Specific shoot formation in Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Poaceae) under different environmental factors and DNA passportization using ISSR markers

The generic complex Miscanthus Anderss. (Poaceae) is a unique example among herbaceous plants characterized by high values of growth of aboveground vegetative mass and practical use as a valuable source of alternative energy. Miscanthus is one of the most efficient solar energy accumulators, and since phytomeliorative use implies the cultivation of these resource plants in inconvenient and semi-shady areas, the question about the effect of insufficient lighting on the productivity of Miscanthus arises. As a result of a long-lasing introduction effort, the Central Siberian Botanical Garden SB RAS created a population of Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Benth., which has good prospects for growing under the conditions of the forest-steppe area in Western Siberia. The goals of our study were: (1) to determine the peculiarities of shoot formation, (2) to assess the cellulose and lignin accumulation in M. sacchariflorus populations under different lighting conditions and (3) to perform a DNA passportization of the Miscanthus population by ISSR marking. Evaluation of shoot formation and the amount of accumulated cellulose and lignin in plants was carried out under different degrees of illumination: one variant was grown in a sunny area, and the other, in partial shade. As a result of analysis of variance, it was found that the number of shoots does not depend on environmental conditions, but on the age of the plant, while environmental conditions have a significant effect on plant height. Although the samples of both M. sacchariflorus variants were characterized by different rates of creation of a continuous projective cover, plants in semi-shaded areas formed up to 89.34 % of shoots compared to their peers in illuminated areas, which did not affect significantly the size of the aboveground mass and the cellulose content in it. As a result of ISSR-analysis of genomic DNA in the M. sacchariflorus population, unique molecular polymorphic fragments were identified, which can be used for identification and DNA passportization at the inter-population level. Thus, the complex use of M. sacchariflorus as a valuable meliorative and bioenergetic culture is due to the high adaptive potential of this species. It was found that the illumination factor has virtually no effect on the amount of the cellulose content in the shoot, and a reduced content of the technologically undesirable lignin was observed in plants growing in the partial shade conditions

Features of the resource species Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Hack. when introduced in West Siberia

Here we provide a scientific justification and experimental support for the choice of easily renewable cellulosic feedstock Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Hack. in order to obtain high-quality nutrient broths therefrom for bacterial cellulose biosynthesis. The plant life-forms promising for breeding were screened under introduction conditions at the Central Siberian Botanical Garden, SB RAS, and this study was thus aimed at investigating the full and reduced ontogenetic patterns; cellulose and noncellulosic contents, including lignin; and duraminization of vegetative (feedstock source) organs throughout the seasonal development. The full ontogenetic patterns of the plants grown from seeds that had been collected in native habitats were compared to show that M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis Anderss. accessions are distinguished by longer being at the most vulnerable developmental stages: seedlings and plantlets. Hence, it is preferable to cultivate seedlings on protected ground, and plantations are advisable to establish with more stable cloned vegetative material. The chemical compositions of the whole plant, leaf and stem separately, from seven M. sacchariflorus harvests were examined to reveal a rise in cellulose content and a drop in noncellulosic content with plantation age. The Miscanthus stem was found to contain more cellulose than the leaf, regardless of the plant age. The overall cellulose content was 48−53 %, providing a rationale for studies of bacterial cellulose biosynthesis in a M. sacchariflorusderived nutrient medium. Since high lignin content is undesirable for technological processes concerned with biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose, we performed histochemical assays of transverse sections of the culms to monitor the seasonal course of lignification. Our results suggest that the specific time limits for harvesting the aboveground biomass as a feedstock be validated by histochemical data on the seasonal course of lignification of M. sacchariflorus sprouts. To sum up, the examined chemical composition of M. sacchariflorus grown in the Siberian climate conditions demonstrated its prospects as a source of glucose substrate, the basic component of good-quality nutrient media for biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose

Resource potential of some species of the genus Miscanthus Anderss. under conditions of continental climate of West Siberian forest-steppe

In the meantime, search for environmentally friendly renewable energy sources alternative to fossil fuel has been driven by energy security challenges including limited availability of fuel and energy price fluctuations. Therefore herbal perennial grasses with their rapid growth and prominent biomass yield increasingly make it a favorite choice as a valuable agricultural crop usable for cellulosic ethanol production. As an example, the genus Miscanthus Anderss. (silvergrass) comprises ca. 14–20 species including M. sacchariflorus (Maxim.) Hack., M. sinensis Anderss., M. purpurascens Anderss, and M. × giganteus, which appear to be an almost inexhaustible source of sustainable raw material, and several Miscanthus species were investigated as a potential biofuel energy crop with commercially viable way of its producing. Introduction and investigation of Miscanthus species were initiated in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (CSBG SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia) based on the grass and ornamental plant collection in the late 1990s. The paper objective is studying the biological traits of three Miscanthus species introduced into the CSBG SB RAS, selection and genetic identification of cultivars and varieties as the most perspective agricultural crop. To evaluate the potential crop yield and selection prospects of Miscanthus species being competitive as a valuable biofuel energy crop, the authors have estimated seasonal rhythms of model species development in the continental climate conditions of West Siberia. The article characterizes different Miscanthus varieties obtained either by the ex situ or in situ methods; presents the biochemical analysis of plant material and molecular identification of three Miscanthus species introduced into the CSBG SB RAS. The seasonal development analysis of three selected varieties of Miscanthus (M. sacchariflorus, M. sinensis, and M. purpurascens) proved the hydrometeorological conditions to be advantageous for prominent biomass yield, e. g. contributory to use Miscanthus in West Siberia as an easy to grow cellulose-rich grass. Molecular markers applicable in DNA-identification and genetic passportization of Miscanthus varieties have been established, which are perspective as such an economically available plant material as alternative non-woody source of cellulose

CELLULOSE FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF SORANOVSKII MISCANTHUS

The chemical composition of the Soranovskii Miscanthus variety harvested in 2011 and 2012 was separately determined in the whole plant, leaves, and stem. In all cases, cellulose was found to prevail in the Miscanthus stem, and non-cellulosic components (the fat-wax fraction, ash, and lignin), in leaves. Cellulose samples were for the first time obtained from leaves and stems separately by two methods (nitric-acid and combined). The best quality cellulose was derived from stems. For instance, cellulose isolated from stems by the nitric-acid process was better than that from leaves, which was expressed as a higher α cellulose content (94,4 % versus 91,7 %) and polymerization degree (800 versus 580), as well as low weight fractions of non-cellulosic components: ash (0,07 % versus 1,01 %) and acid-insoluble lignin (0,45 % versus 1,51 %). The same tendency is observed in celluloses produced by the combined method: Cellulose from stems had better quality than that from leaves; specifically, it had a greater polymerization degree (1040 versus 640) and lower weight fractions of non-cellulosic components: ash (0,14 % versus 0,75 %), acid-insoluble lignin (0,88 % versus 4,2 %), and pentosans (6,8 % versus 8,53 %). It is obvious that cellulose obtained by the nitric-acid method can be suitable for chemical modifications, including nitration. Cellulose from the combined process can be utilized in paper industry