Monday, April 30, 2012
Napoleon Ballroom C-D, 3rd fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
Switchgrass is targeted for development as an important feedstock for biofuels and biochemicals. As a perennial plant, it offers the potential advantages of high biomass, lower input requirements, and the ability to grow on marginal lands. However, for these potential advantages to be realized better cultivars will need to be developed, and a better understanding of factors that impact plant survival over the winter (critical for perenniality) is required. The work presented here is focused on contrasting the metabolomes of the crown and rhizome tissues of two contrasting switchgrass cultivars, Summer and Kanlow, harvested in late September. Transcriptome studies showed that several metabolic pathways were apparently unpregulated in Kanlow plants relative to Summer plants. We used the transcriptomic data and a preliminary screen of metabolites to establish potential correlations. Next, we have performed an in-depth metabolic profiling using GCMS and HPLC. The results of these analyses relative to our original screen will be presented and discussed. Our overall goal is to develop detailed metabolic insights into the below ground tissues of switchgrass, which are critical to the sustainable production of this important feedstock.