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Germination and Growth of Panicum virgatum Cultivars in a NaCl Gradient

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Sabkha Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Tasks for Vegetation Science ((TAVS,volume 48))

Abstract

Increased levels of soil salinity are common in the plains of North America, frequently the result of agricultural practices. The use of Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) is common in grassland restorationas well as a biofuel crop, both of which are typically performed on former agricultural lands. Knowledge of germination and growth are thus critical for successful establishment of switchgrass especially in saline soils, still fundamental knowledge is lacking. In this study we used a NaCl gradient to determine the effects of increasing salinity on germination and growth of four cultivars of switchgrass (Trailblazer, Cave-in-Rock, Blackwell, and Kanlow). Two-way analysis of variance indicated a significant (p < 0.05) interaction of cultivar type and salinity, where germination rates decreased with increasing salinity for all cultivars. Germination rate was highest for Trailblazer with a maximum of 93 % at 0.0 M while Blackwell had the lowest of 0 % at 0.15 M. Growth measured as shoot height was also significant for the interaction of cultivar x salinity, and a similar pattern of decreasing height with increasing salinity was seen. In general shoot length of Blackwell and Trailblazer was higher and had no negative effects of salinity on height up to 0.05 M NaCl concentration. Taken together, this work identifies switchgrass cultivars that are well suited for establishment and growth in saline lands, while also indicating that germination rate alone is not always good predictor of survival and growth.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editors of Sabkha Ecosystems Vol. V, The Americas for inviting us to contribute this work. Additionally, we thank the Hastings College Biology Department, the Hastings College Student Research Initiative, and the Hastings College Excelsior Scholarship for support. Funding also was provided through two TriBeta undergraduate student research grants and we would like to thank BIOS for permission to republish select germination data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Hastings College, 710 North Turner Ave., Hastings, NE, USA

    Michael A. Carson, Seton Bachle & Amy N. Morris

Authors
  1. Michael A. Carson
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  2. Seton Bachle
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  3. Amy N. Morris
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael A. Carson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University Center for Sust. Development, Doha, Qatar

    M. Ajmal Khan

  2. UNESCO Liaison Office, UNECA Bldg New Bldg, 1st floor, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

    Benno Boër

  3. Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

    Münir Ȫzturk

  4. Division of Ecological and Earth Science, UNESCO Headquarters, Natural Sci Div of Ecological & Earth Science, Paris Cedex 15, France

    Miguel Clüsener-Godt

  5. Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utili, University of Karachi Inst.of Sustainable Halophyte Utili, Karachi, Pakistan

    Bilquees Gul

  6. Abteilung 3 - Ökologie, Universität Bielefeld Fakultät für Biologie, Bielefeld, Germany

    Siegmar-W. Breckle

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Carson, M.A., Bachle, S., Morris, A.N. (2016). Germination and Growth of Panicum virgatum Cultivars in a NaCl Gradient. In: Khan, M., Boër, B., Ȫzturk, M., Clüsener-Godt, M., Gul, B., Breckle, SW. (eds) Sabkha Ecosystems. Tasks for Vegetation Science, vol 48. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27093-7_16

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