Miscanthus Varieties Research Articles

Heterosis for biomass yield and quality traits in a reciprocal cross population between Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus lutarioriparius

Heterosis plays an important role in plant breeding and has been widely used in the production of a variety of food crops. However, cross-breeding is particularly important in the breeding of new varieties of the energy crop miscanthus due to its characteristics of self-incompatibility and lack of interspecific reproductive isolation. Therefore, in the current study, 30 direct cross hybrids and 150 reciprocal cross hybrids were obtained from a cross between M. sinensis and M. lutarioriparius. These hybrids were significantly different in phenotype and were used for a detailed analysis of heterosis. The mid-parent, over-parent and over-standard heterosis of the hybrids for yield-related agronomic traits were analyzed. The results showed that the hybrids from direct and reciprocal crosses exhibited significant trait segregation and acquired dominant agronomic traits from both parents, showing mid-parent, over-parent and over-standard heterosis. Plant height, tiller number, stem node number, and stem diameter showed maternal inheritance. Principal component analysis was used to construct the linear combination relationship of yield-related agronomic traits. Excellent hybrids were screened against the commercial miscanthus variety Miscanthus × giganteus. These hybrids were superior to their two parents and M. × giganteus in terms of phenotypic yield-related agronomic traits, biomass yield, and quality. These results not only confirmed the feasibility of breeding miscanthus by remote crosses, but also provided a reference for the application, cross-breeding and breeding of new miscanthus varieties.

Morphological and Physiological Traits that Explain Yield Response to Drought Stress in Miscanthus

Miscanthus is a high yielding perennial grass capable of high biomass yields with low inputs. Traits associated with yield have been identified in miscanthus, but less is known about the traits associated with sustaining biomass production under drought stress. The commercial hybrid M. × giganteus and high yielding examples from the parental species M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus were grown under well-watered and moderate drought conditions. Growth, morphology, physiology and phenotypic plasticity were analyzed. Functional data were parameterized and a matrix of traits examined for associations with yield, genotype and drought treatment. Phenotypic plasticity was determined, indexes were then calculated to determine the plasticity of trait responses. All genotypes assessed responded to moderate drought stress, and genotypic differences in yield decreased under drought. Genotypes with low tolerance exhibited greater plasticity than highly drought tolerant M. sinensis. In well-watered plants variance in yield was explained by a relatively simple empirical model including stem length and stem number, whereas under drought a more complex model was needed including the addition of leaf area and stomatal conductance data. This knowledge can help us to define ideotypes for drought tolerance and develop miscanthus varieties that sustain high yields across a range of environmental conditions.

Biomass gasification of hybrid seed Miscanthus in Glasgow’s downdraft gasifier testbed system

Global energy problems, rise in CO2 emissions and their implications on climate change are well documented. Renewable energy provides a crucial role in reducing these emissions whilst providing sustainable energy; energy conversion of biomass forms a valuable part of a renewable energy portfolio, with capability for baseload provision, and gas and electricity production. Gasification is the thermochemical conversion of biomass (carbonaceous material) into producer gases. A small-scale throated downdraft gasifier was designed and manufactured at the University of Glasgow and built to easily assess the gasification performance under different conditions e.g. feedstock variety and with different instrumentation and control strategies. Various feedstock varieties of Miscanthus (OPM12, MxG, and OPM53) were gasified under the same equivalence ratio (ER 0.30). The elemental compositions of each Miscanthus varied with their genetic properties. A Gasifier Control Unit (G.C.U) was installed on the experimental gasifier to measure parameters: temperature, pressure, liquid flow and mass flow. The gasifier was operated in batch mode; to improve repeatability the throat, grate and assembly were cleaned after each experiment. The experimental work reported in this research is mainly focused on the comparative study and analysis of the producer gas compositions, carbon conversion efficiency, higher heating value (HHV), lower heating value (LHV), cold gas efficiency and gas yield with the different biomass feedstocks. The ultimate and proximate analysis was done for all Miscanthus varieties along with ash analysis. The major outcome of this research was to investigate the impact of feedstock variety on gasification performance and identify preferred Miscanthus varieties to grow at scale with optimised gasification.

