated soil, and the degradation of atrazine in the rhizosphere was faster than that in non-rhizosphere soil. Atrazine significantly inhibited bacteria growth in non-rhizosphere soil. The high concentration of bacteria in the hybrid poplar rhizosphere might be key to atrazine degradation. Trends of change among fungi and actinomyces did not correspond to trends in atrazine degradation throughout the trial period. Further research is needed to predict the effects of atrazine on cultivable microorganisms in various soils. Atrazine had significant inhibitory effects on microbial biomass carbon in non-rhizosphere soil, and the rhizosphere environment of poplars enhanced the recovery of microbial biomass carbon. The potential for hybrid poplar as a dendroremediation material needs further study.

Aromatic hydrocarbon degradation of biofilm formed by microorganisms on cellulose material at 50 litre modules

Biofilms are defined as community of microorganisms which are irreversibly or reversibly attached on solid surfaces. These microorganisms are embedded in a self-produced exopolysaccharide matrix, and exhibit different growth and bioactivity compared with planktonic cells. With their high biomass density, stability, and potential for biodegradation of recalcitrant compounds contained in oil contaminated wastewater such as aromatic hydrocarbons. Aromatic hydrocarbons are the main constituents of petroleum and its refined products. These compounds are also quantitatively the main environmental pollutants worldwide. In this report, cellulose material was used as a carrier for forming biofilm by microorganisms to remove of these components. Cellulose material is considered as inexpensive, available, sustainable, little waste production and can be recycled. As a result, the microorganisms were successful to adhere on cellulose material at 50 liter module with cell density of 4.3x108 CFU/ml after 7 day-incubation. Under the scanning electron microscope with the 1500 magnification, the microbial cells had a very high density, closely linked together and firm adhesion on the cellulose material. The mixture species biofilm attached on cellulose carrier at 50 liter module had the ability to degrade 80.1, 78.3, 60.0, 98.5 and 91.2% of anthracene, fluorene, naphthalene, phenol and pyrene after 7 days, respectively. The obtained results showed that biofilm formed by multiple bacterial strains attached on cellulose material may considerably increase the degrading efficiency of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. The results also indicated that cellulose material is suitable carrier to choose in removal of aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated wastewater. These results are considered as new approach to apply microbial films on cellulose material to degrade oil polluted waste-water in the environment.

Dynamic quantitative trait loci (QTL) for plant height predict biomass yield in hybrid rye (Secale cereale L.)

The biomethane production from agricultural biomass will be a key component of the future energy mix. Rye (Secale cereale L.) is ideally suited for this purpose due to its high adaptability to a wide range of soils, weather and cropping conditions. Its high biomass yield is achieved with the lowest input of fertilizer and pesticides of all small-grain cereals. For the selection of cultivars with high kernel and biomass potential in the same breeding program, a prediction of biomass yield by indirect traits would increase the selection progress. To analyze quantitative-trait loci (QTL) for plant height in three developmental stages (BBCH 32, BBCH 51–55, BBCH 73) and biomass yield, 258 experimental rye hybrids were grown at three and four locations in Germany in 2011 and 2012, respectively. A genetic linkage map was constructed with 911 molecular markers. The QTL analysis identified a total of 18 QTL for plant height at the three assessment dates and of three QTL for dry matter yield at milk ripening. A major QTL on chromosome 2R explained 46, 12, and 25% of the total genetic variance for plant height at BBCH 51–55, BBCH 73, and for biomass yield, respectively. Furthermore, two large-effect QTL for plant height in two growth stages and dry matter yield were identified on chromosomes 3R and 5R. For eleven of the identified QTL in rye the respective QTL/genes on syntenic rice chromosomes were detected that could serve as candidate genes in follow-up experiments. A set of sequence-tagged site (STS) markers flanking the three QTL alleles for dry matter yield (QDmy-2R, QDmy-3R, and QDmy-5R) enables to the achievement of an indirect selection gain for biomass yield. This marker-assisted strategy allows for the screening of large hybrid rye populations already at early developmental stages without the resource-demanding harvest for biomass yield.

