The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Characterization of phenology, physiology, morphology and biomass traits across a broad Euro-Mediterranean ecotypic panel of the lignocellulosic feedstock Arundo donax

Characterization of phenology, physiology, morphology and biomass traits across a broad Euro-Mediterranean ecotypic panel of the lignocellulosic feedstock Arundo donax
Characterization of phenology, physiology, morphology and biomass traits across a broad Euro-Mediterranean ecotypic panel of the lignocellulosic feedstock Arundo donax

Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial rhizomatous grass, which has attracted great attention as a potential lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production due to high biomass yield in marginal land areas, high polysaccharide content and low inhibitor levels in microbial fermentations. However, little is known about the trait variation that is available across a broad ecotypic panel of A. donax nor the traits that contribute most significantly to yield and growth in drought prone environments. A collection of 82 ecotypes of A. donax sampled across the Mediterranean basin was planted in a common garden experimental field in Savigliano, Italy. We analysed the collection using 367 clumps representing replicate plantings of 82 ecotypes for variation in 21 traits important for biomass accumulation and to identify the particular set of ecotypes with the most promising potential for biomass production. We measured morpho-physiological, phenological and biomass traits and analysed causal relationships between traits and productivity characteristics assessed at leaf and canopy levels. The results identified differences among the 82 ecotypes for all studied traits: those showing the highest level of variability included stomatal resistance, stem density (StN), stem dry mass (StDM) and total biomass production (TotDM). Multiple regression analysis revealed that leaf area index, StDM, StN, number of nodes per stem, stem height and diameter were the most significant predictors of TotDM and the most important early selection criteria for bioenergy production from A. donax. These traits were used in a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify groups of similar ecotypes, and a selection was made of promising ecotypes for multiyear and multisite testing for biomass production. Heritability estimates were significant for all traits. The potential of this ecotype collection as a resource for studies of germplasm diversity and for the analysis of traits underpinning high productivity of A. donax is highlighted.

Arundo donax, biomass, ecotype variability, growth traits, lignocellulosic biomass, multivariate analysis, perennial grasses, phenology, physiology
1757-1693
Fabbrini, Francesco
777e5191-70d0-41f1-9667-684dfc8e0990
Ludovisi, Riccardo
4cc1cf9c-7aa9-427f-8bee-cf0b2c4cd412
Alasia, Omar
ddddfcf1-c6d9-47c5-878c-3f4b1ec0550a
Flexas, Jaume
516b970c-80cd-444a-bbf9-a3f9ba7be26f
Douthe, Cyril
6a1a4a23-228c-46f3-89ee-c4f70cb875bd
Ribas Carbó, Miquel
08ae2a60-5c79-4e43-b889-84d320443cc6
Robson, Paul
00ac20d4-0f29-4c75-a53f-c9c0a9a22ae6
Taylor, Gail
Scarascia-Mugnozza, Giuseppe
45a5cfda-4d26-4858-a028-0e040268e39a
Keurentjes, Joost J.B.
6e3afba8-0d28-47a1-997a-1dd40bec2bb4
Harfouche, Antoine
28619d9a-564a-435e-89b5-7591d26d6044
Fabbrini, Francesco
777e5191-70d0-41f1-9667-684dfc8e0990
Ludovisi, Riccardo
4cc1cf9c-7aa9-427f-8bee-cf0b2c4cd412
Alasia, Omar
ddddfcf1-c6d9-47c5-878c-3f4b1ec0550a
Flexas, Jaume
516b970c-80cd-444a-bbf9-a3f9ba7be26f
Douthe, Cyril
6a1a4a23-228c-46f3-89ee-c4f70cb875bd
Ribas Carbó, Miquel
08ae2a60-5c79-4e43-b889-84d320443cc6
Robson, Paul
00ac20d4-0f29-4c75-a53f-c9c0a9a22ae6
Taylor, Gail
Scarascia-Mugnozza, Giuseppe
45a5cfda-4d26-4858-a028-0e040268e39a
Keurentjes, Joost J.B.
6e3afba8-0d28-47a1-997a-1dd40bec2bb4
Harfouche, Antoine
28619d9a-564a-435e-89b5-7591d26d6044

Fabbrini, Francesco, Ludovisi, Riccardo, Alasia, Omar, Flexas, Jaume, Douthe, Cyril, Ribas Carbó, Miquel, Robson, Paul, Taylor, Gail, Scarascia-Mugnozza, Giuseppe, Keurentjes, Joost J.B. and Harfouche, Antoine (2018) Characterization of phenology, physiology, morphology and biomass traits across a broad Euro-Mediterranean ecotypic panel of the lignocellulosic feedstock Arundo donax. GCB Bioenergy. (doi:10.1111/gcbb.12555).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial rhizomatous grass, which has attracted great attention as a potential lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production due to high biomass yield in marginal land areas, high polysaccharide content and low inhibitor levels in microbial fermentations. However, little is known about the trait variation that is available across a broad ecotypic panel of A. donax nor the traits that contribute most significantly to yield and growth in drought prone environments. A collection of 82 ecotypes of A. donax sampled across the Mediterranean basin was planted in a common garden experimental field in Savigliano, Italy. We analysed the collection using 367 clumps representing replicate plantings of 82 ecotypes for variation in 21 traits important for biomass accumulation and to identify the particular set of ecotypes with the most promising potential for biomass production. We measured morpho-physiological, phenological and biomass traits and analysed causal relationships between traits and productivity characteristics assessed at leaf and canopy levels. The results identified differences among the 82 ecotypes for all studied traits: those showing the highest level of variability included stomatal resistance, stem density (StN), stem dry mass (StDM) and total biomass production (TotDM). Multiple regression analysis revealed that leaf area index, StDM, StN, number of nodes per stem, stem height and diameter were the most significant predictors of TotDM and the most important early selection criteria for bioenergy production from A. donax. These traits were used in a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify groups of similar ecotypes, and a selection was made of promising ecotypes for multiyear and multisite testing for biomass production. Heritability estimates were significant for all traits. The potential of this ecotype collection as a resource for studies of germplasm diversity and for the analysis of traits underpinning high productivity of A. donax is highlighted.

Text
Fabbrini_et_al-2018-GCB_Bioenergy - Version of Record
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (1MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 18 July 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 24 August 2018
Keywords: Arundo donax, biomass, ecotype variability, growth traits, lignocellulosic biomass, multivariate analysis, perennial grasses, phenology, physiology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 423805
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/423805
ISSN: 1757-1693
PURE UUID: 7b61a86e-927c-4625-8096-9abdee050fc7

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 02 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 21:57

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Francesco Fabbrini
Author: Riccardo Ludovisi
Author: Omar Alasia
Author: Jaume Flexas
Author: Cyril Douthe
Author: Miquel Ribas Carbó
Author: Paul Robson
Author: Gail Taylor
Author: Giuseppe Scarascia-Mugnozza
Author: Joost J.B. Keurentjes
Author: Antoine Harfouche

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×