Invasiveness potential of Miscanthus sinensis: implications for bioenergy production in the United States

Abstract

Miscanthus sinensis (Anderss.) is a perennial grass species that has been grown widely as an ornamental since the late 1800s and is now being considered for bioenergy production in the United States. With its ability to be grown from seed and tolerate cold climates, this species offers practical advantages over current cultivars of the higher-yielding hybrid species, M. Â giganteus. Yet a large-scale release of M. sinensis for bioenergy production in colder northern regions could result in new invasions into natural areas. We show, with reference to historical records and data collected in six wild US populations of M. sinensis in 2009, that ornamental varieties of this species have a long history of localized escape in the Eastern United States, primarily within the Appalachian region. To prevent further escape and gene flow, we recommend the development of sterile or functionally sterile varieties of M. sinensis or the restriction of its usage as a donor of genetic material to new sterile cultivars of M. Â giganteus. Other appropriate precautions for new biomass varieties include experimental demonstration of low invasiveness in the target region ahead of commercial production, along with postintroduction stewardship programs.

Stress-Tolerant Feedstocks for Sustainable Bioenergy Production on Marginal Land

“…The ability to produce high biomass yields under unfavorable growing conditions is correlated with invasiveness, and several authors have cautioned against the use of non-native and potentially invasive biomass crops [264][265][266][267][268][269][270]. Some of the crops mentioned in this review have been evaluated as highrisk species and have received attention from environmental groups and invasion ecologists (e.g., Arundo donax, seedbearing Miscanthus spp., Jatropha curcas, Pennisetum purpureum) [265,267,268,[271][272][273][274][275].…”

“…Some of the crops mentioned in this review have been evaluated as highrisk species and have received attention from environmental groups and invasion ecologists (e.g., Arundo donax, seedbearing Miscanthus spp., Jatropha curcas, Pennisetum purpureum) [265,267,268,[271][272][273][274][275]. Therefore, these and other high invasion-risk crops should only be chosen when they can be grown and transported with strict containment procedures in place [276] and when state and federal regulations allow their introduction and cultivation [277,278].…”

Miscanthus: a case study for the utilization of natural genetic variation

“…Some species such as M. floridulus generally grow at sea level or in warm tropical climates, but others such as M. paniculatus can tolerate high altitudes of up to 3100 m on dry mountain slopes of Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan in China (Chen and Renvoize, 2006). Given such a wide native distribution, it is not surprising that Miscanthus has also become naturalized following human introduction in many regions of the world including Eurasia, North and South America, and New Zealand (Meyer et al, 2010;Quinn et al, 2010Quinn et al, , 2011Quinn et al, , 2012Barney et al, 2012;Matlaga et al, 2012;Clark et al, 2014). Clark et al (2014) used high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to show that naturalized populations of M. sinensis were derived from a subset of ornamental cultivars that were themselves derived from Southern Japan.…”

Beyond Turf and Lawn: Poaceae in This Age of Climate Change

“…Over 150 cultivars of M. sinensis have been introduced [125], of which 40 are generally available to horticulture, and 10 occur on our campus. Traditional uses for Miscanthus include roof thatching material and fodder in Japan, where it is known as 'susuki' [148,149,150]. It is known as a wild food plant in Korea, where lowers and spikelets are consumed raw [151].…”