Registration of ‘Cedar Creek’ switchgrass

Abstract

Abstract‘Cedar Creek’ (Reg. no. CV‐290, PI 700113) switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) was selected for increased winter survivorship for three cycles, using surviving plants from ‘Kanlow’. The first two cycles were conducted at multiple locations in Wisconsin, and the third cycle was conducted at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, East Bethel, MN. All seed production and increases were conducted by either Illinois State University or the University of Illinois. Field evaluations of the third‐cycle population were conducted at five locations in Wisconsin between 2017 and 2021, located within USDA hardiness zones 3–5. Field experiments were planted in both 2016 and 2017. Averaged over the five locations and all trial years, Cedar Creek had 91% ground cover, compared with 96% for Cave‐in‐Rock, 95% for Shawnee, and 91% for Liberty. Biomass yield of Cedar Creek averaged 12.17 Mg ha−1, which was 20% higher than Liberty, 30% higher than Cave‐in‐Rock, 31% higher than Shawnee, and 520% higher than Kanlow. Cedar Creek is a high‐biomass lowland‐type of switchgrass and is the first lowland‐type adapted to USDA hardiness zones 3–5. Cedar Creek was released to the public by USDA‐ARS in 2021.