Design and process integration of organic Rankine cycle utilizing biomass for power generation

Indonesia has high potential biomass energy sources from palm oil mill industry activities. The growing interest on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) application to produce electricity by utilizing biomass energy sources are increasingly due to its successfully used for generating electricity from rejected waste heat to the environment in industrial processes. In this study, the potential of the palm oil empty fruit bunch, and wood chip have been used as fuel for biomass to generate electricity based ORC with combustion processes. The heat from combustion burner was transfer by thermal oil heater to evaporate ORC working fluid in the evaporator unit. The Syltherm-XLT thermal oil was used as the heat carrier from combustion burner, while R245fa was used as the working fluid for ORC unit. Appropriate designs integration from biomass combustion unit to ORC unit have been analyzed and proposed to generate expander shaft-work. Moreover, the effect of recuperator on the total system efficiency has also been investigated. It was observed that the fuel consumption was increased when the ORC unit equipped recuperator operated until certain pressure and decreased when operated at high pressure.

The Effects of Several Types of Induced Abiotic Stress on <i>Cephalaria joppensis</i> Germination under Controlled Conditions

The recently domesticated species, Cephalaria joppensis (CJ), is emerging as a new alternative forage crop in Israel. It has high biomass potential and nutritional values that are comparable to forage wheat. However, CJ emerges slowly under cold conditions, which hinders its development as a major winter crop. Additional tolerance for abiotic stress would improve its performance as a forage crop. We examined the effects of several abiotic factors (i.e., cold, salinity, drought and pH) on CJ germination under controlled conditions. The effect of temperature was studied by incubating seeds at different temperatures between 7°C and 35°C. The effects of salinity, osmotic potential and pH were tested by incubating seeds at different NaCl, PEG and pH levels, respectively. Temperature, salinity and osmotic potential significantly affected germination; whereas pH did not. Temperature did not affect the final proportion of germinated seeds, but did affect other germination-rate variables, indicating that germination rate might be the limiting factor under field conditions. Salinity also affected germination-rate variables, but not the proportion of seeds that germinated. Notably, CJ was found to be relatively resistant to high salt concentrations, with a 273 mM NaCl threshold for germination, indicating its potential as a relatively salt-tolerant forage crop. Both the proportion of germinated seeds and the germination rate were highly sensitive to the osmotic-potential treatments, indicating that drought resistance will remain the biggest challenge for CJ. This study provides baseline data for a rapid and efficient system for further screening for abiotic-stress tolerance among wild and cultivated lines of CJ.

Radiation use efficiency, chemical composition, and methane yield of biogas crops under rainfed and irrigated conditions

For biomethane production, the cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is considered a promising alternative substrate to silage maize (Zea mays L.) due to its high biomass potential and associated ecological and environmental benefits. It has also been suggested to grow cup plant on less productive soils because of its presumed drought tolerance, but robust information on the impact of water shortage on biomass growth and substrate quality of cup plant is rare. Therefore, this study assesses the effects of soil water availability on the chemical composition and specific methane yield (SMY) of cup plant. Furthermore above-ground dry matter yield (DMY) was analysed as a function of intercepted photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and radiation use efficiency (RUE). Data were collected in a two-year field experiment under rainfed and irrigated conditions with cup plant, maize, and lucerne-grass (Medicago sativa L., Festuca pratensis Huds., Phleum pratense L.). The cup plant revealed a slight decrease of −6% in the SMY in response to water shortage (less than 50% of plant available water capacity). The average SMY of cup plant [306 l (kg volatile solids (VS))−1] was lower than that of maize [362 l (kg VS)−1] and lucerne-grass [334 l (kg VS)−1]. The mean drought-related reduction of the methane hectare yield (MHY) was significantly greater for cup plant (−40%) than for maize (−17%) and lucerne-grass (−13%). The DMY reduction in rainfed cup plant was mainly attributed to a more severe decrease in RUE (−29%) than for maize (−16%) and lucerne-grass (−12%). Under water stress, the mean cup plant RUE (1.3 g MJ−1) was significantly lower than that of maize (2.9 g MJ−1) and lucerne-grass (1.4 g MJ−1). Compared to RUE, the reduced PAR interception was less meaningful for DMY in rainfed crops. Hence, the cup plant is not suitable for growing on drought prone lands due to its high water demand required to produce reasonably high MHYs.