Development of a multi-criteria decision making model for evaluating the energy potential of Miscanthus germplasms for bioenergy production

Biomass is the bioenergy carrier and can be converted to solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. Miscanthus, a plant type with high biomass yield potential, is a promising feedstock source for bioenergy production. However, the current expansion of miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.) production is constrained by a shortage of commercial varieties, especially those suitable for different energy usages and cultivation under adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, breeding or selecting high-biomass-yielding, high quality and stress tolerant miscanthus varieties is essential for the extension of miscanthus for bioenergy production. To effectively select elite germplasms and breed new varieties of miscanthus, it is necessary to establish a scientific evaluation method for analysing their energy potential. In this study, a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model was designed to evaluate the potential of miscanthus germplasms as feedstock in four energy usages including combustion for power generation (CPG), pyrolysis for bio-oil production (PBP), fermentation for ethanol production (FEP) and fermentation for biogas production (FBP). The MCDM model was constructed based on 11 sub-criteria indices, which were grouped into agronomic-related and quality-related criteria indices. The agronomic-related criteria indices include dry matter yield, canopy height, stem diameter, tiller number and base diameter/canopy diameter ratio. The quality-related criteria indices include the leaf/stem ratio, moisture content, ash content, cellulose content, hemicellulose content and lignin content. Thirty-eight representative germplasms of miscanthus were evaluated. The MCDM analysis results showed that Miscanthus lutarioriparius (especially the XiangNanDi no. 1 variety) and Miscanthus floridulus (especially A0521) are the best species for CPG/PBP and FEP/FBP, respectively. These results are superior to those calculated by the traditional energy potential assessment method, which showed that Miscanthus floridulus was the most suitable species for CPG, FEP and FBP, especially A0521 and D0624. Moreover, the analysis also indicated that D0505 (M. floridulus) can be used as a suitable parent together with XiangNanDi no. 1 to breed new varieties for CPG and PBP; XiangNanDi no. 1 can be used as an alternative parent for breeding to improve A0521 for use in FEP and FBP.

Resource potential of some species of the genus Miscanthus Anderss. under conditions of continental climate of West Siberian forest-steppe

In the meantime, search for environmentally friendly renewable energy sources alternative to fossil fuel has been driven by energy security challenges including limited availability of fuel and energy price fluctuations. Therefore herbal perennial grasses with their rapid growth and prominent biomass yield increasingly make it a favorite choice as a valuable agricultural crop usable for cellulosic ethanol production. As an example, the genus Miscanthus Anderss. (silvergrass) comprises ca. 14–20 species including M. sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Hack., M. sinensis Anderss., M. purpurascens Anderss, and M. × giganteus , which appear to be an almost inexhaustible source of sustainable raw material, and several Miscanthus species were investigated as a potential biofuel energy crop with commercially viable way of its producing. Introduction and investigation of Miscanthus species were initiated in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (CSBG SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia) based on the grass and ornamental plant collection in the late 1990s. The paper objective is studying the biological traits of three Miscanthus species introduced into the CSBG SB RAS, selection and genetic identification of cultivars and varieties as the most perspective agricultural crop. To evaluate the potential crop yield and selection prospects of Miscanthus species being competitive as a valuable biofuel energy crop, the authors have estimated seasonal rhythms of model species development in the continental climate conditions of West Siberia. The article characterizes different Miscanthus varieties obtained either by the ex situ or in situ methods; presents the biochemical analysis of plant material and molecular identification of three Miscanthus species introduced into the CSBG SB RAS. The seasonal development analysis of three selected varieties of Miscanthus ( M. sacchariflorus , M. sinensis , and M. purpurascens ) proved the hydrometeorological conditions to be advantageous for prominent biomass yield, e. g. contributory to use Miscanthus in West Siberia as an easy to grow cellulose-rich grass. Molecular markers applicable in DNA-identification and genetic passportization of Miscanthus varieties have been established, which are perspective as such an economically available plant material as alternative non-woody source of cellulose.

