Over the past few decades Miscanthus has been studied as a potential bioenergy crop in Europe but not much been studied in Korea although Korea has many native Miscanthus species and genetic resources. Because of their features, such as low demands of fertilizers and other agrochemicals, high water use efficiency and high productivity, Miscanthus can be cultivated in marginal lands. However, it is not known how Miscanthus can survive in saline soil and what extent Miscanthus can tolerate salt stress, one of main abiotic stresses in reclaimed lands or dry climates. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate physiological response of Miscanthus species to salt stress and thus to establish a salt stress threshold. Miscanthus sinensis and M. sacchariflorus showed similar responses to salt stress. Chlorophyll contents, photosynthesis and plant growth were all significantly affected by salt stress. Both species were completely killed at > 100 mM NaCl. The GR50 values estimated by non-linear regression analysis with the logistic model were 116.2 mM and 63.1 mM for M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus, respectively. These GR50 values can be used as their thresholds of salt stress. Further studies will be conducted to screen salt-tolerant Miscanthus genotypes.

Miscanthus, a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass, is a potential biomass crop. Its propagation can be made by seed, rhizome and cultured tissue. Propagation by rhizomes or cultured tissues is expensive, while seed propagation is rather simple and cheaper. However, little effort has been made to investigate seed germination, particularly in relation with exogeneous chemicals including plant growth regulators to improve germination. This study was conducted to improve the seed germination of Miscanthus with GA3, NaClO, KNO3 and procloraz. iscanthus sacchariflorus and Miscanthus sinesis seeds were treated with the above chemicals at different concentrations. Decoated seeds were soaked in GA3, NaClO, KNO3, and procloraz solutions. Pretreated 20 Miscanthus seeds were then sown in each petri dish covered with a single layer of Watman filter paper and maintained in the incubation chamber at 33℃/25℃ (day/night). Seed germination were measured every 8 hours. As a result, the best germination was obtained at 250 mg/L GA3, 0.3% NaClO, 1 mM KNO3 and 1 mL/L procloraz solutions.