Seed Set in Prairie Cordgrass.

Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) is receiving wide attention for its potential as a bioenergy crop on marginal poorly-drained soils in the northern Great Plains and elsewhere. Similar to most other native warm-season grasses, seed production of prairie cordgrass is unpredictable. Seed set (i.e., frequency of florets that contain a caryopsis) is an important component of seed yield in native perennial grasses in the northern Great Plains. A population of prairie cordgrass selected for biomass production was evaluated for seed set and other seed yield components over 3 years in eastern South Dakota. Temporal and spatial variation occurred for seed set.