Germination of Panicum virgatum cultivars in a NaCl gradient

With increased interest in biofuel production, the conversion of agricultural lands (known to concentrate salts) as well as other marginal lands will be critical in establishing a switchgrass-based renewable biofuel industry. In this study three cultivars (Trailblazer, Cave-in-Rock, and Blackwell) of Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) were germinated in a NaCl gradient of 0.0, 0.0504, 0.1002, and 0.1546 molar solutions. Three replicates were run, lasting 20 days each, from September 2010 to November 2010. Each replicate consisted of six samples for each cultivar:concentration combination, for a total of 72 samples per replicate. A two-way ANOVA indicated that for all three replicates percent germination was significantly affected by salinity concentration, cultivar type, and salinity concentration x cultivar type (p