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Genetic Diversity of Twelve Switchgrass Populations Using Molecular and Morphological Markers

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Abstract

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm season, C4 perennial grass native to most of North America with numerous applications, including use as a bioenergy feedstock species. To date, no studies on genetic diversity in switchgrass have been conducted that use both molecular and morphological markers. The objectives of this study were to assess genetic diversity and determine differences among and between 12 switchgrass populations grown in New Jersey by examining both morphological and molecular characteristics, and to determine whether morphological, molecular, and/or combined data sets can detect ecotype and/or geographical differences at the population level. Twelve plants from each population were characterized with 16 switchgrass expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat markers (EST-SSRs) and seven morphological characters. Data was analyzed using GenAlEx and Unweighted Pair-Group Method of Averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis. Most (64%) of the molecular variation in switchgrass populations exists among individuals within populations, with lesser amounts between populations (36%). Upland and lowland populations were distinguished in all three data sets. Some eastern US and midwestern US populations were distinct in all three data sets. Similarities were observed between all three data sets indicating molecular markers may be useful for identifying morphological differences or other adaptive traits. The combined data set was the most useful in differentiating populations based on geography and found separation between midwestern and eastern upland populations. The results indicate that the combination of morphological and molecular markers may be useful in future applications such as genetic diversity studies, plant variety protection, cultivar identification, and/or identifying geographic origin.

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Abbreviations

AFLP:

Amplified fragment length polymorphism

AMOVA:

Analysis of molecular variance

EST-SSR:

Expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeats

PCA:

Principal component analysis

RAPD:

Random amplified polymorphic DNA

RFLP:

Restriction fragment length polymorphism

UPGMA:

Unweighted pair-group method of averages

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions and Drs. Mike Casler, Peter Smouse, and Lena Struwe for their time and advice on data analysis. We are grateful to Eric Weibel, Rob Shortell, PhD, Matt Koch, Christine Kubik, and Matt Mattia for assistance with data collection. This research was supported by the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Foran Hall, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Laura M. Cortese, Joshua Honig & Stacy A. Bonos

  2. USDA-NRCS, Cape May Plant Materials Center, 1536 Route 9 North, Cape May Court House, NJ, 08210, USA

    Chris Miller

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  1. Laura M. Cortese
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  2. Joshua Honig
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  3. Chris Miller
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  4. Stacy A. Bonos
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Correspondence to Laura M. Cortese.

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Cortese, L.M., Honig, J., Miller, C. et al. Genetic Diversity of Twelve Switchgrass Populations Using Molecular and Morphological Markers. Bioenerg. Res. 3, 262–271 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-010-9078-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-010-9078-2

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