Development of drought tolerant energy crops based on field researches in the North American arid areas

• Project/Area Number: 17H04615
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Crop production science
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: YAMADA Toshihiko 北海道大学, 北方生物圏フィールド科学センター, 教授 (70343952)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中島 大賢 北海道大学, 農学研究院, 助教 (70710945)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
• Budget Amount: ¥15,990,000 (Direct Cost: ¥12,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,690,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥8,450,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,950,000)
• Keywords: バイオ燃料作物 / 乾燥耐性 / 低温耐性 / 遺伝資源 / 光合成形質 / ススキ / サトウキビ / ミスケーン / バイオマス作物 / 耐乾性 / 特性調査 / バイオマス / 育種学 / 遺伝子 / 特性評価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Non-food energy crops such as Miscanthus spp. have been taken attention as one of feedstocks for renewable energy such as biofuels. They are required to be cultivated in marginal agriculture lands where environmental stresses such as droughts occur. At the two sites in Japan and the United States, we evaluated the drought tolerance and measured photosynthetic characteristics using various strains of Miscanthus spp. Genotypes with excellent drought tolerance were almost consistent in both sites experiments, and Miscanthus sinensis “PMS-285” from the Yangtze-Qinling Mountains region showed excellent drought tolerance and high photosynthetic ability even in drought condition. In addition, regarding Miscane (hybrids between Miscanthus and sugarcane), the photosynthetic ability at low temperature, which is related to drought tolerance, is intermediate between both parents. This finding reveals that Miscanthus could contributes to improve environmental adaptability of sugarcane.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

今後予想される地球での人口増加や温暖化の対応策の一つとして、バイオマス利用による再生可能エネルギー確保は重要な取組である。非可食用エネルギー作物はその一つの原料であり、その安定生産が求められている。食料との競合を避けるために、エネルギー作物は限界農地で栽培されることを考えると、干ばつや低温など環境ストレス耐性に優れる品種を開発することが鍵となる。今回の一連の研究で、エネルギー作物としてのススキ属における耐乾燥性に優れる材料を同定することができた。また、エネルギー作物としても重要なサトウキビにススキ属を交配することにより、環境ストレス耐性を有するサトウキビ品種を開発できる可能性を明らかにした。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] ブリガムヤング大学/イリノイ大学(米国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] ブリガムヤング大学/イリノイ大学(米国)
• [Journal Article] Saccharum × Miscanthus intergeneric hybrids (miscanes) exhibit greater chilling tolerance of C4 photosynthesis and postchilling recovery than sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids). (2019)
  • Author(s): Kar, S., Zhang, N., Nakashima, T., Villanueva-Morales, A., Stewart, J. R., Sack, J. E., Terajima, Y., Yamada. T.
  • Journal Title: Global Change Biology Bioenergy Volume: 11 Issue: 11 Pages: 1318-1333
  • DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12632
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Field performance of Saccharum × Miscanthus intergeneric hybrids (Miscanes) under cool climatic conditions of northern Japan (2019)
  • Author(s): Kar, S., Weng, T., Nakashima, T., Villanueva-Morales, A., Stewart, J. R., Sack, J. E., Terajima, Y., Yamada. T.
  • Journal Title: BioEnergy Research Volume: - Issue: 1 Pages: 132-146
  • DOI: 10.1007/s12155-019-10066-x
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Biomass yield in a genetically diverse Miscanthus sinensis germplasm panel evaluated at five locations revealed individuals with exceptional potential (2019)
  • Author(s): Clark LV, Dwiyanti MS, Anzoua KG, Brummer JE, Ghimire BK, Glowacka K, Hall M, Heo K, Jin X, Lipka AE, Peng J, Yamada T, Yoo JH, Yu CY, Hua Zhao, Long SP, Sacks EJ
  • Journal Title: Global Change Biology Bioenergy Volume: 11 (10) Issue: 10 Pages: 1125-1145
  • DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12606
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Genome-wide association and genomic prediction for biomass yield in a genetically diverse Miscanthus sinensis germplasm panel phenotyped at five locations in Asia and North America (2019)
  • Author(s): Clark L, Dwiyanti M, Kossonou Anzoua, Brummer J, Ghimire B, Glowacka K, Hall M, Heo K, in X, Lipka A, Peng J, Yamada T, Yoo JH, Yu CY, Zhao H, Long S, Sacks E
  • Journal Title: Global Change Biology Bioenergy Volume: 11 (8) Issue: 8 Pages: 988-1007
  • DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12620
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Evaluation of genomic selection and marker assisted selection in Miscanthus and energycane (2019)
  • Author(s): Olatoye OM, Clark LV, Wang J, Yang X, Yamada T, Sacks EJ, Lipka AE
  • Journal Title: Molecular Breeding Volume: 印刷中 Issue: 12
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11032-019-1081-5
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Winter hardiness of Miscanthus (I): Overwintering ability and yield of new Miscanthus × giganteus in Illinois and Arkansa (2019)
  • Author(s): Dong, H., Green, S. V., Nishiwaki, A., Yamada, T., Stewart, J. R., Deuter, M., & Sacks, E. J.
  • Journal Title: GCB Bioenergy Volume: 11 Issue: 5 Pages: 691-705
  • DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12588
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Winter hardiness of Miscanthus (III): Genome-wide association and genomic prediction for overwintering ability in Miscanthus sinensis (2019)
  • Author(s): Dong H, Clark L, Lipka A, Brummer J, Glowacka K, Hall M, Heo K, Jin X, Peng J, Yamada T, Ghimire B, Yoo JH, Yu CY, Hua Zhao, Long S, Erik Sacks E
  • Journal Title: Global Change Biology Bioenergy Volume: 印刷中 Issue: 8 Pages: 930-955
  • DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12615
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Application of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy to classification of Miscanthus species (2017)
  • Author(s): Jin X, Chen X, Xiao L, Shi C, Chen L, Yu B, Yi Z, Yoo JH, Heo K, Yu CY, Yamada T, Sacks EJ, Peng J.
  • Journal Title: PLOS ONE Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Pages: e0171360-e0171360
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171360
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Determination of leaf water content by visible and near-infrared spectrometry and multivariate calibration in Miscanthus (2017)
  • Author(s): Jin X, Shi C, Yu CY, Yamada T, Sacks EJ.
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Plant Science Volume: 8 Pages: 721-721
  • DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00721
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Determination of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin content using visible and near infrared spectroscopy in Miscanthus sinensis (2017)
  • Author(s): Jin X, Chen X, Shi C, Li M, Guan Y, Yu CY, Yamada T, Sacks EJ, Peng J.
  • Journal Title: Bioresource Technology Volume: 241 Pages: 603-609
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.05.047
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Saccharum × Miscanthus Intergeneric Hybrids (Miscanes) show low temperature stress tolerance (2020)
  • Author(s): Yamada T
  • Organizer: Plant & Animal Genome XVIII, San Diego, USA
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Genotype-screening tool for drought tolerance of Miscanthus spp. (2018)
  • Author(s): Weng TY, Nakashima T, Stewart JR, Yamada T
  • Organizer: The 7th Japan-China-Korea Grassland Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research