Phenotyping Stem and Infloresence Samples from Population of an Interspecific Miscanthus Cross

Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) are interspecific hybrids of M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. A single clone of Mxg is currently grown commercially as a renewable, sustainable, high yielding biomass crop across the United States and Europe. M. sinensis plants have shorter rhizomes and form a more dense clump of tillers, or stems, and is found in warmer latitudes, while M. sacchariflorus has longer rhizomes and is usually found in colder latitudes1. One of the goals of this project is to breed new Mxg lines with desirable traits of both M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. In this study we evaluated certain species’ specific features and biomass crop traits of interest in a population developed from a cross between an M. sinensis (PMS-14) and M. sacchariflorus ssp. lutarioriparius (PF30022). Stems and inflorescences from this population and controls were collected from the Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station at Alabama A&M University. Ten traits were measured per plant.