Identification of a Selfing Compatible Genotype and Mode of Inheritance in Switchgrass

Abstract

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is being targeted for use as a dedicated lignocellulosic feedstock crop for producing bioenergy in the United States. The breeding of new switchgrass cultivars with enhanced performance is a research emphasis supporting the targeted use. The species is considered allogamous due to wind facilitated cross-pollination and strong genetic self-incompatibility. Plants typically produce few or no seed when self-fertilized. No attempt has been made to identify selfing-compatible plants that would potentially enable developing inbred lines. Here, using a set of 12 simple sequence repeat-based molecular markers, we identified one lowland plant, ‘NL94 LYE 16 × 13’ (NL94), demonstrating high self-compatibility. A large potted plant of NL94 and a similar size plant of ‘SL93 7 × 15’ were grown in a growth chamber for the purpose of producing a hybrid full-sib mapping population. Marker analyses of 456 progeny from the NL94 plant indicated that 279 (61.2%) and 177 (38.8%) resulted from self- and cross-fertilization, respectively. SSR marker segregation analyses in both the selfed and hybrid progeny populations conclusively indicated disomic inheritance in the two switchgrass parents. Disomic inheritance of switchgrass is significant to the development of switchgrass inbreds as homozygosity is approached much faster via inbreeding under disomic vs. tetrasomic inheritance. Self-compatibility in switchgrass potentially enables the development of inbred lines for use in producing heterotic F1 hybrid cultivars.