A 3-year field rotation study was conducted to assess the potential of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) to suppress root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne arenaria), southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii), and aflatoxigenic fungi (Aspergillus sp.) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and to assess shifts in microbial populations following crop rotation. Switchgrass did not support populations of root-knot nem...

The perennial grass species that are being developed as biomass feedstock crops harbor extensive genotypic diversity, but the effects of this diversity on biomass production are not well understood. We investigated the effects of genotypic diversity in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) on perennial biomass cropping systems in two experiments conducted over 20...

 Assessing Bioretention Cell Function in a Midwest Continental Climate This study examined the performance of bioretention cells with five plant species: fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), yellow twig dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and daylily (Hemerocallis), and an unplanted control. Preliminary results indicate that switchgras...

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a broadly adapted warm-season grass species native to most of the central and eastern United States. Switchgrass has been identified as a potential biofuel species because it is a native species that requires minimal management, and has a large potential to sequester carbon underground. Since the 1990’s, switchgrass has been bred to produce cultivars with in...

Resistance gene homologs (RGHs) were isolated from the switchgrass variety Alamo by a combination of polymerase chain reaction and expressed sequence tag (EST) database mining. Fifty-eight RGHs were isolated by polymerase chain reaction and 295 RGHs were identified in 424,545 switchgrass ESTs. Four nucleotide binding site--leucine-rich repeat RGHs were selected to investigate RGH haplotypic div...

A potential pest of switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., was first detected in South Dakota in 2004, where death of partially emerged leaves was noted in a small proportion of tillers. Similar “dead heart” symptoms were observed in switchgrass in Illinois during 2008 and adults of a stem-boring caterpillar were collected and identified as Blastobasis repartella (Dietz). In 2009, a survey of the ce...

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivars are currently under development as lignocellulosic feedstock. Here we present a survey of three established switchgrass experimental nurseries in Nebraska in which we identified Panicum mosaic virus (PMV) as the most prevalent virus. In 2012, 72% of 139 symptomatic plants tested positive for PMV. Of the PMV-positive samples, 19% were coinfected with its ...

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a North American grass that exhibits vast genetic diversity across its geographic range. In the Northeastern US, local switchgrass populations were restricted to a narrow coastal zone before European settlement, but current populations inhabit inland road verges raising questions about their origin and genetics. These questions are important because switchgr...

BACKGROUND Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has a great potential as a platform for the production of biobased plastics, chemicals and energy mainly because of its high biomass yield on marginal land and low agricultural inputs. During the last decade, there has been increased interest in the genetic improvement of this crop through transgenic approaches. Since switchgrass, like most perennial...

BACKGROUND Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a dedicated lignocellulosic feedstock for bioenergy production. The SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN (SBP-box)-LIKE transcription factors (SPLs) change plant architecture and vegetative-to-reproductive phase transition significantly, and as such, they are promising candidates for genetic improvement of switchgrass biomass yield. However, the geno...