Perennial biomass cropping and use: Shaping the policy ecosystem in European countries.

Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023-27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes.

Impact of genotype-calling methodologies on genome-wide association and genomic prediction in polyploids.

Discovery and analysis of genetic variants underlying agriculturally important traits are key to molecular breeding of crops. Reduced representation approaches have provided cost-efficient genotyping using next-generation sequencing. However, accurate genotype calling from next-generation sequencing data is challenging, particularly in polyploid species due to their genome complexity.

Oral morphine induces spinal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release using an opioid receptor-independent mechanism.

Morphine induces spinal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release, but the role and mechanism of the spinal 5-HT release induced by morphine are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to define the role and mechanism of spinal 5-HT release induced by oral morphine. We also examined whether persistent pain affected the spinal 5-HT release induced by oral morphine.

Oral acetaminophen-induced spinal 5-hydroxytriyptamine release produces analgesic effects in the rat formalin test.

The mechanism by which acetaminophen produces its analgesic effects is not fully understood. One possible mechanism is the activation of the spinal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor, although direct evidence of spinal 5-HT release has not yet been reported. N-arachidonoylphenolamine (AM404), a metabolite of acetaminophen, is believed to be the key substance that contributes to the analgesic effects of acetaminophen.

Analgesic characteristics of a newly developed αδ ligand, mirogabalin, on inflammatory pain.

Mirogabalin is a novel αδ ligand approved in Japan for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain. However, the sites of action of αδ ligands to produce analgesic effects on inflammatory pain remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the analgesic effect and site of action of mirogabalin using the rat formalin test, an acute inflammatory pain model.

Field Assessment of Six Point-Mutations in SDH Subunit Genes Conferring Varying Resistance Levels to SDHIs in spp.

Dollar spot, caused by spp. (formerly F.T.

Characterization of the Flowering Time Gene in a Mini-Core Collection of .

The optimal flowering time for bioenergy crop is essential for environmental adaptability and biomass accumulation. However, little is known about how genes controlling flowering in other grasses contribute to flowering regulation in . Here, we report on the sequence characterization and gene expression of , a transcription factor encoding a HAP3/NF-YB DNA-binding domain, which has been identified as a major quantitative trait locus in rice, with pleiotropic effects on grain yield, heading date and plant height.

Neuropeptide W, an endogenous NPBW1 and NPBW2 ligand, produced an analgesic effect via activation of the descending pain modulatory system during a rat formalin test.

Neuropeptide W (NPW) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and NPBW1 and/or NPBW2 mRNA are expressed in the descending pain inhibitory system. In the present study, we examined whether NPW microinjected into the descending pain inhibitory system, such as the periaqueductal gray (PAG), locus coeruleus (LC), and rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), produces an analgesic effect using a rat formalin test. Microinjections of NPW into the PAG ipsilateral and contralateral to the formalin-injected side, LC ipsilateral and contralateral to the formalin-injected side, and RVM produced an analgesic effect.

Genome biology of the paleotetraploid perennial biomass crop Miscanthus.

Miscanthus is a perennial wild grass that is of global importance for paper production, roofing, horticultural plantings, and an emerging highly productive temperate biomass crop. We report a chromosome-scale assembly of the paleotetraploid M. sinensis genome, providing a resource for Miscanthus that links its chromosomes to the related diploid Sorghum and complex polyploid sugarcanes.

A Rapid Molecular Detection System for SdhB and SdhC Point Mutations Conferring Differential Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor Resistance in Populations.

Dollar spot, caused by the ascomycete fungus (formerly ), is one of the most resource-demanding diseases on amenity turfgrasses in North America. Differential resistance to the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide class, conferred by singular point mutations on the B, C, and SdhD subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme (SDH), has been reported in dollar spot as well as many other plant-pathogenic fungal diseases. Four unique mutations were previously reported from field isolates collected from two different cool-season golf courses in Japan and Rhode Island: an amino acid substitution H267Y and a silent mutation (CTT to CTC) at codon 181 on the B subunit gene, and amino acid substitutions G91R and G150R on the C subunit gene.

Training Population Optimization for Genomic Selection in .

is a perennial grass with potential for lignocellulosic ethanol production. To ensure its utility for this purpose, breeding efforts should focus on increasing genetic diversity of the nothospecies × (M×g) beyond the single clone used in many programs. Germplasm from the corresponding parental species (Msi) and (Msa) could theoretically be used as training sets for genomic prediction of M×g clones with optimal genomic estimated breeding values for biofuel traits.

Breeding progress and preparedness for mass-scale deployment of perennial lignocellulosic biomass crops switchgrass, miscanthus, willow and poplar.

Genetic improvement through breeding is one of the key approaches to increasing biomass supply. This paper documents the breeding progress to date for four perennial biomass crops (PBCs) that have high output-input energy ratios: namely (switchgrass), species of the genera (miscanthus), (willow) and (poplar). For each crop, we report on the size of germplasm collections, the efforts to date to phenotype and genotype, the diversity available for breeding and on the scale of breeding work as indicated by number of attempted crosses.

