Selection and Breeding to Improve Commercial Germplasm and Increase Germination Percentage of Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum Dactyloides (L.) L.]
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Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2016 Selection and Breeding to Improve Commercial Germplasm and Increase Germination Percentage of Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum Dactyloides (L.) L.] Jesse Ira Morrison Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Morrison, Jesse Ira, "Selection and Breeding to Improve Commercial Germplasm and Increase Germination Percentage of Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum Dactyloides (L.) L.]" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 3894. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/3894 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Template B v3.0 (beta): Created by J. Nail 06/2015 Selection and breeding to improve commercial germplasm and increase germination percentage of eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] By TITLE PAGE Jesse Ira Morrison A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Plant and Soil Sciences in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Mississippi State, Mississippi May 2016 Copyright by COPYRIGHT PAGE Jesse Ira Morrison 2016 Selection and breeding to improve commercial germplasm and increase germination percentage of eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] By APPROVAL PAGE Jesse Ira Morrison Approved: ____________________________________ Brian S. Baldwin (Major Professor) ____________________________________ Rocky W. Lemus (Minor Professor) ____________________________________ Paul D. Meints (Committee Member) ____________________________________ J. Mike Phillips (Committee Member and Department Head) ____________________________________ Timothy A. Rinehart (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Michael S. Cox (Graduate Coordinator) ____________________________________ George M. Hopper Dean College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Name: Jesse Ira Morrison ABSTRACT Date of Degree: May 6, 2016 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Plant and Soil Sciences Major Professor: Brian S. Baldwin Title of Study: Selection and breeding to improve commercial germplasm and increase germination percentage of eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] Pages in Study 204 Candidate for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Perennial warm-season grasses constitute the backbone of many forage production systems, whether for grazing or harvested feed. North American native plants, specifically grasses, forbs and legumes offer unique ecosystem benefits along with forage quality and digestibility that are unmatched by introduced species. The disparity in breeding and research focused on improvement of introduced species as opposed to native genera has led to inflated use of introduced species as forage types in lieu of native options, due to their unimproved nature. Eastern gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] is proven to be a widely adapted, highly productive forage species in the southeast, Great Plains and northeast United States. A major limitation to more widespread use of eastern gamagrass is high seed dormancy, which leads to increased seed cost. Here, research used recurrent phenotypic selection breeding methods to reduce seed dormancy, with the ultimate goal of developing a population of individuals that produce non- dormant eastern gamagrass seed. DEDICATION This is dedicated to my Grandmother, Vera. She wouldn’t have been very interested in anything on these pages, but she would have listened intently. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with sincere gratitude that the author thanks the researchers and students that supported the forage agronomy breeding program at Mississippi State University while this research was being conducted: Brett Rushing, Tyler “T.Y.” Sandlin, Mitch Holmberg, David Russell, Spencer Smith, Dinum Perera, Daniel Barnes, Matt Thornton, Johnny Richwine, Bryan Smith, Tanner Ainsworth, Chad Hankins, and Tyler Anderson. It is also imperative to recognize the support of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 II. OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................5 III. LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................................6 Current Perspectives and Uses for North American Native Warm-Season Grass Species .............................................................................................6 Eastern Gamagrass ................................................................................................7 History and Distribution ..................................................................................7 Uses 8 Forage, Silage and Hay ..............................................................................9 Ornamental and Wildlife .........................................................................12 Nutrient Management ..............................................................................13 Biomass ...................................................................................................13 Phytoremediation .....................................................................................16 Morphology ...................................................................................................17 Flower Structure ............................................................................................19 Reproduction, Seed Head Formation and Seed Production ..........................19 Seed Quality Issues ........................................................................................21 Mechanical and Physical Dormancy .............................................................23 Physiological Dormancy ...............................................................................24 Seed Germination and Dormancy Breaking Techniques ....................................24 Stratification (Moist Chilling) .......................................................................26 Seed Priming .................................................................................................27 Chemical Scarification ..................................................................................27 Mechanical Scarification ...............................................................................28 Cupule Removal ............................................................................................29 Hydrogen Peroxide and Other Reactive Oxygen Species .............................29 iv Exogenous Hormones ....................................................................................31 Use of Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] in Maize [Zea mays (L.) subspecies mays] Improvement ...............................................32 Selection and Breeding for Improvement of Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] at the Diploid, Triploid and Tetraploid Levels .....................................................................................36 Current Breeding Issues ................................................................................36 Apomixis in Eastern Gamagrass .............................................................37 Diplospory .........................................................................................38 Selection and Breeding ..................................................................................38 Ploidy Level of Commercial Cultivars ..........................................................40 Diploid Commercial Cultivars ................................................................40 Pete ...............................................................................................40 Iuka IV ...............................................................................................41 St. Lucie .............................................................................................41 Martin ...............................................................................................41 Triploid Commercial Cultivars ................................................................42 Verl ...............................................................................................42 Tetraploid Commercial Cultivars ............................................................42 Nacogdoches ......................................................................................42 Highlander .........................................................................................43