Retrofitting existing coal power plants through cofiring with hydrothermally treated empty fruit bunch and a novel integrated system

High-potential biomass residues from the palm oil industry such as palm kernel shells and empty fruit bunch (EFB) must be utilized with the appropriate technology to optimize its economic benefit and minimize the environmental impacts. In this study, the cofiring behavior of hydrothermally treated EFB (HT-EFB) with coal is analyzed in terms of thermal behavior including temperature distribution and the composition of gases produced (CO and CO2) through computational fluid dynamics. Several HT-EFB mass fractions are evaluated, i.e., 0%, 10%, 25%, and 50%. To complement this research, an experimental study is conducted to validate the simulation results. In general, an HT-EFB mass fraction in the range of 10–25% seems to be the most preferable cofiring condition. In addition, an integrated system is also proposed and evaluated including coal drying, HT treatment of EFB, cofiring, and power generation. Very low energy consumption during coal drying and HT treatment of EFB can be achieved. Finally, the net power generation efficiency of the proposed integrated system is approximately 40% including coal drying and HT treatment of EFB processes.

Metal-Free Hydrogenation of Biomass Derived Furfural into Furfuryl Alcohol Over Carbon–MgO Catalysts in Continuous Mode

With the aim of producing high potential biomass derived chemicals and biofuels in safe environment, carbon–MgO composite (MgO-CX, X = wt% of carbon content) eco-friendly metal-free catalysts have been prepared via in-situ transformation technique using rice grain as carbon precursor. All these MgO-CX catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, temperature programmed desorption of CO2, Raman and FT-IR. The MgO-CX catalysts are subjected to catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural into furfuryl alcohol, using isopropanol as H-donor in continuous process at atmospheric pressure. MgO-C68 is the best catalyst of this series, which exhibited 100% conversion of furfural with 98% selectivity of furfuryl alcohol. The existence of large number of suitable basic sites on the surface of MgO-C68 catalyst is responsible for its superior catalytic activity and durability.

Improved Feedstock Option or Invasive Risk? Comparing Establishment and Productivity of Fertile Miscanthus × giganteus to Miscanthus sinensis

The perennial grass genus Miscanthus has great promise as biomass feedstock, but there are concerns about potential invasion outside production fields. While the sterile hybrid Miscanthus × giganteus is currently one of the leading feedstock options due to its low invasive potential, fertile varieties are being developed to reduce establishment costs, and their invasive risks need to be further assessed. We performed seed addition experiments in Ohio and Iowa, USA to examine the establishment, flowering, persistence, and shoot biomass per plot of a fertile M. × giganteus biotype (‘PowerCane’) and two Miscanthus sinensis biotypes, one feral, and one ornamental. Seeds were added to small, replicated plots in each of the 2 years under two seeding densities and two competition treatments, and plots were monitored for 2–3 years. The ‘PowerCane’ biotype established better, survived better, and produced greater amounts of biomass per plot than both M. sinensis biotypes. All three biotypes flowered by the second or third year after establishment, with inflorescences more numerous in ‘PowerCane’ and the Ornamental M. sinensis biotypes. Effects of seeding density and competition on these patterns were minor in most cases. Our research suggests that ‘PowerCane’ exhibits many traits shared by both biomass crops and invasive species: multi-year persistence, high biomass potential, and fertility. We suggest that the benefits of a seeded M. × giganteus should be carefully weighed against its increased invasive risk prior to deployment across the landscape.

