Meta-analysis of how management practices and environmental factors affect biomass production and N2O emissions in miscanthus ×giganteus systems

Renewable energy sources have been progressively developed with a focus on mitigating climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., N2O emissions), and replacing fossil fuel resources. In particular, Miscanthus × giganteus, a C4 perennial crop, is a promising bioenergy crop because of its better environmental footprint and relatively higher biomass than annual crops. In this study, I collected biomass production and N2O fluxes data across the United States and Europe spanning from 1990 to 2017 from published literature to assess the effects of management practices (i.e., age and nitrogen application) and environmental factors (i.e., air temperature and precipitation) on Miscanthus × giganteus yield and N2O emissions using meta-analysis. A yield adjustment model prior to meta-analysis was developed to eliminate sampling errors and has improved the accuracy of yield estimates and the reliability of the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that nitrogen fertilization significantly increased yield in the U.S., but not so much in Europe. Furthermore, around 100 kg N ha-1 fertilization rates for mature Miscanthus × giganteus might be considered more effective and cost-efficient to increase yield in most locations, but a one-case-fits-all optimum fertilization rate cannot be prescribed. In addition, increased growing season precipitation increased Miscanthus × giganteus yield during the peak harvest period, while there was no significant relationship between growing season temperature and Miscanthus × giganteus yield. The meta-analysis, based on a limited greenhouse gas database, showed that nitrogen fertilization increased N2O emissions. There was a positive correlation between increased air temperatures and increased N2O emissions. In addition, the observed relationship between daily precipitation and N2O emissions deserves further investigation. Seasonal environmental factors, soil factors, and site-specific effects should be considered in future studies in an extensive and comprehensive study to understand N2O emissions.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Fu, Lianlei

Contributors dc:contributor

• Guan, Kaiyu
• Lee, DoKyoung
• Peng, Bin

• Miscanthus
• N2o Emissions
• Yield
• Nitrogen Fertilization
• Harvest Time

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Lianlei Fu

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124457

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124457