HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Casler, M. D. Articles by Mitchell, R. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Casler, M. D. Articles by Mitchell, R. B. Agricola Articles by Casler, M. D. Articles by Mitchell, R. B. Related Collections Biofuels Crop Genetics Other Forage Crops

SPECIAL REPORT-BIOFUELS

Latitudinal and Longitudinal Adaptation of Switchgrass Populations

^a USDA-ARS, U.S. Dairy Forage Res. Center, 1925 Linden Dr. West, Madison, WI 53706-1108
^b USDA-ARS, Univ. of Nebraska–East Campus, P.O. Box 830937, Lincoln, NE 68583-0937
^c Dep. of Plant & Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK 74078-6028
^d Dep. of Agronomy & Plant Genetics, 1991 Buford Cir., St. Paul, MN 55108-6026
^e USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Res. Ctr., P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND 58544
^f Crop and Soil Sciences Dep., Univ. of Georgia, 111 Riverbend Dr., Athens, GA 30602
^g Division of Plant Sciences, 108 Waters Hall, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
^h Dep. of Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Arkansas, 1366 W. Altheimer Dr., Fayetteville, AR 72704-6898

^* Corresponding author (mdcasler{at}wisc.edu).

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season native grass, used for livestock feed, bioenergy, soil and wildlife conservation, and prairie restoration in a large portion of the USA. The objective of this research was to quantify the relative importance of latitude and longitude for adaptation and agronomic performance of a diverse group of switchgrass populations. Six populations, chosen to represent remnant prairie populations on two north–south transects, were evaluated for agronomic traits at 12 locations ranging from 36 to 47°N latitude and 88 to 101°W longitude. Although the population x location interactions accounted for only 10 to 31% of the variance among population means, many significant changes in ranking and adaptive responses were observed. Ground cover was greater for northern-origin populations evaluated in hardiness zones 3 and 4 and for southern-origin populations evaluated in hardiness zones 5 and 6. There were no adaptive responses related to longitude (ecoregion). Switchgrass populations for use in biomass production, conservation, or restoration should not be moved more than one hardiness zone north or south from their origin, but some can be moved east or west of their original ecoregion, if results from field tests support broad longitudinal adaptation.