Researchers find keys to varietal diversification for miscanthus

In Japan, researchers from the University of Illinois and the Univerisites of Miyazaki and Hokkaido in Japan have come across a hybrid of Miscanthus sacchariflorus and Miscanthus sinensis that will have similar phenotypic traits to the high-yielding Miscanthus x giganteus. By relying on just the giganteus variety, there is more risk of diseases and pests, so these researchers may have found a key to varietal diversification. But if they do not, the researchers believe they can still serve as a source of genetic variation that might express resistance to recently identified diseases and pests in the Miscanthus x giganteus.

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