Genome sequence of the diploid switchgrass Panicum hallii

The switchgrass Panicum virgatum is currently widely studied as a promising biomass crop for biofuel production. However, the ploidy levels in common accessions of P. virgatum (tetraploid to octaploid) present major difficulties for genetic and genomic analysis of agronomic traits in this species. We are developing a closely related Panicum species as a more tractable model to study many of these traits. This species, P. hallii, shows many similarities with P. virgatum, including C4 carbon fixation, growth habit, and the occurrence of upland and lowland ecotypes. Importantly, P. hallii is diploid, which is expected to make genetic and genomic analysis of this species more tractable.