Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Southeast Asia [
73
-
75
].
M. sinensis
is found in a wide range of habitats, from
mountain slopes to coastal areas [
76
]. It is able to establish on varying soil types,
with preferences for exposed, well-drained habitats [
47
,
76
]. Conspecific plants
naturally occur on soils with pH values ranging between 3.5 and 7.5, although most
plants were found growing in soils with pH between 4.0 and 6.0 (summarized in
Kayama [
77
]). However, An et al. [
78
] reported that
M. sinensis
colonized soils
with pH values ranging from 2.7 to 5.4 in Rankoshi, Hokkaido, Japan.
M. sinensis
is
also tolerant to high aluminum, chromium, and zinc [
77
,
79
]. Its tolerance to heavy
metals can be utilized to develop a bioenergy crop that
is also suitable for
remediating polluted soils [
80
].
M. sinensis
from high-latitude flower earlier than those from low-altitude areas
[
36
]. The difference in flowering time can be up to two months. For example, an
accession of
M. sinensis
collected from Hokkaido, northern region of Japan,
flowered in the middle of August and one from Kyushu, western region of Japan,
flowered in October in the evaluation test at Sapporo, Japan. In general,
M. sinensis
has lower lignin content compared to
M.
giganteus
[
81
,
82
]. This trait is desirable
for bioethanol production, because high lignin content will inhibit cellulase activity
in breaking down cellulose [
81
,
82
]. In addition, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium,
chlorine, and calcium content variations were observed among
M. sinensis
geno-
types [
83
,
84
]. High levels of minerals can lead to unacceptable emissions of
dioxins during combustion process.
Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus
M. sinensis
var.
condensatus
is generally diploid, with a chromosome number of
38 [
41
], and has more condensed panicles, broader leaves with white spots, and
more secretion of wax on the leaf sheaths compared to
M. sinensis
[
36
,
41
,
84
]
(Fig.
3.4
). It is mainly distributed in coastal areas of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the
Fig. 3.4 Miscanthus
sinensis
var.
condensatus
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