Plant priming changes physiological properties and lignin content in Miscanthus x giganteus

Abstract During the last couple of years, the traditionally mild climate of central Europe changed to very hot and dry (including the spring season). Local plants and crops need to deal with this stressful change causing a yield decrease. Primary aims were to explore simple ways of "hardening" Miscanthus x giganteus J.M.Greef, Deuter ex Hodk., Renvoize energy grass to deal with climate changes more efficiently and improve its productivity as a biomass crop at the same time. Plant priming has been discussed as a cheap and simple tool for the improvement of plant qualities. Specific doses of vitamins, metals as priming compounds, and different initial cultivation conditions (cold, hot, dark) were applied to study changes in plant physiology using non-invasive methods of measurement of leaf fluorescence and reflectance. After a short priming period, all plants studied were cultivated in a greenhouse under conditions mimicking the latest climate trend. Copper application and cold treatment (10 °C) increased the synthesis of lignin in treated plants. Nitrogen supplementation had the opposite effect; lignin production decreased. All treatments had a significant influence on photosynthetic processes; bud did not negatively influence the production of photosynthetic pigments. Obtained results show that applying particular physical and chemical primers to young Miscanthus x giganteus can result in substantial physiological changes, mainly concerning the effectivity of photosynthesis and change in cell wall composition.