U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research: Lincoln, NE
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Lincoln, Nebraska Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Sarath, Gautamitem
                                            Vogel, Kennethitem
                                            Mitchell, Robert

                                                         - *Rob*item
                                            BAIRD, L - UNI OF SAN DIEGO
  Submitted to: Grassland International Congress Proceedings
                                    Publication Type: Proceedings
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2004
                                    Publication  Date: 6/26/2005
                                    Citation: Sarath, G., Vogel, K.P., Mitchell, R., Baird, L.M. 2005. Stem anatomy of switchgrass plants developed by divergent breeding cycles for tiller digestibility. p. 115. In F.P. O'Mara et al (ed.) Proc. XX Int. Grassland Congress, Dublin, Ireland 26 June-2 July 2005. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Interpretive Summary: Switchgrass is an important perennial forage and biomass crop that is native to the temperate prairies of the North America east of the Rocky Mountains.  Breeding for improved forage in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) has been conducted using post-heading, whole plant IVDMD as the selection criterion. One breeding cycle for low IVDMD and three cycles for high IVDMD were completed in a switchgrass population adapted to the USA mid-latitudes.  The multiple cycles of breeding for IVDMD produced plant populations that differ significantly in digestibility and lignin concentration of leaf, sheath and stem. In the stems of switchgrass, changes in lignin appear to involve two primary mechanisms: (1) the loss or decrease in cortical fibers and (2) changes in secondary cell wall deposition.  These results indicate that plant anatomy can be significantly impacted by a simple selection tool and strongly suggest that genes that control these functions will be attractive targets for future manipulation to develop cultivars for use as forage or bioenergy.
                                Technical Abstract: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum. L.) is an important perennial forage and biomass crop that is native to the temperate prairies of the North America east of the Rocky Mountains.  Breeding for improved forage in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) has been conducted using post-heading, whole-tiller IVDMD as the selection criterion. One breeding cycle for low IVDMD and three cycles for high IVDMD  were completed in a switchgrass population adapted to the USA mid-latitudes.  The multiple cycles of breeding for IVDMD produced plant populations that differ significantly in digestibility and lignin concentration of leaf, sheath, and stem. In the stems of switchgrass, changes in lignin appear to involve two primary mechanisms: (1) the loss or decrease in cortical fibers and (2) changes in secondary cell wall deposition.  These results indicate that plant anatomy can be significantly impacted by a simple selection tool and strongly suggest that genes that control these functions will be attractive targets for future manipulation to develop cultivars for use as forages or bioenergy.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov