Crops Miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.)

Summary Information



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Miscanthus spp. are perennials, deep-rooted and producing a mass of creeping rhizomes beneath the soil surface.

Newly established plantation

The aerial parts grow in tufts, which expand to form clumps, sometimes exceeding 1 m across.

Base of established plant

The leaves are long, flat, and pointed, with a waxy covering, and in the case of M. sacchariflorus, may be striped with white. The stems are cane-like, erect and unbranched, and filled with solid pith; they may sometimes attain a height of 4 m.

Flower head

Flowers, when produced, are in pale or silvery-brown spikes at the tops of the stems, but they are not usually formed in more northerly parts of Europe. During autumn, the leaves are killed by frost and die back. These grasses require deep soils and warm conditions for optimal growth and productivity, and, in practice, crops seem most likely to thrive within the areas which are currently best-suited to maize production.

Young plantlets

At present, only vegetative methods of propagation are available, usually by planting pieces or sections of rhizomes from existing stock. Micropropagation techniques are capable of providing large numbers of uniform plants, but these are very sensitive to environmental conditions when young, and the method is also very expensive. Suggested established density is of the order of 1 plant per square metre, spaced as evenly as possible. Control of weeds, particularly perennial species, is very important during the first 2 years, but thereafter the crop should grow over most of the area. Nutrient requirements of an established crop are expected to be of the order of 75 kg nitrogen, 20 kg phosphate and 100 kg potash per ha annually; nutrients from fallen dead leaves are re-absorbed by the rhizomes which store them over winter.

Harvesting operation

The stems gradually dry during winter and may be harvested at about 50 percent moisture content: projected yields are about 20 t per ha of dry material annually for perhaps 10-15 years. [NF-2000 Comment: In the UK, Miscanthus is typically harvested in spring (February-April) at 60-80% dry matter]. Mechanical harvesting methods are likely to be developed, based on existing machines such as maize or sugar cane harvesters. Further research is needed before Miscanthus can become an established biomass crop for Europe. Agronomic considerations include the reduction of establishment costs, the sustainability of yield over an extended period, and the return of land to more traditional cropping patterns; further technical work is needed on the suitability of the produce for use in composite materials, and on matching harvesting and storage techniques to the intended uses. Established areas of Miscanthus could have valuable environmental benefits by acting as absorbing disposal areas for waste water and some industrial effluents.