WP3

WP3: Evaluation of abiotic stress tolerance under controlled conditions

WP Leader: DLO (Gerard van der Linden), Belgium

WP Team:   ILVO: Peter Lootens, Isabel Roldan;

                 IBERS: Kerrie Farrar, John Clifton-Brown;

                 DLO: Oene Dolstra, Gerard van der Linden

 Tasks:

1. Develop efficient screening methods and selection criteria for tolerance to salinity, low temperature stress and water limitation stress under controlled conditions.
2. Evaluate 100 genotypes for tolerance to these stresses.
3. Identify genotypes and selectable traits for stress tolerance.
4. Transcriptome analysis of miscanthus drought response.

WP3 progress so far

WP3 uses the information collected on methodologies and screening methods and the proposed selection criteria from the first period to evaluate a set of Miscanthus genotypes for growth under low water input, salinity and low temperature, all under controlled conditions and some additionally under field conditions. This will enable selection of genotypes that perform well under abiotic stress and selection of the traits that contribute to tolerance of these abiotic stresses.

Sixty-six Miscanthus genotypes were evaluated at low temperature and several chilling-tolerant and high-producing genotypes were selected. One genotype also displayed increased frost tolerance. Ninety genotypes were tested for drought tolerance, several genotypes showed outstanding performance. The evaluation of 70 genotypes for salt tolerance similarly revealed several salt-tolerant genotypes. Some genotypes proved to be high yielding and tolerant to both salt and drought stress.

The main expected results of WP3 will be the identification of traits that contribute to abiotic stress tolerance in Miscanthus, assessment of the genetic diversity of abiotic stress tolerance in a broad set of Miscanthus genotypes and selection of genotypes with favourable tolerance of abiotic stress.