Alternating Temperatures Promote Seed Germination of Miscanthus sinensis . E.J. Christian and A. S. Goggi

1. Alternating Temperatures Promote Seed Germination of Miscanthus sinensis. E.J. Christian and A. S. Goggi Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 Introduction Renewed interest in cellulose-based production of biofuel has prompted the reevaluation of many candidate plant species. Plants of the genus Miscanthus have strong potential for use in biofuel production because of their favorable agronomic traits and abundant biomass production (Clifton-Brown et al., 2008). Miscanthus × giganteus J. M. Greef & Deuter ex Hodkinson & Renvoize has received special attention because it is a widely adapted sterile hybrid of Miscanthus capable of yielding large volumes of biomass. Miscanthus × giganteus is propagated by plant rhizomes or tissue culture and does not produce fertile flowers or seeds. However, Miscanthus sinensis is propagated by seeds which is a favorable trait for crop adoption and stand establishment. Previous studies of M. sinensis germination focused on wild collections (Aso, 1976). The domestication of M. sinensis through breeding fordesirable traits may also lead to changes in germination temperature requirements. Understanding the temperature requirements for germination of improved varieties of M. sinensis will allow the development of a standard germination protocol which is currently unavailable. The objectives of this research were 1) to develop a protocol for determining seed germination of M. sinensis 2) to evaluate the effects of mean germination temperature and amplitude on germination. Image of a thermogradient table showing the temperatures and direction of the gradients. 1 mm 16h 8h Image of a mature Miscanthus sinensis seed. Each seed weighs approximately 0.0007 g. Results • Alternating temperatures resulted in higher germination percentages than constant temperatures, with a mean of 51.4% compared to 40.9% for constant temperatures (Table 1). • Seeds germinated at constant temperatures of 40°C and 10°C had the lowest germination percentage of 33.7% and 10.3%, respectively. • Three of the highest five germination percentages were recorded in seeds exposed to alternating temperature where the higher temperature was maintained for 16 h and the lower for 8 h, which is the opposite of current standards in germination protocols. • The five highest germination percentages were obtained for seeds germinated at a WM of 18 to 22°C and an Amp of 6 to 18°C. Materials and Methods • Four varieties of Miscanthus sinensis • Twenty-five seeds of each variety (100 total) were planted in plastic boxes • Thirty-six temperature combinations (30 alternating temperatures and 6 constant temperatures) were produced using a thermogradient table • Seeds were considered germinated when 1 mm of radicle had emerged • Final germination was recorded at 28-d after planting • The experiment was repeated three times • Temperature amplitude was calculated as Amp = Tempmax – Tempmin for the treatment • The mean germination temperature was calculated as • WM = [(Temp16 × 16) + (Temp8× 8)] × 24-1 Conclusions • Alternating temperatures promoted germination • The highest germination was recorded at alternating temperatures of 22°C for 16 h and 16°C for 8 h References Aso, T. 1976. Studies on the germination of seeds of Miscanthus sinensisAnderss. Science reports of the Yokohama National University. Section II, Biological and geological sciences 23:27-37. Clifton-Brown, J., Y.C. Chiang, and T.R. Hodkinson. 2008. Miscanthus: genetic resources and breeding potential to enhance bioenergy production. In W. Vermerris (ed.) Genetic improvement of bioenergy crops. Springer Verlag. pp. 273-294. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Mendel BioEnergy Seeds for supplying seeds used in the research and Dr. Kenneth Moore for his statistical help. Financial support for the project was provided by the Association of Official Seed Analysts. Constant temperatures