Biological Evaluation Of Wild Miscanthus Germplasm In China

Concerns of global warming in combination with increased demands on fossil fuelsupplies have spurred growing interest in sources of renewable energy. So in recent years theenvironmental and economic factors have stimulated research in the area of renewable energy.One plant that appears to have potential to produce biofuels efficiently and economically withhigh photosynthesis, high-yield of biomass, strong resistance, high cellulose content, fullcombustion, a greater water use efficiency, an extremely high nitrogen use efficiency andminimal impact on food crops is Miscanthus. China is the distribution center of the world’sresources of Miscanthus, and has extensive germplasm resources and genetic diversity. Butwe don’t have enough attention to it, especially as a renewable energy. This study collected174wild germplasm resources of23provinces, including M.sinensis, M.floridulus,M.sacchariflorus, M.lutarioriparius and M.nudipes. Through morphology observation andcytological study, we got the main results as follows:1. The collection of Miscanthus Germplasm: This study collected174wild germplasmresources of23provinces, enriched the germplasm resources. These resources are invaluablefor efficient utilization and conservation of Miscanthus.2. The biological characteristics of Miscanthus: Plant height, M.floridulus>M.sinensis,M.lutarioriparius> M.sacchariflorus; Thousand grain weight, M.sinensis> M.sacchariflorus> M.floridulus; The seed coat color, M.sacchariflorus> M.sinensis> M.floridulus. Floweringstage: correlation between geographic factors, the traits of flowering stage had differentvariation trends.3. The chromosome and chromosome ploidy: M.sinensis:2n=38, diploid; M.floridulus:2n=38, diploid; M.nudipes:2n=38, diploid; hybrid:2n=38, diploid;71of87wildM.sacchariflorus resources:2n=38, diploid, the others:2n=76, tetraploid;10of16wildM.lutarioriparius resources:2n=38, diploid, the others:2n=76.