Origin, diffusion and reproduction of the giant reed (Arundo donax L.): a promising weedy energy crop

Abstract

Giant reed (Arundo donax) is a promising energy crop of the Mediterranean areas. It has long been associated with humans and has been cultivated in Asia, southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. It is a perennial herbaceous plant (Poaceae) found in grasslands and wetlands throughout a wide range of climatic zones. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to assess genetic inter and intrarelationships between A. donax and other Arundo species. Furthermore, the development of the sexual apparatus was analysed to understand the basis of sterility in the accession examined. The dendrograms obtained by phenetic and cladistic analysis support the monophyletic origin of giant reed and suggest that it originated in Asia and began to spread into the Mediterranean without traces of hybridisation with the other Arundo species. In particular, samples from Mediterranean areas are characterisd by a lower gene diversity and incidence of rare AFLP fragments indicating that these populations are recent in origin. Moreover, results indicate the occurrence of post-meiotic alterations in the ovule and pollen developmental pathway. Thus, the success of giant reed can be attributed mainly to its rapid clonal spread by rhizome extension, flood dispersal of rhizome and culm fragments.

Analysis of chromosome number and speculations on the origin of Arundo donax L. (Giant Reed)

“…Regarding the origin of A. donax, this is still an open question due to its sterility and the uncertainty concerning the chromosome number. However data obtained in the work [7] indicated a monophyletic origin of A. donax which supported the suggestion of the origin in Asia and a later spread into the Mediterranean area and rest of the world. In this work we propose a chromosome number for A. donax and a couple of hypotheses regarding its origin, involving two closely related species, A. plinii and Phragmites australis.…”

“…donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae) is a perennial rhizomatous plant growing spontaneously all over the world as an invasive plant reaching more than 8 m in height [1][2][3]. It is a sterile plant which reproduces itself only agamically, through rhizomes and cane fragments which are transported by water or through human action [4,5] and as such, genetic variability found among A. donax clones is small [6,7]. In the past it was used industrially for the production of musical instruments, textile fibers and cellulose [1].…”

Nota sobre los primeros registros históricos de dos plantas invasoras en la península de Baja California: crónica del misionero jesuita Miguel del Barco

“…berlandieri, que es el único taxón de esta especie registrado en la península, y el "grueso y largo…llevado de la costa de enfrente" se identifica como Arundo donax. Se considera que A. donax es nativo de Asia y que posteriormente se extendió a la Cuenca del Mediterráneo, donde posiblemente se diversificó (Mariani et al, 2010). Desde esta última fue introducido en el Nuevo Mundo.…”

Desarrollo de bioproductos de Arundo donax L. orientados al secuestro de carbono y reducción de la pérdida de biodiversidad

“…Algunos autores sugieren que A. donax es nativa de Asia, desde donde se extendió al resto del mundo [3]. A su vez, estos datos indican que su propagación ha sido fundamentalmente vegetativa, aunque las técnicas moleculares actuales sugieren un origen monofilético [4]. A pesar de ello también se considera una especie nativa de los países Mediterráneos, desde donde se ha extendido a gran parte de las regiones templado-cálidas y tropicales del mundo, debido a sus múltiples usos.…”