Download or read book Genetic and Environmental Factors Affecting Switchgrass Performance and Quality in Qu bec written by Erik Delaquis and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L) is a native North American perennial grass specieswith promising applications as a bioenergy feedstock. Three studies were conducted to identify genetic and environmental factors affecting switchgrass performance and quality. A first study was conducted to evaluate the performance of new selections made in Southern Quebec, Canada. Eleven selections of switchgrass from 4 base populations and 3 selections of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), another promising perennial grass, were evaluated at two sites in Southern Quebec during the first 2 production years. Considerable variation among selections was found for all traits examined, however, differences varied by year and site. Biomass dry matter yield across all switchgrass selections and environments averaged 7.2 Mg ha-1 for a fall harvest. Biomass was also harvested in the spring for some selections to determine changes in yield, moisture content, fibre, ash, and energy content caused by harvest date. The spring harvest resulted in lower yield and moisture content, and higher cellulose content. A second study was conducted to evaluate various methods to renovate poorly established switchgrass fields. Reseeding with a no-till seeder initially negatively impacted yields, however, the combination of no-till reseeding with herbicide and N fertiliser applications increased yields in the post-renovation year compared to the use of only applying N and reseeding. Finally, a third study examined the relationships between soil characteristics and biomass quality in spring-harvested switchgrass fields. There was a significant relationship between soil parameters and biomass Si (R2 = 0.74) and ash (R2 = 0.45) content. Weaker relationships were seen between soil parameters and biomass Ca and Mg content, while other important elements including K showed no relationship to any of the measured soil variables." --
Download or read book The Impacts of Genotype by Environment Interactions on Switchgrass Rhizosphere Microbiome Composition and Insights for Breeding in Sustainable Agriculture written by Jeremy Sutherland and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a survival strategy, plants often host microorganisms on and within their tissues to facilitate and aid in resource acquisition and host defense. While host-microbiota relationships are widely hypothesized to benefit plants, the ecological and evolutionary importance of such relationships, and many of the underlying genetic mechanisms, remain elusive. Our understanding of this relationship is complicated by several abiotic and biotic factors simultaneously. For instance, not all microbiota deliver benefits to plants and the availability of certain microorganisms varies between environment. Additionally, the strength of host genetic influence on associated microbiomes often varies by plant species, age, tissue type, and other host factors, and plant phenotypic expression can differ between environments. The independent abiotic influences on plants and microbiomes, separately, also complicate our understanding of the host-microbiome relationship. Lastly, plant-associated microbiomes are made up of autonomous organisms with complex ecologies entirely separate from their host. Nevertheless, it remains widely observed that host genetic variation can influence the diversity and composition of plant-associated microbiomes, which then may also impact host traits. However, a critical knowledge gap remains regarding how these relationships change between different environments and how they might impact plant phenotypes in ways that are desirable to humans. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a highly outcrossing, perennial grass species with substantial locally-adaptive genotypic and phenotypic diversity across its native North American range. Due to this, switchgrass offers a useful biological model to study the complex interactions between host genotypes, the environment, and associated microbiomes. From an applied research perspective, there is also considerable interest in advancing switchgrass as a cellulosic biofuel feedstock to replace corn-based ethanol production, since switchgrass offers numerous ecological benefits over corn and does not directly compete with food prices. The viability of this venture, however, may depend on influencing host-associated microbiomes to supplement costly agricultural soil inputs (e.g., synthetic fertilizers and pesticides). Yet, little is known regarding the switchgrass microbiome, specifically in the northeast U.S. climate, and even less regarding its effects on host performance. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) examine the relationships between switchgrass-genetic influence on rhizosphere microbiome composition and how those relationships may correspond to host traits, and (2) understand how host genetic influence on its rhizosphere microbiome changes between environments and between bacterial and fungal taxonomic levels. To achieve this, we employed four common garden experiments, combined with host genetic mapping, rhizosphere microbiome sequence analysis, statistical modeling, and associative analyses to disentangle the host genetic impacts on microbiome composition and diversity from environmental impacts. Switchgrass hosts were sourced from 68 diverse populations, capturing much of the phenotypic and genotypic diversity within the United States, and planted between, ultimately, four common gardens (an original common garden used in Chapter 2 and three subsequent cloned transplanted common gardens used in Chapters 3 and 4). By propagating cloned plant material into new environments, we captured a diversity of environmental factors that could influence host phenotype and microbiome composition. From the perspective of switchgrass producers, uncovering the genetic basis for larger, disease-resistant plants using minimal agricultural inputs is desirable. The research presented here accomplishes that goal by investigating the switchgrass rhizosphere microbiome assembly and its relationship to host phenotypes in different environments. We studied primarily two plant phenotypes: Biomass Yield and Anthracnose Disease Resistance -- a common fungal pathogen in the region that can reduce yield. In Chapter 2, we hypothesized that the composition and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial assemblages in the original common garden would differentiate due to genotypic differences between hosts. Those findings establish that switchgrass genomic and life-history variation influences bacterial composition in the rhizosphere, potentially due to host adaptation to local environments. In Chapters 3 and 4, we sought to address two additional questions: How does host genetic influence on associated rhizosphere microbiome change between different environments? And, if the microbial response to host traits and the abiotic environment are phylogenetically conserved, how might host genetic influence change at different microbial taxonomic levels in response? Our findings support that host genetic influence on the rhizosphere microbiome in switchgrass varies across both microbial taxonomic level and local environmental conditions, and the abundance of select microorganisms under host genetic influence correlate with desirable traits relevant to the U.S. bioenergy market. Overall, this study shows that genotype-by-environment interactions impact the strength of switchgrass genetic influence on rhizosphere microbiome composition and differentiates along bacterial and fungal taxonomic levels. This research offers host genetic insights into the associative interactions that may influence microbiome composition in ways that are important to the sustainable production of switchgrass as a biofuel feedstock.
