Three Mississippi State-bred switchgrasses hit the market
Summary
Mississippi State scientists have developed switchgrass varieties that are waking up the industry with exceptional germination rates and are ready for commercial use in the Deep South. The university is working with the Upton, Kentucky-based Roundstone Native Seed Co. to deliver the “Robusto,” “Espresso,” and “Tusca” switchgrass varieties, developed by scientists in MSU’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. The origins of these coffee-inspired switchgrass varieties can be traced to the 20-year-old harvest from the Whitten Plant Materials Center in Coffeeville, whose living repository contained seeds from Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama. To test the consistency of the seeds’ germination velocity, weekly field evaluations were conducted at various sites throughout Mississippi, including Starkville, Brooksville, Poplarville, Newton and Holly Springs, all differing in climate and/or soil type. Seed requests for research purposes, such as variety testing, should be sent to Brian Baldwin in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at [email protected].