Switchgrass and Giant Miscanthus Agronomy - Engineering and Science of Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision - page 51

Table 3.1 Miscanthus × giganteus yields (dry Mg ha −1 ) from published and unpublished sources in the
eastern USA

Yield
(dry Mg ha −1 ) Study
Dekalb, IL (north) 2004-2011 3-5 16.3 Heaton et al. [ 94 ] a
Urbana, IL (central) 2004-2011 3-5 31.1 Heaton et al. [ 94 ] a
Dixon Springs, IL (south) 2004-2011 3-5 30.0 Heaton et al. [ 94 ] a
Booneville, AK 2005 2 5.9 Adapted from Burner et al. [ 96 ]
Troy, KS 2007 2 13.7 Propheter et al. [ 97 ] b
Manhattan, KS 2007 2 11.8 Propheter et al. [ 97 ] b
Gainesville, FL 2009 2 6.2 Sollenberger et al. [ 98 ]
Ona, FL 2009 2 4.5 Sollenberger et al. [ 98 ]
Belle Glade, FL 2009 2 10.8 Sollenberger et al. [ 98 ]
Urbana, IL 2009-2011 2-4 13.1 Maughan et al. [ 71 ] c
Lexington, KY 2009-2011 2-4 18.4 Maughan et al. [ 71 ] c
Mead, NE 2009-2011 2-4 24.7 Maughan et al. [ 71 ] c
Adelphia, NJ 2009-2011 2-4 15.1 Maughan et al. [ 71 ] c
Gretna, VA 2011 2 9.4 Maughan et al. [ 71 ] c
a Yields are the average of four replicates at each site. Miscanthus × giganteus was not fertilized. Yield
averages include unpublished 2007-2011 production
b Variably fertilized in both 2007 and 2008
c Yields are the average of plots treated with three nitrogen levels (0, 60, 120 kg N ha −1 year −1 ) at each site.
Yield averages include unpublished 2011 production

Age of
stand (yr)

Site Year

3.3.5 Giant Miscanthus Biomass Productivity

Whether produced for liquid transportation fuel or heat and electricity, yield is a criti-
cal consideration when selecting a biomass feedstock. The high yields of giant mis-
canthus, when grown in appropriate environments, make it an important energy crop,
and several European studies have reported yields. Dry biomass yields ranged from
4 Mg ha −1 for a 3-4-year-old stand in Central Germany that was harvested in
December and received 80 kg N ha −1 year −1 to 44 Mg ha −1 for a 2-year-old stand in
Northern Greece that was harvested in September and received fertilizer and frequent
irrigation in a 1990s study that reported yields from more than 15 European locations
[ 57 ]. Over all locations, the sites averaged 2.8 growing seasons in age and averaged
15.3 dry Mg ha −1 biomass production [ 57 ]. In Rothamsted, England, Christian et al.
[ 88 ] found that giant miscanthus grown for 14 seasons averaged 12.8 Mg ha −1 annu-
ally in a long-term study. Of interest in this study is that there were no signifi cant
yield differences among treatments when the giant miscanthus received three levels
of N fertilizer (0, 60, and 120 kg ha −1 year −1 ). In a fi nal European study, Richter et al.
[ 64 ] reported that harvested yields of giant miscanthus that had been established for
a minimum of 3 years averaged 12.8 Mg ha −1 at 14 sites across the UK.
Researchers in the USA have only been studying M . × giganteus since the early
2000s, and results of these studies indicate that yields in the eastern USA have gen-
erally been greater than those in northern Europe (Table 3.1 ). This is probably due