Download or read book Genetic and Environmental Influences on Aerial and Proaxial Morphology of Switchgrass written by Ronade Martine Zamy and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1992-04 with total page 768 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture with Subject Index written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 762 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Proceedings written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 816 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 1254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 898 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Handbook of Bioenergy Crop Plants written by Chittaranjan Kole and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-03-22 with total page 874 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the world's population is projected to reach 10 billion or more by 2100, devastating fossil fuel shortages loom in the future unless more renewable alternatives to energy are developed. Bioenergy, in the form of cellulosic biomass, starch, sugar, and oils from crop plants, has emerged as one of the cheaper, cleaner, and environmentally sustainab
Download or read book Perennial Grasses for Bioenergy and Bioproducts written by Efthymia Alexopoulou and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-01-02 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perennial Grasses for Bioenergy and Bioproducts: Production, Uses, Sustainability and Markets for Giant Reed, Miscanthus, Switchgrass, Reed Canary Grass and Bamboo brings together a team of international authors to explore the current utilization, sustainability and future perspectives of perennial grasses in the bioeconomy. The book begins by examining the role of these crops as feedstock for bioenergy, in particular advanced biofuels and bioproducts. It then offers five chapters, each covering one perennial grass type, namely giant reed, miscanthus, switchgrass, reed canary grass and bamboo. The book covers their breeding, cultivation, harvesting, pre-treatment, economics and characterization. The book goes on to present the thermochemical conversion pathways for different types of feedstock. The last chapter explores issues concerning sustainability of perennial grasses, including their production in marginal lands. This thorough overview is a helpful reference for engineering researchers and professionals in the bioenergy sector, whose understanding of feedstock characterization, sustainability and production is critical in the development of conversion technologies. Those in the industrial crops sector will benefit from discussion of various issues surrounding crop production, which can guide their feedstock cultivation, harvesting and pre-treatment for specific conversion processes or end use. The book is also a useful resource for instructors and students in Masters and PhD programs in the area of biomass and energy crops. Policy makers and government agents involved in regulating the bioenergy and bioproducts sector will find comprehensive information to guide their decision making. Explores the whole value chain of grassy feedstock for advanced biofuels and bioproducts, from cultivation to end use, including biomass characterization (physical properties, chemical composition, etc.) and conversion and sustainability Examines the sustainability and economic factors related to perennial grasses and their conversion into biofuels and bioproducts Includes a complete list of grasses relevant for energy uses, and tables with their current and expected future uses and markets
Download or read book Index Medicus written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 1844 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.
Download or read book American Doctoral Dissertations written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Environmental Effects of Conservation Practices on Grazing Lands written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Riparian Areas written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-10-10 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.
Download or read book Environmental Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture written by A. Lefebvre and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biomass Now written by Miodrag Darko Matovic and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2013-04-30 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This two-volume book on biomass is a reflection of the increase in biomass related research and applications, driven by overall higher interest in sustainable energy and food sources, by increased awareness of potentials and pitfalls of using biomass for energy, by the concerns for food supply and by multitude of potential biomass uses as a source material in organic chemistry, bringing in the concept of bio-refinery. It reflects the trend in broadening of biomass related research and an increased focus on second-generation bio-fuels. Its total of 40 chapters spans over diverse areas of biomass research, grouped into 9 themes.
Download or read book Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-04-08 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To achieve goals for climate and economic growth, "negative emissions technologies" (NETs) that remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the air will need to play a significant role in mitigating climate change. Unlike carbon capture and storage technologies that remove carbon dioxide emissions directly from large point sources such as coal power plants, NETs remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or enhance natural carbon sinks. Storing the carbon dioxide from NETs has the same impact on the atmosphere and climate as simultaneously preventing an equal amount of carbon dioxide from being emitted. Recent analyses found that deploying NETs may be less expensive and less disruptive than reducing some emissions, such as a substantial portion of agricultural and land-use emissions and some transportation emissions. In 2015, the National Academies published Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration, which described and initially assessed NETs and sequestration technologies. This report acknowledged the relative paucity of research on NETs and recommended development of a research agenda that covers all aspects of NETs from fundamental science to full-scale deployment. To address this need, Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda assesses the benefits, risks, and "sustainable scale potential" for NETs and sequestration. This report also defines the essential components of a research and development program, including its estimated costs and potential impact.
