Miscanthus, a peculiar genus originating from East Asia, has been considered a promising type of gramineous plant for the bioenergy industry. In this study, four major Miscanthus species widely distributed in China, Miscanthus sinensis, Miscanthus floridulus, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, and Miscanthus lutarioriparius were assessed for their biomass production, chemical composition, and saccharification efficiency. Results show that the annual dry biomass yields of M. sinensis, M. floridulus, M. sacchariflorus, and M. lutarioriparius averaged 16.7, 22.5, 16.7, and 32.0 t ha⁻¹ over 3 years, respectively. M. sinensis and M. floridulus have similar chemical compositions, but different from M. sacchariflorus and M. lutarioriparius. The efficiencies of enzymatic saccharification were assayed after pretreatment with dilute acid and green liquor, respectively. The M. sinensis and M. floridulus biomass displayed higher saccharification efficiency in the case of dilute acid pretreatment, while the M. sacchariflorus and M. lutarioriparius biomass showed higher efficiency following the green liquor pretreatment. Furthermore, a rapid estimation model for predicting Miscanthus biomass saccharification efficiency was established on the basis of near‐infared reflectance spectrometry analysis.

Virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful tool for transient gene functional analysis in plants, especially for monocot species (e.g., grasses) that are recalcitrant to transformation. Despite various VIGS systems that have been developed in different plant species, none was previously available for the bioenergy crop Miscanthus. Here, we report the establishment of an efficient and robust VIGS system mediated by Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV) in Miscanthus. We first investigated the impact of various factors that may affect gene silencing efficiency using theMiscanthus sinensis Phytoene Desaturase(MsPDS) gene as a visual indicator of photobleaching. Then, we optimized the TRV‐elicited VIGS procedure using an orthogonal experimental design with four factors (sprout size, Agrobacterium concentration, vacuum infiltration time, and co‐incubation time) each at three levels. The following led to the highest silencing efficiency (~76%): inoculation of germinating seedlings (1.0–2.0 mm),Agrobacterium tumefaciensculture grown to optical density at 600 nm (OD₆₀₀) of 0.4, vacuum infiltration for 90 min, and co‐incubation for 5 h. The VIGS system established was applicable for bothM. sinensisandM. lutarioriparius,with comparable gene silencing efficiency. We verified the efficacy of the VIGS system via the functional characterization of the role of a MYB transcription factor, MsMYB112, in salt stress tolerance. Expression ofMsMYB112was successfully knocked down using the VIGS system, and this led to compromised salt tolerance in the silenced Miscanthus plants. The TRV‐based VIGS system established may, therefore, substantially facilitate functional genomic studies in Miscanthus.