Methane Yield Potential of Miscanthus ( Miscanthus × giganteus (Greef et Deuter)) Established under Maize ( Zea mays L.)

Moritz von Cossel, Anja Mangold, Yasir Iqbal and Iris Lewandowski
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Moritz von Cossel: Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Anja Mangold: Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Yasir Iqbal: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Iris Lewandowski: Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: This study reports on the effects of two rhizome-based establishment procedures ‘miscanthus under maize’ (MUM) and ‘reference’ (REF) on the methane yield per hectare (MYH) of miscanthus in a field trial in southwest Germany. The dry matter yield (DMY) of aboveground biomass was determined each year in autumn over four years (2016–2019). A biogas batch experiment and a fiber analysis were conducted using plant samples from 2016–2018. Overall, MUM outperformed REF due to a high MYH of maize in 2016 (7211 m 3 N CH 4 ha −1 ). The MYH of miscanthus in MUM was significantly lower compared to REF in 2016 and 2017 due to a lower DMY. Earlier maturation of miscanthus in MUM caused higher ash and lignin contents compared with REF. However, the mean substrate-specific methane yield of miscanthus was similar across the treatments (281.2 and 276.2 l N kg −1 volatile solid −1 ). Non-significant differences in MYH 2018 (1624 and 1957 m 3 N CH 4 ha −1 ) and in DMY 2019 (15.6 and 21.7 Mg ha −1 ) between MUM and REF indicate, that MUM recovered from biotic and abiotic stress during 2016. Consequently, MUM could be a promising approach to close the methane yield gap of miscanthus cultivation in the first year of establishment.

Keywords: biogas; biomass; cropping system; establishment; intercropping; low-input; maize; miscanthus; methane yield; perennial crop (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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