Miscanthus giganteus in the Middle Volga region: opportunities and prospects

Abstract

The main raw material for the production of cellulose is wood, which is also used as fuel, but it takes at least 80 years to regenerate forests. Therefore, it became necessary to find other possible sources of energy and cellulose. Miscanthus giganteus could become a possible and efficient renewable raw material. It also could replace forest crops in several ways. In this regard, in the Middle Volga region, which belongs to the zone of unstable moisture, the current research has been carried out since 2013 on the application of Miscanthus giganteus in light gray soil. Well-formed plants in the year the sowing with sufficient moisture provided the yield of the aboveground mass of 14 t/ha, in the second year it increased 2 times, in the third, despite the arid conditions, it reached 36 t/ha. The next two years were the most productive, when, with sufficient moisture, it was received 40 and 41 t/ha. In the severely arid years 2018 and 2019, it decreased by 9 and 11 t/ha, respectively, in relation to the fifth year of growing. The growing season of the last two years was favorable, but precipitation fell earlier or later than the critical phases of Miscanthus giganteus growing, which led to a decrease in yield to 25 t/ha. On average, per year, starting from the second year of growing, it could form 32 t/ha of energy biomass, which in terms of cellulose content, depending on the age of plants, is equal to wood (48.10-59.81%), and in terms of calorific value, raw materials correspond to the European standards.