Biomass Yield of Naturalized Populations and Cultivars of Reed Canary Grass

Reed canary grass is a widely adapted temperate grass with a circumglobal distribution in the northern hemisphere. Because it has relatively high biomass yields under relatively infrequent harvest systems, this species is receiving increasing attention as a bioenergy feedstock. The objective of this study was to conduct a comparative biomass yield evaluation of reed canary grass accessions from a wide range of habitats in the north central and northeastern USA. Eight cultivars and 72 accessions were evaluated for biomass yield over 2 years at five locations in Iowa, New York, and Wisconsin. Accessions produced, on average, 6.7% higher biomass yield than the cultivars. Cultivars ranked from 50th to 77th in biomass yield out of a total of 80 cultivars and accessions. Genetic expression for biomass yield was highly consistent across locations and years. Accessions from southern and western collection sites tended to have the highest biomass yield. Reed canary grass populations in rural landscapes of the central and northeastern USA have value for increasing biomass yield potential of this bioenergy feedstock candidate species. The high biomass yield of many of these populations, combined with the large amount of genetic variability among these populations, offers potential for both short-term gains by selecting superior accessions and long-term gains by selection and breeding.