Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) from North Dakotaa New Bioenergy Crop for the Nemoral Zone of Europe

Parallel to the growing interest in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in southern countries of Europe, there is enhanced interest in knowing about its potential adaptability in the European regions with cool and moderate climates. The objective of this work was to characterize important agricultural parameters of switchgrass originated from North Dakota in order to identify the most valuable accessions for further research, propagation, and breeding in the Nemoral zone of Europe. The selection aimed at evaluating overwintering and productivity of switchgrass, with the ultimate objective of biomass quality improvement. Field trials were carried out in the central lowland of Lithuania during 2012-2014 on 33 germplasm accessions of switchgrass originating from North Dakota. Allthe tested accessions exhibited almost similar overwinter survival rate, i.e., 93.7-96.7%. Significant differences were observed in mean dry matter yields of all the tested accessions harvested once or twice per season (P<0.05). The higher yielding accessions during both study years were differentiated. The yield potential of these accessions depended on a number of morphological traits, including internode thickness, plant height, panicle length, and leaf and stem weight per tiller (P<0.05). Ash and mineral composition was associated with the genotype and the year of biomass harvest (P<0.05). The switchgrass genotypes originating from North Dakota appeared to be adaptable to the European environment with cool and moderate climate and short growing season. The best-performing accessions can serve as a valuable genetic source for future breeding programmes.