ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Genet.
Sec. Genomics of Plants and the Phytoecosystem
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fgene.2025.1626083
This article is part of the Research TopicTowards Crop Stress Tolerance: Germplasm Innovations and Molecular GeneticsView all 3 articles
Drought Adaptation Index (DAI) Based on BLUP as a Selection Approach for Drought-Resilient Switchgrass Germplasm
Provisionally accepted
Shiva Om Makaju1,2
Hari Bahadur Chhetri3
Chanaka Roshan Abeyratne3
Mirko Pavicic3
Hari Prasad Poudel4
Jazib Ali Irfan2,5
Anita Giabardo5
Katrien M. Devos2,5,6
Daniel Jacobson3
Ali M Missaoui1,2,5*- 1Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
- 2Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
- 3Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, United States
- 4Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Canada
- 5Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
- 6Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
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This study introduces a Drought Adaptation Index (DAI), derived from Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP), as a method to assess drought resilience in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). A panel of 404 genotypes was evaluated under drought-stressed (CV) and well-watered (UC) conditions over four consecutive years (2019)(2020)(2021)(2022). BLUP-estimated biomass yields were used to calculate the DAI, which enabled classification of genotypes into four adaptation groups: very well-adapted, well-adapted, adapted, and unadapted. The DAI was compared with conventional drought tolerance indices, including the Stress Susceptibility Index (SSI), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), and Yield Stability Index (YSI). Correlation analyses demonstrated strong agreement between DAI and these indices, supporting its validity and consistency. Biplot analyses using the Genotype plus Genotype-by-Environment Interaction (GGE) and Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) models revealed significant genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI) and identified J222.A, J463.A, and J295.A as high performing genotypes, with J222.A exhibiting greater yield stability across treatments and years. Additionally, DAI isoline curves provided a graphical representation of differential genotype performance under drought and control conditions. These visualizations aided in distinguishing genotypes with stable and superior biomass yield across contrasting environments. Overall, the BLUP-based DAI is a robust and practical selection tool that improves the accuracy of identifying drought-resilient, high-yielding switchgrass genotypes. Its integration into breeding programs offers a Deleted: Assessing
Keywords: Switchgrass, bioenergy, drought adaptation, Yield stability, BLUP, drought adaptation index, Stress tolerance indices, biomass yield This study introduces and validates a Drought Adaptation Soil Moisture Measurement
Received: 10 May 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Makaju, Chhetri, Abeyratne, Pavicic, Poudel, Irfan, Giabardo, Devos, Jacobson and Missaoui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ali M Missaoui, Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
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