Phenomics analysis of drought responses in Miscanthus collected from different geographical locations

AbstractMiscanthus is a genus of C4 perennial grasses capable of high biomass potential even in temperate regions making it an ideal industrial crop for the renewable supply of energy and chemicals. Yield is strongly linked to water availability, and many environments have limited water supply where otherwise irradiation and temperature are favourable. A total of 47 Miscanthus genotypes, diverse regarding collection site and genotype, were screened in a high‐throughput phenomics facility under drought to generate high‐quality time‐course data for biomass accumulation and water use. Plants were subjected to three treatments: a watered control, mild drought (20% of field capacity) and a severe drought (water completely withdrawn). Daily visual spectrum images were calibrated to harvested biomass and used to assess biomass accumulation over the experiment. Image analyses were used to determine growth and senescence as functions of time and treatment, plant survival and to relate responses to geographical data. An accurate prediction of plant biomass (R2 = 0.92***) was made by comparing actual harvested biomass and projected shoot area. Dynamic responses in senescence between the multiple genotypes under the three treatments demonstrated stay‐green and senescence responses were not associated with species. Microclimate/geographical modelling indicated that origin of genotype was associated with drought tolerance and this helped explain the different responses within the same species. Water‐use efficiency (WUE), the amount of dry biomass accumulated per kg of water, correlated with summer rainfall. Phenomic analysis of drought responses was shown to have the potential to improve the selection of breeding candidates in Miscanthus and has identified interesting Miscanthus genotypes combining high biomass and high WUE for further characterization.

Variation in sequences containing microsatellite motifs in the perennial biomass and forage grass, Phalaris arundinacea (Poaceae).

Forty three microsatellite markers were developed for further genetic characterisation of a forage and biomass grass crop, for which genomic resources are currently scarce. The microsatellite markers were developed from a normalized EST-SSR library. All of the 43 markers gave a clear banding pattern on 3 % Metaphor agarose gels. Eight selected SSR markers were tested in detail for polymorphism across eleven DNA samples of large geographic distribution across Europe. The new set of 43 SSR markers will help future research to characterise the genetic structure and diversity of Phalaris arundinacea, with a potential to further understand its invasive character in North American wetlands, as well as aid in breeding work for desired biomass and forage traits. P. arundinacea is particularly valued in the northern latitude as a crop with high biomass potential, even more so on marginal lands.

Genetic Variation for Achene Traits in Cup Plant (<i>Silphium perfoliatum</i> L.)

Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) has demonstrated potential for biomass production in studies using transplants in poorly drained cropland not suitable for conventional crops, but little is known about its establishment from seeding. The success rate for stand establishment of perennial plants is usually positively correlated with seed weight. Therefore, objectives of this study were to determine contribution of genetic effects to variation in achene weight, seed weight, achene length, and achene width of cup plant in a population with high biomass potential. Seedlings of 33 half-sib (HS) families were transplanted at Brookings, SD in 1999 and 2010. Achene/seed traits were determined at seed maturity in 2000, 2011 and 2012. Narrow-sense heritability was higher for achene weight and seed weight than that for dimensional achene traits. Within-population genetic variation occurred for achene and seed weight, both of which varied in response to temporal variation in precipitation and temperature. Results of this study indicated the presence of sufficient additive genetic variation for progress from among-family selection for achene weight. Thus, since families with heavy achenes had higher percent seedling emergence and superior seedling vigor compared to families with light achenes, achene weight may be useful for indirect selection for enhanced seed quality in development of new cultivars of cup plant for biomass production on marginal crop land.