Transformation of Miscanthus and Sorghum cellulose during methane fermentation

The purpose of the paper is designation of the changes in the structure of cellulose after the methane fermentation process of Miscanthus and Sorghum harvested during the growing season and afterwards. The percentage and structure of cellulose before and after fermentation were studied. Investigations into changes of the cellulose structure were conducted by the SEC, FT-IR and XRD methods. The average percentage of cellulose after the growing season for Miscanthus varieties was higher and for Sorghum varieties was lower. As a result of the fermentation, the percentage of cellulose for both investigated species harvested in two growth seasons was lower. The degree of polymerisation for the plants harvested after the growing season was lower for the most feedstock. As a result of the fermentation process, the degree of polymerization increased for each of the investigated feedstock. However, crystallinity of cellulose remained at the same level for Miscanthus and decreased for Sorghum. It was shown that changes were different in the cellulose structure of the compared species.

How low can you go?—Rhizome and shoot frost tolerance in miscanthus germplasm

The biomass crop M. x giganteus is susceptible to frost stress. Frost can kill rhizomes during winter or damage new shoots in early spring. To develop new miscanthus varieties with improved rhizome and shoot frost tolerance, a large germplasm collection must first be screened for these traits. We therefore determined the temperature at which 50% of the rhizomes are killed (LT50) in 95 miscanthus genotypes including M. sinensis, M. sacchariflorus, M. x giganteus and interspecific hybrid genotypes. The LT50 in the collection ranged between −0.4 and −5.9°C, while the average LT50 for M. x giganteus was −2.6±0.3°C. On average LT50 was −3.5±0.1°C in M. sinensis, −2.6±0.3°C in M. sacchariflorus and −3.9±0.2°C in the M. sinensis x sacchariflorus hybrids. Rhizome frost tolerance was correlated to the timing of flowering and senescence but not to rhizome moisture content. Wide variation in shoot damage was observed in a field trial after a cold spell in early spring. Determination of apex height indicated that the shoot apex was probably still below ground when frost occurred, explaining the rapid recovery of damaged shoots after the frost event. This study is the largest screening of rhizome and shoot frost tolerance in miscanthus reported to date and demonstrates the availability of frost tolerant genotypes in miscanthus breeding material, potentially supporting the development of new frost tolerant varieties.

Yield and energy balance of annual and perennial lignocellulosic crops for bio-refinery use: A 4-year field experiment in Belgium

In densely populated regions, such as, Belgium, value chains in the bio-economy can be organized on locally produced primary feedstock, allowing cutting down transport costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The energy use efficiency of three major cropping systems under two fertilizer regimes was compared side by side in a 4-year field trial, with the farm-gate as system border. The annual crops maize, sorghum, and Italian ryegrass were compared with the grassland species perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, timothy and tall fescue, and the lignocellulosic crops miscanthus, switchgrass, common reed, reed canary grass, and willow. Maize yielded as average a dry matter of 19.6tha−1y−1 at medium fertilization level. The average dry matter yield of the other crops varied between 3tha−1y−1 for common reed and 21.1tha−1y−1 for Miscanthus × giganteus. However, the highest energy use efficiency was obtained for switchgrass and willow. The factors with the most important impact on the total energy input (EI) were fertilizer application, up to 79% for perennial ryegrass, and the preparation of starting material (e.g., up to 81% of the total EI is attributed to the production of miscanthus rhizomes). Targets for further improvement of the sustainability of the primary feedstock production are the development of resource efficient varieties, e.g., fertilizer use efficient maize varieties or seed-based miscanthus varieties, or the inclusion of energy efficient crops into the rotation system, such as energy beet instead of Italian ryegrass. This study provides interesting insight in the energy balances at the farm level for both the farmer and the industrial actors in the locally organized bio-refinery chains.

