Seasonal Dynamics of Productivity and Photosynthesis of Three Biofuel Feedstocks: Field Comparisons of Miscanthus X Giganteus, Panicum Virgatum and Zea Mays
type: CreativeWork
description: Global climate change and dwindling supplies of fossil based resources have led to increasing interest in the use of plant biomass as an alternative fuel source. One of the major limitations is in the amount of land area available to meet the needs of the expanding global population. To provide enough food, feed, fiber and fuel for the projected 9 billion people who will inhabit the Earth by 2050, land use decisions must be made carefully, and should be validated by statistically rigorous data. Furthermore, improvements in plant productivity will be necessary to ensure abundant supplies to meet the above demands. This thesis aims to compare the productivity and underlying causes of variation in productivity of three candidate species which are currently or projected to be used widely in bioenergy production, Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.), using fully-replicated field trials in the Midwestern USA. A comparison of M. x giganteus and P. virgatum cv. Cave-in-Rock over a range of 7 soil types at locations across Illinois showed that M. x giganteus produces on average 2.5 times more harvestable biomass than P. virgatum; however this difference varied considerably with location. Importantly some of the highest yields of M. x giganteus were obtained on marginal soils in southern Illinois. The first comparison of seasonal dynamics of below-ground biomass of mature M. x giganteus and P. virgatum stands over three consecutive growing seasons showed that on average, M. x giganteus has nearly double the amount of below-ground biomass than P. virgatum; the difference being due to a larger rhizome but not root mass. M. x giganteus is also shown to be more effective at cycling nutrients and energy from carbohydrates stored in the rhizomes to promote above-ground growth early in the growing season and in recycling the nutrients and carbohydrates back to the rhizomes during senescence late in the growing season. Diurnal…
abstract: Global climate change and dwindling supplies of fossil based resources have led to increasing interest in the use of plant biomass as an alternative fuel source. One of the major limitations is in the amount of land area available to meet the needs of the expanding global population. To provide enough food, feed, fiber and fuel for the projected 9 billion people who will inhabit the Earth by 2050, land use decisions must be made carefully, and should be validated by statistically rigorous data. Furthermore, improvements in plant productivity will be necessary to ensure abundant supplies to meet the above demands. This thesis aims to compare the productivity and underlying causes of variation in productivity of three candidate species which are currently or projected to be used widely in bioenergy production, Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.), using fully-replicated field trials in the Midwestern USA. A comparison of M. x giganteus and P. virgatum cv. Cave-in-Rock over a range of 7 soil types at locations across Illinois showed that M. x giganteus produces on average 2.5 times more harvestable biomass than P. virgatum; however this difference varied considerably with location. Importantly some of the highest yields of M. x giganteus were obtained on marginal soils in southern Illinois. The first comparison of seasonal dynamics of below-ground biomass of mature M. x giganteus and P. virgatum stands over three consecutive growing seasons showed that on average, M. x giganteus has nearly double the amount of below-ground biomass than P. virgatum; the difference being due to a larger rhizome but not root mass. M. x giganteus is also shown to be more effective at cycling nutrients and energy from carbohydrates stored in the rhizomes to promote above-ground growth early in the growing season and in recycling the nutrients and carbohydrates back to the rhizomes during senescence late in the growing season. Diurnal…
author: Dohleman, Frank G.
language: eng
keywords: Biology, Plant Physiology
date published: 2015-09-28T15:22:57Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:26:28Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/87058