USDA ARS
ARS geneticist Sarah Hake and University of California, Berkeley colleague George Chuck study juvenile traits of corngrass. They have found that inserting a specific corngrass gene into switchgrass keeps it in its juvenile form. Scientists from WSU, UC, Arizona involved in ongoing effort to improve the emerging bioenergy crop switchgrass.
Feb 22, 2021
Researchers from Washington State University, the University of California and the Arizona Genomics Institute are part of a large team that announced the genome sequence for switchgrass, a major bioenergy crop.
Laura Bartley, an associate professor in WSU’s Institute of Biological Chemistry, worked for 15 years on the project, which could lead to larger, easier to process switchgrass plants.
(Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/EurekAlert) … Identifying and breeding varieties that have high productivity across a range of environments is becoming increasingly important for food, fuel and other applications, and breeders aren’t interested in waiting decades to develop new crops.
One example is an ongoing collaborative effort to improve the emerging bioenergy crop switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), which has established 10 experimental gardens located in eight states spread across 1,100 miles. Switchgrass is a perennial grass that quickly grows in a variety of soils and water conditions, standing taller than basketball star LeBron James. In each garden, switchgrass plants clonally propagated from cuttings represent a diverse collection sourced from half of the United States.
Switchgrass is a sturdy perennial having deep roots and grows throughout the country from Canada to Mexico. It is a crucial component of the tallgrass prairie habitats of central North America. It has the ability to reach heights measuring 12 feet in certain regions and is utilized to regulate erosion, as a game cover, and as food for cattle at times.
However, it can be most significantly used as a source of biofuel, which is a critical component to reduce atmospheric carbon levels and fighting climate change. The study’s utmost aim is to develop high-yielding varieties of switchgrass that correspond to one or more of the several different climates and eco-regions of the United States.
Community effort yields reference switchgrass genome, environmental adaptations data
Michigan State University plant biology researcher David Lowry is part of a study that examines the use of switchgrass in fighting climate change to improve crop growth.
Going against gardening advice are 10 identical plots located in eight states spread across 1,100 miles. These gardens are all growing the exact same 700-odd switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum) plants, sourced from half the country and clonally propagated, to help assess the plant’s adaptability to various environmental conditions. Switchgrass is a perennial grass that quickly and easily grows to more than twice the height of basketball star LeBron James in a variety of soils and water conditions.
January 28, 2021
A field technician wrestling a large switchgrass plant during fall harvest (photo credit: Jason Bonnette).
A Washington State University researcher is part of a large team that announced the genome sequence for switchgrass, a major bioenergy crop.
Laura Bartley, an associate professor in WSU’s Institute of Biological Chemistry, worked for 15 years on the project, which could lead to larger, easier to process switchgrass plants.
“Making switchgrass cultivars more economically successful and competitive is a key to decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels,” Bartley said.
Gardeners and farmers around the country recognize that crop varieties grow best in certain regions. Most plant species have adapted to their local environments; for example, crop and ornamental seeds sold for the upper Midwest are often very different than those bred for Texas. Identifying and breeding varieties that have high productivity across a range of environments is becoming increas