The potential of the energy cane as the main biomass crop for the cellulosic industry

Abstract The last century was the scene of an extraordinary social and economic development of mankind. This development had the fossil energy as one of its pillars. The discovery of petrol led the society to shape a development model highly dependent on this source of energy, which has finite resources and also promotes a big increase on the greenhouse gases, with unforeseeable consequences for the human beings as well as the entire life. It is imperative that we change the pillars of energy from fossil to renewables that will be more sustainable and less aggressive to the environment. One of the sources of this new energy platform, probably the best, is biomass. Fibrous plants bring several advantages and fit well within the requirements deemed important to be elected as producers of biomass. Among these characteristics we have the high processing capacity of solar energy into biomass, fast growth, long-term canopy, possibility of large-scale production. Despite of that this plants are adapted to suboptimal environments that allows its production not compete with food production because it requires less energy input, bringing marginal lands into production with its all social-benefit consequences. Among the fibrous plants, SUGAR CANE or, better, ENERGY CANE has one of the biggest potential for biomass productions. Results from several breeding programs has showing the high biomass potential of energy cane over other biomass crops like sorghum, elephant grass and eucalyptus.

The abiotic stress response and adaptation of triticale — A review

After a decade of genetic manipulation and improvement, triticale stand out as a crop of high biomass and grain yield potential which generally surpass that of wheat. Its high productivity is most likely derived from high rates of carbon assimilation linked to stomatal physiology and probably low respiration rate. Being a derivative of rye, triticale has always been assumed to be relatively resistant to abiotic stress. The last review of triticale adaptation to abiotic stress as published by Jessop (1996) pointed at its general and specific fitness to harsh growing conditions. This review as based on additional data published in the last 20 years indicates that triticale retain good to excellent adaptation to conditions of limited water supply and problem soils which involve salinity, low pH, defined mineral toxicities and deficiencies and waterlogging. Despite the understandable expectations, freezing tolerance of triticale was not found to be up to the level of rye. The freezing tolerance of the rye complement in triticale is inhibited by unknown factors on the wheat parent genome. Any given triticale cultivar or selection cannot be taken a priori as being stress resistant. Research has repeatedly shown that triticale presented large genetic diversity for abiotic stress resistance and most likely this diversity has not yet been fully explored due to the very limited research and the small studied sample of the potential triticale germplasm. Triticale is a valuable stress tolerant cereal on its own accord and a potential genetic resource for breeding winter and spring cereals. Because of its high productivity and resilience it might become as important as wheat or better on a global scale if its grain technological quality will be improved to the level of wheat.

Biomass potential of novel interspecific hybrids involving improved clones of Saccharum

Saccharum spontaneum has contributed a wide range of important traits such as high vigour, hardiness, ratooning ability and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses to modern sugarcane cultivars. The interspecific hybrids involving S. spontaneum has the greatest potential as energy canes in view of their high biomass potential. The hybrids are highly productive, have high fibre content, tolerance to biotic stresses and can be grown under suboptimal conditions. In the present study, 32 interspecific hybrids involving improved Saccharum were evaluated for sugar and biomass contributing traits for two seasons. The results indicated that the hybrids generally have higher biomass potential compared to the commercial varieties. The variation among the clones for different traits was significant. The clone×year interaction was highly significant for all the traits indicating that the clones performed differently during the two seasons. Thirteen of the hybrids recorded significantly higher dry biomass yield than the population mean of 46.51tha−1. Fibre% was positively correlated with dry matter% as well as dry biomass and it did not show any significant association with the juice quality traits indicating the possibility of combining both increased fibre and sugar content in the same genotype. Among the various traits studied, fibre%, number of stalks/plot, stalk yield and fresh biomass yield were found to be positively correlated to dry biomass yield.

