Accelerating yield improvement in switchgrass through genomic prediction of floral anthesis

Authors: Tilhou, Neal; Casler, Michael

Submitted to: Genomic Sciences Program Annual Principal Investigator (PI) Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/4/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This project aims to accelerate the breeding process for bioenergy switchgrass in the North Central United States by applying genomic selection to yield-limiting traits such as cold tolerance and flowering time. The timing of the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth has a major impact on biomass accumulation in switchgrass. Late flowering switchgrass varieties produce greater biomass in both spaced and sward conditions. Genomic prediction may allow rapid identification and selection of late flowering individuals without the time and expense associated with field measurements. Initial analyses were carried out using the date of anthesis for 1,532 switchgrass individuals in multiple breeding groups. Marker data from genotype-by-sequencing (~450,000 markers after filtering) was used to predict anthesis date within each group. Prediction accuracy within breeding groups indicated accuracy capable of matching previously reported gain through phenotypic evaluations, with a significant reduction in the time required to identify individuals with superior breeding value.