Supergrass: harvesting the energy potential of riverbank plants
- 9 years ago
The grassy banks of the river Barrow in Ireland may look unproductive in agricultural terms, but to scientists involved in a European research project the land and its vegetation may hold the key to an energy revolution.
The plant giving rise to such optimism is called myscanthus, a non-native species.
John Finnan, a crop researcher at Teagasc Oak Park explained why it is a good candidate a an energy crop: “Not only does it produce high biomass yields but it has mechanisms which mean that it is quite thrifty in the way it uses both nutrients and water. So it produces a high yield of biomass or energy from a low input from energy.
“Crops like myscanthus grow quite well on some marginal sides. In fact they grow so well that they grow better and produce higher yields than corresponding yields on good agricultural soils”.
Hardy perennial
Scientists monitor photosynthesis activity to evaluate the ideal ambient conditions for growing biomass.
Myscanthus is mainly native to
The plant giving rise to such optimism is called myscanthus, a non-native species.
John Finnan, a crop researcher at Teagasc Oak Park explained why it is a good candidate a an energy crop: “Not only does it produce high biomass yields but it has mechanisms which mean that it is quite thrifty in the way it uses both nutrients and water. So it produces a high yield of biomass or energy from a low input from energy.
“Crops like myscanthus grow quite well on some marginal sides. In fact they grow so well that they grow better and produce higher yields than corresponding yields on good agricultural soils”.
Hardy perennial
Scientists monitor photosynthesis activity to evaluate the ideal ambient conditions for growing biomass.
Myscanthus is mainly native to