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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #100757
Title: REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS AND BREEDING IMPROVEMENT POTENTIAL OF SWITCHGRASS

Author
item TALIAFERRO, C - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Vogel, Kenneth
item BOUTON, J - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item MCLAUGHLIN, S - DEPT OF ENERGY
item TUSKAN, G - DEPT OF ENERGY

Submitted to: Biomass Conference of the Americas Proceedings and Abstracts
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Taliaferro, C.M., Vogel, K.P., Bouton, J.H., Mclaughlin, S.B., Tuskan, G.A. 1999. Reproductive characteristics and breeding improvement potential of switchgrass. Biomass Conference of the Americas Proceedings and Abstracts.p. 147-153.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The genetic improvement of switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., is an important component of the effort to develop the species as a biofuels crop. This paper reports research progress on elucidating reproductive characteristics and improvement potential of the species. Recent research confirms switchgrass to be highly outcrossed, highly self-incompatible, and dcomprised mainly of tetraploid (2n=4x=36) and octaploid (2n=8x=72) cytotypes. Hybridization potential is very low between plants of different ploidy and relatively high between plants of the same ploidy, regardless of ecotype. Breeding results based on phenotypic vs. genotypic recurrent selection procedures are discussed.