2011/01/01 by Eric K. Anderson, Rebecca A. Arundale, Matthew Maughan +3 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Engineering · #Bioenergy crop production and management #Biofuel production and bioconversion #Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism #Miscanthus #Biomass (ecology) #Agronomy #Production (economics) #Environmental science #Energy crop #Bioenergy #Biofuel #Biology #Biotechnology #Economics
paper · pdf · doi:10.4155/bfs.10.80
openalex publication_date 2011/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Miscanthus x giganteus is a highly productive, sterile, rhizomatous, C4 perennial grass that should be considered as a feedstock for bioenergy production. Here, we review the current state of research and the future of M. x giganteus biomass production. Since the 1980s, the grass has been studied and used in Europe to produce heat and electricity via combustion. Since 2005, the US government has encouraged research using herbaceous feedstocks for conversion to ethanol for use as transportation fuel. M. x giganteus is being widely studied in the USA because of its potential to produce large quantities of biomass. This review examines the taxonomy and genetics, growth and development, physiology and agronomy, and modeled and potential ‘real-world’ yields of M. x giganteus in Europe and the USA. In addition, the invasiveness and the future perspective of M. x giganteus utility and research in the USA are also considered.