Project properties
Title Breeding miscanthus for bio-based applications
Group Plant Breeding, Laboratory of
Project type thesis
Credits 24-39
Supervisor(s) Dr. Francesco Pancaldi, Prof. Dr. Luisa Trindade
Examiner(s) Prof. Dr. Luisa Trindade
Contact info luisa.trindade@wur.nl, francesco.pancaldi@wur.nl
Begin date 2024/03/01
End date 2027/12/31
Description Miscanthus is an attractive crop to supply biomass that can be used for different applications in a bio-based economy, including production of energy, biofuels, bioconstruction materials, and biochemicals. At Wageningen University, a breeding program on Miscanthus sinensis has been established since some decades, in order to develop high-yielding varieties that can be propagated through seeds and with high performance in terms of biomass yield and quality for bio-based applications. Activities within the breeding program entail the set-up of crosses and trials, the evaluation of plant material at different stages of the breeding cycles and for several traits (from morphological and phenological traits as plant height, stem number, or flowering time, to biomass yield parameters, and to biochemical analysis of lignocellulosic biomass), the statistical analysis of breeding data over trials and years, and the evaluation of selection performance. The breeding program includes also a collection of accessions on which association mapping and the development of a genomic selection model are being implemented for multiple traits. MSc theses could also be focused on this aspects, depending on students’ wishes. Moreover, innovative genomic tools for a faster mapping of genomic regions of interest to be targeted in selection activities are also being implemented in the program. Depending on when a thesis is started, the specific activities that can be carried out in the context of the breeding program might differ.
Used skills Biochemical analysis of lignocellulose; High-throughput phenotyping of sample material; Statistical analysis of breeding trials; Taking breeding decisions; Bioinformatics; Genomics; Association mapping.
Requirements PBR-31306 Bioresources, PBR-37306 Advanced Bioresources or PBR-30306 Breeding for quality and resistance.