Dual-Use Bioenergy-Livestock Feed Potential of Giant Miscanthus, Giant Reed, and Miscane

Abstract

High yielding perennial grasses could integrate bioenergy-livestock operations, thereby, offsetting diversions of cropland to lignocellulosic crops, but research is needed to determine chemical composition and digestibility of leaf and stem fractions that might affect downstream reside uses. The objective of this study was to compare feedstock quality of leaf and stem tissues of dedicated bioenergy feedstocks: giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus), giant reed (Arundo donax), and miscane (Saccharum hybrid × Miscanthus spp.) when grown with or without supplemental irrigation on an upland site. Three species were space-planted on a silt loam soil in March 2007 and harvested prior to the first freeze in plant-cane, first ratoon, and second-ratoon crops for three years. Giant miscanthus leaf tissue had greatest acid detergent lignin and cellulose, and lowest concentrations of nitrogen (N) and total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) in ratoon crops. Giant reed leaf tissue had greatest concentrations of in vitro digestible dry matter (IVDMD), TNC, and N (P ≤ 0.05). Conversely, miscane stem tissue had greatest concentrations of IVDMD, TNC, hemicellulose, and low dry matter and combustible energy (P ≤ 0.05). Results suggest all species' residue has positive feedstock attributes for thermochemical bioenergy conversion, and albeit giant miscanthus has very little potential value as fodder. Miscane stem and giant reed leaf tissue have potential value as livestock feed, although giant reed is not currently recommended for planting. Further research is needed on dietary composition, acceptability, voluntary intake, and live weight gain before any of these species are recommended as livestock feed sources. † Retired.How to cite this paper: Burner,

Invited review: Learning from the future—A vision for dairy farms and cows in 2067

“…Drought-and salt-tolerant varieties will increase in importance as climate changes and irrigation increases. High-yielding perennial crops, including perennial maize (Murray and Jessup, 2014) and hybrid canes (Głowacka et al, 2016;Burner et al, 2017) that have high sugar contents, will replace annual maize. New feeds or feed supplements will be produced from microalgae (Costa et al, 2016).…”

Growth Rates of Giant Miscanthus (<i>Miscanthus</i> × <i>giganteus</i>) and Giant Reed (<i>Arundo donax</i>) in a Low-Input System in Arkansas, USA

“…We showed previously that irrigation increased dry matter yield of plant-cane and first ratoon crops of giant reed, but did not affect giant miscanthus [35]. Irrigation did not significantly affect second ratoon yields of either species [36]. After establishment, giant miscanthus roots can penetrate to 3 m-depth in alluvial soil [55].…”

Protein and energy from grazing or crops - does livestock have a chance?

“…For AGB, the regression analysis instead utilized the suitability data that was available for three important plant species: Reed canary grass, Miscanthus, and Switchgrass. These species were selected as they are typical graminoids and recognized as suitable feed for grazing animals (Burner et al, 2016), and have readily available plant-specific suitability indices (Zabel et al, 2022). By detecting a relationship between the protein produced and the plant-specific suitability indices, we were able to use this association to estimate protein yields, even in areas with no current grazing land.…”