Collecting wild Miscanthus germplasm in Asia for crop improvement and conservation in Europe whilst adhering to the guidelines of the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity.

Background And Aims: Germplasm with diverse, agronomically relevant traits forms the foundation of a successful plant breeding programme. Since 1993, the United Nations has been advocating the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the subsequent 2002 Bonn Guidelines as international best practice on germplasm collection and use. In 2006, a European team made an expedition to Asia to collect wild germplasm of Miscanthus, a C4 perennial rhizomatous grass, for breeding an environmentally adaptable, resilient and high-yielding bioenergy crop.

Resistance of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa Field Isolates to Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor Fungicides.

Sclerotinia homoeocarpa isolates were collected from golf courses in Japan and the United States (2016-2017). Japan isolates were collected during a monitoring study and the U.S.

Population structure of Miscanthus sacchariflorus reveals two major polyploidization events, tetraploid-mediated unidirectional introgression from diploid M. sinensis, and diversity centred around the Yellow Sea.

Background And Aims: Miscanthus, a C4 perennial grass native to East Asia, is a promising biomass crop. Miscanthus sacchariflorus has a broad geographic range, is used to produce paper in China and is one of the parents (along with Miscanthus sinensis) of the important biomass species Miscanthus × giganteus. The largest study of M.

Nucleic adaptability of heterokaryons to fungicides in a multinucleate fungus, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa.

Sclerotinia homoeocarpa is the causal organism of dollar spot in turfgrasses and is a multinucleate fungus with a history of resistance to multiple fungicide classes. Heterokaryosis gives rise to the coexistence of genetically distinct nuclei within a cell, which contributes to genotypic and phenotypic plasticity in multinucleate fungi. We demonstrate that field isolates, resistant to either a demethylation inhibitor or methyl benzimidazole carbamate fungicide, can form heterokaryons with resistance to each fungicide and adaptability to serial combinations of different fungicide concentrations.

Determination of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin content using visible and near infrared spectroscopy in Miscanthus sinensis.

Lignocellulosic components including hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin are the three major components of plant cell walls, and their proportions in biomass crops, such as Miscanthus sinensis, greatly impact feed stock conversion to liquid fuels or bio-products. In this study, the feasibility of using visible and near infrared (VIS/NIR) spectroscopy to rapidly quantify hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin in M. sinensis was investigated.

Determination of Leaf Water Content by Visible and Near-Infrared Spectrometry and Multivariate Calibration in .

Leaf water content is one of the most common physiological parameters limiting efficiency of photosynthesis and biomass productivity in plants including . Therefore, it is of great significance to determine or predict the water content quickly and non-destructively. In this study, we explored the relationship between leaf water content and diffuse reflectance spectra in .

Application of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy to classification of Miscanthus species.

The feasibility of visible and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as tool to classify Miscanthus samples was explored in this study. Three types of Miscanthus plants, namely, M. sinensis, M.

Ecological characteristics and in situ genetic associations for yield-component traits of wild Miscanthus from eastern Russia.

Background and aims Miscanthus is a genus of perennial C4 grasses native to East Asia. It includes the emerging ligno-cellulosic biomass crop M. ×giganteus, a hybrid between M.

Microbial production of poly(lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) from hybrid Miscanthus-derived sugars.

P[(R)-lactate-co-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] [P(LA-co-3HB)] was produced in engineered Escherichia coli using lignocellulose-derived hydrolysates from Miscanthus × giganteus (hybrid Miscanthus) and rice straw. Hybrid Miscanthus-derived hydrolysate exhibited no negative effect on polymer production, LA fraction, and molecular weight of the polymer, whereas rice straw-derived hydrolysate reduced LA fraction. These results revealed that P(LA-co-3HB) was successfully produced from hybrid Miscanthus-derived sugars.

Contrasting allelic distribution of CO/Hd1 homologues in Miscanthus sinensis from the East Asian mainland and the Japanese archipelago.

The genus Miscanthus is a perennial C4 grass native to eastern Asia and is a promising candidate bioenergy crop for cool temperate areas. Flowering time is a crucial factor governing regional and seasonal adaptation; in addition, it is also a key target trait for extending the vegetative phase to improve biomass potential. Homologues of CONSTANS (CO)/Heading date 1(Hd1) were cloned from Miscanthus sinensis and named MsiHd1.

Genetic structure of Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus in Japan indicates a gradient of bidirectional but asymmetric introgression.

Unilateral introgression from diploids to tetraploids has been hypothesized to be an important evolutionary mechanism in plants. However, few examples have been definitively identified, perhaps because data of sufficient depth and breadth were difficult to obtain before the advent of affordable high-density genotyping. Throughout Japan, tetraploid Miscanthus sacchariflorus and diploid Miscanthus sinensis are common, and occasionally hybridize.