Shoot cuttings propagation of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) in water and moist soil: The path forward?

Giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a perennial rhizomatous grass that can be regarded as an ideal crop for bioenergy production, owing to several intrinsic characteristics. Despite to the promising yield results obtained in many plot experiments, the cultivation of giant reed at field scale is still a challenge. Owing to the floral sterility of the species, rhizome propagation has been predominantly used to establish field plots experiments, although this method is unpractical and monetarily expensive. Giant reed is a hydrophytic plant that typically spread in riparian systems by flood-mediated fragmentation and dispersal of vegetative propagules. Since giant reed propagation is strictly dependent on temporary abundance of water, this plant characteristic might be exploited for fostering the diffusion of giant reed as a bioenergy field crop. The objectives of this paper were: i) to disseminate some techniques for shoot cutting propagation of giant reed in water and in moist soil; ii) to address the critical points that remain to be solved for a widespread diffusion of this species as a bioenergy field crop.