Nuclear DNA content in Miscanthus sp. and the geographical variation pattern in Miscanthus lutarioriparius

The genome sizes of five Miscanthus species, including 79 accessions of M. lutarioriparius, 8 of M. floridulus, 6 of M. sacchariflorus, 7 of M. sinensis, and 4 of M. × giganteus were examined using flow cytometry. The overall average nuclear DNA content were 4.256 ± 0.6 pg/2C in M. lutarioriparius, 5.175 ± 0.3 pg/2C in M. floridulus, 3.956 ± 0.2 pg/2C in M. sacchariflorus, 5.272 ± 0.2 pg/2C in M. sinensis, and 6.932 ± 0.1 pg/2C in M. × giganteus. Interspecific variation was found at the diploid level, suggesting that DNA content might be a parameter that can be used to differentiate the species. Tetraploid populations were found in M. lutarioriparius, M. sacchariflorus, and M. sinensis, and their DNA content were 8.34 ± 1.2, 8.52, and 8.355 pg, respectively. The association between the DNA content of M. lutarioriparius, collected from representative ranges across the Yangtze River, and its geographic distribution was statistically analyzed. A consistent pattern of DNA content variation in 79 M. lutarioriparius accessions across its entire geographic range was found in this study. Along the Yangtze River, the DNA content of M. lutarioriparius tended to increase from the upstream to the downstream areas, and almost all tetraploids gathered in the upstream area extended to coastal regions.