Advances in biotechnology and genomics of switchgrass.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a C4 perennial warm season grass indigenous to the North American tallgrass prairie. A number of its natural and agronomic traits, including adaptation to a wide geographical distribution, low nutrient requirements and production costs, high water use efficiency, high biomass potential, ease of harvesting, and potential for carbon storage, make it an attractive dedicated biomass crop for biofuel production. We believe that genetic improvements using biotechnology will be important to realize the potential of the biomass and biofuel-related uses of switchgrass. Tissue culture techniques aimed at rapid propagation of switchgrass and genetic transformation protocols have been developed. Rapid progress in genome sequencing and bioinformatics has provided efficient strategies to identify, tag, clone and manipulate many economically-important genes, including those related to higher biomass, saccharification efficiency, and lignin biosynthesis. Application of the best genetic tools should render improved switchgrass that will be more economically and environmentally sustainable as a lignocellulosic bioenergy feedstock.

Higher genetic diversity and gene flow in wild populations of Miscanthus sinensis in southwest China

Miscanthus sinensis , a C 4 perennial grass, is widely distributed in most parts of China. M. sinensis has been selected as a candidate for bioenergy resources, owing to its high biomass potential and good adaptability on marginal lands. In this study, we detected the genetic diversity in wild populations of M. sinensis in southwest China. The results showed the percentage of polymorphic bands is 93.2%, the average Nei's gene diversity in population was 0.3870 and mean Shannon index was 0.5589. The mean of total gene diversity ( H T ) was 0.3831 ± 0.0216, while the allelic diversity within populations ( H S ) and among populations ( D ST ) was 0.3127 ± 0.0161 and 0.0704, respectively. The genetic differentiation coefficient ( G ST ) was 0.1838, and the gene flow ( N m ) was 1.110. The wild populations of M. sinensis have high genetic diversity within each population than among populations. As M. sinensis has a large phenotypic variation in many traits that are important for biomass yield, the best yielding genotypes could be bred into hybrids with low input and high output bioenergy crops. ► Sorghum EST-SSR primers showed high efficiency for amplifying the Miscanthus sinensis genome. ► The wild populations of M. sinensis have high level genetic diversity. ► The genetic diversity within populations was higher than among populations. ► There was high frequency of gene flow between different populations.

Fertilizer management of eucalypt plantations on sandy soil in Brazil: Initial growth and nutrient cycling

The sustainability of plantation forests requires the consideration of environmental and economic factors. Fertilization is an important practice in eucalypt plantations that should be adjusted to provide high productivity at the lowest cost without negatively affecting the environment. Eucalypt plantations are expanding worldwide, mainly because of the growing demand for wood and the high potential biomass production. Many field experiments have shown that using large amounts of fertilizer increases tree growth. However, the excessive or inappropriate application of fertilizer can cause nutrient leaching and the loss of the fertilizer. In this study, we evaluated the effect of increasing the fertilizer doses on the early growth and nutrient cycling in eucalypt plantations. Moreover, the amount of N and K leached after the application of split vs. single applications of N and K fertilizers after planting were quantified. A eucalypt plantation with a randomized block design was established in southern Brazil, consisting of six treatments and five blocks. The split application include the following five treatments of N and K fertilizers after planting: T1=control (without fertilizer), T2=40kgha−1 N; 16kgha−1 P; 53kgha−1 K (literature recommendation), T3=twofold the dose in T2 (commercial application used by forest companies), T4=threefold the dose in T2, T5=fourfold the dose in T2 (highest dose), and one treatment (T6) where the N and K fertilizers after planting amount in T3 was with a single application added at age 3months. At harvest, the export of nutrients was greater than the amounts added by a commercial mineral fertilization only for N. The eucalypt trees responded positively to increasing the fertilization rates, especially during the first year after planting. The highest dose of fertilizer led to the production of 57Mgha−1 of biomass (at age 24months), 48% higher than in the control treatment. However, the effect of the highest dose was more evident the first year after planting. The enhancement in biomass production decreased in the second year. The application of fertilizer also resulted in a large nutrient transfer to the soil through the leaf litter. The eucalypt trees receiving the highest dose of fertilizer transferred 50kgN, 20kgK and 80kg Ca ha−1 to the soil over the second year after planting, whereas only 25kgN, 6.5kgK and 47kg Ca ha−1 was returned to the soil by the control-treated trees in the same period. At age 24months, there were no significant differences between the T3 and T6 regarding productivity and nutritional status. Splitting the application of the N and K fertilizers after planting reduced the amounts N–NO3- leached at a depth of 0.9m by 3.0kgha−1 (T3=5.6kg and T6=8.6kg) and the amount of K+ by 31.7kgha−1 (T3=8.3kg and T6=40kg) over the first 2years after planting. Our results suggest that the number of N and K fertilizer applications can be reduced after planting in commercial plantations established on deep tropical soils without negatively affecting on productivity and limited losses by deep drainage.