Miscanthus Clones Display Large Variation in Floral Biology and Different Environmental Sensitivities Useful for Breeding

A wider range of Miscanthus varieties is required to develop Miscanthus clones that are suitable for bioenergy production. For this reason, breeding programs need to be initiated using knowledge regarding the genetic influence on floral biological traits. The objective of the present study was to characterize the genotypic variation in flowering and panicle architecture traits in Miscanthus by studying (i) the clone effect on these traits and (ii) the clone sensitivity to environmental conditions. The flowering traits characterized were date of panicle emergence, date of flowering onset, and interval between these two traits. The panicle architecture traits characterized were total panicle length, longest panicle raceme size, raceme number per panicle, floral density, and total flower number per panicle. Eight clones were studied in a greenhouse under four environmental conditions including two day lengths (an 8-h short day length and a natural day length) and two temperature treatments (warm and cool). Miscanthus clones showed large differences in flowering and panicle architecture traits. Moreover, day length appeared to be the most important environmental factor creating differential clone sensitivities for the panicle emergence and the onset of flowering in contrast to temperature factor for the total flower number per panicle. In addition, the behavior of the clone Sacc was in contrast with that of the other clones for most of the traits studied. This knowledge will be useful to optimize the synchronization of flowering between Miscanthus clones for more successful breeding programs.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Miscanthus sinensis Germplasm in China

Miscanthus is a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass native to East Asia. Endowed with great biomass yield, high ligno-cellulose composition, efficient use of radiation, nutrient and water, as well as tolerance to stress, Miscanthus has great potential as an excellent bioenergy crop. Despite of the high potential for biomass production of the allotriploid hybrid M. ×giganteus, derived from M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis, other options need to be explored to improve the narrow genetic base of M. ×giganteus, and also to exploit other Miscanthus species, including M. sinensis (2n = 2x = 38), as bioenergy crops. In the present study, a large number of 459 M. sinensis accessions, collected from the wide geographical distribution regions in China, were genotyped using 23 SSR markers transferable from Brachypodium distachyon. Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed. High genetic diversity and differentiation of the germplasm were observed, with 115 alleles in total, a polymorphic rate of 0.77, Nei’s genetic diversity index (He) of 0.32 and polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.26. Clustering of germplasm accessions was primarily in agreement with the natural geographic distribution. AMOVA and genetic distance analyses confirmed the genetic differentiation in the M. sinensis germplasm and it was grouped into five clusters or subpopulations. Significant genetic variation among subpopulations indicated obvious genetic differentiation in the collections, but within-subpopulation variation (83%) was substantially greater than the between-subpopulation variation (17%). Considerable phenotypic variation was observed for multiple traits among 300 M. sinensis accessions. Nine SSR markers were found to be associated with heading date and biomass yield. The diverse Chinese M. sinensis germplasm and newly identified SSR markers were proved to be valuable for breeding Miscanthus varieties with desired bioenergy traits.

Genetic comparison of introduced and native populations of Miscanthus sinensis (Poaceae), a potential bioenergy crop

AbstractMiscanthus sinensis Anderss. is a perennial grass being considered for bioenergy production in the United States (USA) and elsewhere. Because M. sinensis is already naturalized in the USA, it is important to examine its potential to spread with further introduction. Introduced populations may harbor substantial genetic diversity or enable genetic admixture, which may enhance adaptation to novel environments. Here we compare genetic diversity in introduced US populations with native Japanese populations to understand the potential for invasiveness through genetic means in M. sinensis. Using 11 microsatellite markers, we determined genetic variation and structure in populations within and across the introduced and native ranges. We also correlated genetic diversity with population size in each range. Genetic diversity was substantial and similar in all populations, with only allelic richness (A, Ap) significantly lower in the USA than in Japan. Japanese populations were slightly more differentiated (θ = 0.098) than those in the USA (θ = 0.078) although both exhibited significant genetic admixture and were composed of a number of different genetic groups (K = 3 or 7, depending on the STRUCTURE model). Genetic diversity (He) was positively correlated with population size, but only in the USA The lack of a genetic bottleneck and the consequent maintenance of genetic diversity and admixture in US populations suggest the potential for further spread of introduced populations, assuming such diversity is important for adaptation to novel environments. Potential invasiveness should be considered by breeders of new Miscanthus varieties for bioenergy and ornamental uses.

