This project had six objectives, four of which have been completed: 1) Association panels of diverse populations and linkage populations for switchgrass and reed canarygrass (~1,000 clones each) were assembled and planted in two sites (Ithaca, NY and Arlington, WI)
2) Key biofeedstock characteristics were evaluated in these panels for three field seasons
3) High density SNP markers were developed in switchgrass
and 4) Switchgrass association panels and linkage populations were genotyped. The remaining two original objectives will be met in the next year, as the analyses are completed and papers published: 5) Switchgrass population structure and germplasm diversity will be evaluated
and 6) Association mapping will be established and marker based breeding values estimated in switchgrass. We also completed a study of the chromosome-number variation found in switchgrass.