A new study is helping to determine optimum planting conditions for existing and forthcoming Miscanthus varieties, concluding that some are more adaptable to frosts, and others should be planted in warmer climates, to maximise the growing season to produce more biomass.
This GRACE project funded study shows that some Miscanthus plants intrinsically want to start emerging earlier in the year, and if they are planted in warmer locations, in the southern hemisphere, for example, it will benefit the resulting biomass yield, because the plant will benefit from a longer growing season.
It also highlights varieties which adapt to frost, emerging when the risk of frost is lower. “Miscanthus has a ‘plant memory’ remembering when the frost came and emerging after this time, the following year,” explains Jason Kam, Terravesta’s research and development manager.
Jason says that the results of the study will have implications for the varieties that are planted in specific locations.
“The varieties which intrinsically want to start growing earlier in the year are more suited to warmer climates with less risk of frost,” says Jason.
“Terravesta Athena TM is more suited to the UK because it’s much more tolerant to frost and to drought to a certain extent when comparing it to the commercial giganteus,” he says.
“We are also excited because we have been permitted to extend the growth period of the trial, which means we will have more data to determine optimum growing conditions and locations for the varieties we are developing,” adds Jason.
Read the results of the study here.
