Predicting future biomass yield in <i>Miscanthus</i> using the carbohydrate metabolic profile as a biomarker.

ABSTRACT: In perennial energy crop breeding programmes, it can take several years before a mature yield is reached when potential new varieties can be scored. Modern plant breeding technologies have focussed on molecular markers, but for many crop species, this technology is unavailable. Therefore, prematurity predictors of harvestable yield would accelerate the release of new varieties. Metabolic biomarkers are routinely used in medicine, but they have been largely overlooked as predictive tools in plant science. We aimed to identify biomarkers of productivity in the bioenergy crop, Miscanthus, that could be used prognostically to predict future yields. This study identified a metabolic profile reflecting productivity in Miscanthus by correlating the summer carbohydrate composition of

SUBMITTER: Maddison AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5488626 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature