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Divergent Selection for Secondary Traits in Upland Tetraploid Switchgrass and Effects on Sward Biomass Yield

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Abstract

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is currently undergoing intensive breeding efforts to improve biomass yield. Consideration must be made regarding the relative importance of spaced plantings to sward plots for evaluation and selection for increased biomass yield. It has previously been suggested that selection schemes using secondary plant morphological traits as selection criteria within spaced plantings may be an efficient method of making genetic gain. The objective of this study was to empirically test the effects of direct selection for plant height, tiller count, flowering date, and visual selection for biomass yield within spaced plantings on biomass yield and morphology traits within sward plots. Divergently selected populations for each trait were developed from the WS4U upland tetraploid germplasm and evaluated for biomass yield at five locations in Wisconsin during two growing seasons. Significant variation was observed between maternal parents of the selected populations for both selected and nonselected traits. Despite substantial differences between parent plant populations for plant morphology, significant differences were not observed for sward-plot biomass yield or sward-plot morphology relative to the base population. Late flowering selections yielded 2.0 Mg/ha greater biomass than early flowering selections (29 % increase). Plant height within sward plots was observed to have a strong positive correlation with biomass yield. Tiller count was observed to have a weak correlation with biomass yield. Based on the observed results, it is recommended that greater emphasis be placed on evaluation of biomass yield using sward plots.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded in part by congressionally allocated funds through USDA-ARS by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive grant no. 2011-68005-30411 (CenUSA) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and by the Gabelman-Shippo Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. We thank Nick Baker, USDA-ARS, Madison, WI for technical assistance and support with field, greenhouse, and laboratory activities.

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  1. Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1575 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    David L. Price

  2. USDA-ARS, US Dairy Forage Research Center, 1925 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706-1108, USA

    Michael D. Casler

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  1. David L. Price
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  2. Michael D. Casler
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Correspondence to David L. Price.

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Price, D.L., Casler, M.D. Divergent Selection for Secondary Traits in Upland Tetraploid Switchgrass and Effects on Sward Biomass Yield. Bioenerg. Res. 7, 329–337 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-013-9374-8

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