OOS 38: Ecological Dimensions of Biofuel Production

OOS 38: Ecological Dimensions of Biofuel Production

Promising line development of sweet sorghum by gamma-ray treatment

In order to develop the new Miscanthus varieties for biomass, characteristics of collected materials were surveyed. Also, they were treated with S-azide(Sodium-azide) and DES(dethyl sulfate) for promising lines and 0.2% Colchicine for polyploidy, respectively. CNU-J1 line induced with chemical, DES and S-azide treatment showed shorter than others in stem height and stem diameter. CNU-N1 line treated with 10 mM DES showed earlier than non-treated lines in flowering as 7days. Among selected lines, the CNU-J1 line was crossed with DB-1 selected as a superior line and their hybrid was expected to be high in biomass than others. Especially, CNU-W1 line treated with 2.5~5.0 mM DES showed heading in M1 generation.

Miscanthus Blight, A New Foliar Disease of Ornamental Grasses and Sugarcane Incited byLeptosphaeriasp. and Its Anamorphic StateStagonosporasp.

Leaf spot and leaf blight were observed on the ornamental grass Miscanthus sinensis during the late summer and fall of 1993, 1994, and 1995 in three counties in Maryland. Severe disease symptoms occurred on residential landscape plants, nursery container stock, and commercial plantings of Miscanthus sinensis, M. s. var. gracillimus, M. s. var. variegatus, and M. s. var. zebrinus. The disease is characterized by reddish brown spots to oval streaks on leaves and sheaths. Leaf margins, leaf tips, and older leaves become necrotic. Younger plants become completely necrotic. Pycnidia and conidia of a species of Stagonospora with a Leptosphaeria teleomorph were observed on naturally infected necrotic Miscanthus leaves. The fungus was readily isolated in pure culture from affected plant parts. The fungus is homothallic, and both the anamorphic and teleomorphic states were produced on inoculated Miscanthus and sugarcane foliage, and on autoclaved sugarcane leaves. The anamorph may be morphologically distinct from other Stagonospora pathogens described from sugarcane, but the teleomorph is similar to leptosphaeria taiwanensis (anamorph Stagonospora tainanensis), cause of sugarcane leaf blight. In growth chamber inoculations, conidia produced by the Miscanthus fungus and by S. tainanensis from sugarcane were highly virulent and caused similar blight symptoms on four Miscanthus varieties and six sugarcane clones. Sugarcane leaf blight is a serious disease in Taiwan but has not been reported from the United States. The name proposed for the new disease on Miscanthus is Miscanthus blight, caused by leptosphaeria sp. and its conidial state Stagonospora sp.

Identifizierung verschiedener Miscanthus‐Sorten mittels Isoenzymen

AbstractIdentification of Miscanthus Varieties by their IsozymesWith the aim of testing the possibility of identifying Miscanthus varieties, zymograms of 13 isozymes from 65 plants of M. smensis, M.×giganteus and M. sacchariflorus were analysed using starch‐gel electrophoresis. The zymograms of root, rhizome, and leaf tissues were compared. After similarity between the zymograms of the different types of tissues had been established, the tissue of young leaves was used for analysis. The zymograms of the different isozymes are variable in most cases and show as many as nine patterns. The large variation between the varieties allows an identification of each of the varieties analysed. About half of the plants could be attributed to M.×giganteus. In this group of plants, different variants were found in the isozymes of diaphorases and glutamate‐oxalacetate‐transammases. These variants might indicate that M.×giganteus includes more than one genotype. Some of the plants which were assumed to belong to M.×giganteus could clearly be excluded from this variety. Although some of the varieties can only be unequivocally identified by their flowers, it is possible to analyse the isozymes even in the dormant state of the rhizomes, thus, this method offers a simple way of identifymg Miscanthus varieties by the principle of exclusion, independent of the physiological state of the plant.