Rotating a Field of Mature Miscanthus × giganteus to Glyphosate‐Resistant Crops

Miscanthus × giganteus Greef and Deuter ex Hodkinson and Renvoize is a perennial C4 grass being studied as a potential bioenergy feedstock in the United States. It is a triploid, sterile hybrid with high biomass potential. Adoption of a perennial crop is likely to be met with skepticism unless methods of controlling the crop are established. Proposed methods of controlling M. × giganteus typically require at least one full growing season, thus excluding the possibility for revenue from the field for a year. An experiment was conducted from 2007 to 2010 to examine the feasibility of controlling M. × giganteus by planting glyphosate‐resistant soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] followed by glyphosate‐resistant corn (Zea mays L.) directly into a mature (4‐yr old) field of M. × giganteus with typical agronomic practices without significant crop yield loss. Results showed that soybean yields were not significantly reduced with two sequential glyphosate (N‐(phosphonomethyl)glycine) in‐crop applications compared with a weed‐free control, but were generally reduced with one glyphosate application (6.2 and 14.0%, respectively). Corn yields also were not significantly reduced with two sequential glyphosate applications, but were generally reduced with one glyphosate application (0.3 and 7.0%, respectively). Miscanthus × giganteus shoot numbers were reduced by as much as 85.8 and 94.3% over the course of the experiment in plots receiving one and two glyphosate applications per season, respectively. Complete control, however, was not achieved indicating treatments will likely need to be employed for more than two growing seasons to completely control M. × giganteus.

Yield stability analysis of broadly adaptive triticale germplasm in southern and central Alberta, Canada, for industrial end-use suitability

Goyal A., Beres, B. L., Randhawa, H. S., Navabi, A., Salmon, D. F. and Eudes, F. 2011. Yield stability analysis of broadly adaptive triticale germplasm in southern and central Alberta, Canada for industrial end-use suitability. Can. J. Plant Sci. 91: 125–135. Triticale (×Triticosecale Wittmack) is a cereal crop with high grain yield and biomass potential, which are traits desired in biorefinery processes that currently utilize wheat (Triticum aestivum). This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of introduced germplasm for its adaptability to selected Canadian prairie agroecosystems, and to benchmark both introduced and registered triticale lines against hard red spring wheat. To investigate the genotype×environment interaction effects on the performance of triticale genotypes, 30 genotypes (27 triticale; 3 hard red spring wheat) were grown in three environments for 3 yr (2005–2007) in southern and central Alberta, Canada. Variance due to genotypes, years, locations, and their interactions were studied by employing several stability analysis models. Site Regression Model (SREG) and GGE biplot analysis were conducted to rank the relative yield performance of cultivars and to identify stable genotypes. Triticale consistently produced higher grain and biomass than hard red spring wheat, but some lines were high in pentosan content, produced low test weight, and possessed unacceptable growing degree day requirements. However, several of the introduction lines displayed superior trait performance and high stability. Five advanced to “C” level registration testing with one subsequently recommended for registration. The results provide evidence that some of the global triticale germplasm are well-suited to the production environments of the Canadian prairies, and that triticale has potential to be the ideal cereal platform for future technological and biorefinery end-use applications.