Miscanthus sinensis

Miscanthus sinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Genus:	Miscanthus
Species:	M. sinensis
Binomial name
Miscanthus sinensis Andersson (1855)

Japanese susuki of the plateau

Miscanthus sinensis, the eulalia or Chinese silver grass, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to eastern Asia throughout most of China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

Description

It is an herbaceous perennial grass, growing to 0.8–2 m (3–7 ft) tall, rarely 4 m (13 ft), forming dense clumps from an underground rhizome. The leaves are 18–75 cm (7–30 in) tall and 0.3–2 cm broad. The flowers are purplish, held above the foliage. This plant is the preferred structure for the nesting of some species of paper wasps, such as Ropalidia fasciata.

Nomenclature

The Latin specific epithet sinensis means "from China", though the plant is found elsewhere in eastern Asia.

Forms and varieties

• M. sinensis f. glaber Honda
• M. sinensis var. gracillimus Hitchc.
• M. sinensis var. variegatus Beal
• M. sinensis var. zebrinus Beal

Cultivation

It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate climates around the world.

Miscanthus is a promising bioeconomy crop. The current cultivation area in Europe is relatively low. This is most likely due to its alternative crop status, where low knowledge about how to incorporate it into modern farming systems exist. Miscanthus can be used in unfavorable conditions, such as awkward shapes, slopes of land or relatively low soil quality. It can also play important roles for ecological services such as soil protection or when the farmer can use the biomass on his own farm as feed for animals(Winkler et al., 2020).

Miscanthus can be cultivated in areas where corn grows, up to an altitude of about 700 meters is optimal. Yet, Miscanthus is ideal for soils that are often too wet for traditional field crops like corn. Environmental factors such as compacted soils and poor water retention can reduce biomass production and yield for bioenergy use.

It has become an invasive species in parts of North America. However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of escape or hybridization with extant wild M. sinensis populations with breeding and proper management.

Fertilization of Miscanthus for yield

After Lee et al., fertilization does plays a key role in achieving higher yields, with nutrient supply and soil quality being decisive factors. Nitrogen is particularly important, with an optimal application of about 60 kg of nitrogen per hectare. Additional nitrogen beyond this does not seem to improve yield significantly.

Nitrogen fertilization increases both water content and nitrogen content in the plant but does not affect its caloric value. The nitrogen content in Miscanthus also varies during the season.Other factors, such as spatial variation, soil type and soil texture, can affect nitrogen availability and thus influence yield (Schwartz et al., 1994).

Other modern technologies, as shown in Chupakhin et al., enable higher yields. Due to the energy demands and the competition between food crops and non-food crops like Miscanthus, research is now focused on genetically improving these plants. In the case of Miscanthus, improvements focus on increasing cellulose production to boost overall biomass yield.

Cultivars

Several cultivars have been selected, including 'Strictus' with narrow growth habit, 'Variegata' with white margins, and ‘Zebrinus’ (sometimes incorrectly rendered as 'Zebrina') with horizontal yellow and green stripes across the leaves. Those marked agm have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

• 'Border Bandit'
• 'Cosmopolitan' agm
• 'Dronning Ingrid'
• 'Ferner Osten' agm
• 'Flamingo' agm
• 'Gewitterwolke' agm
• 'Ghana' agm
• 'Gold und Silber' agm
• 'Gracillimus'
• 'Grosse Fontäne' agm
• 'Kaskade' agm
• 'Kleine Fontäne' agm
• 'Kleine Silberspinne' agm
• 'Malepartus'
• 'Morning Light' agm
• 'Septemberrot' agm
• 'Silberfeder' agm
• 'Strictus' agm
• 'Undine' agm
• 'Variegatus'
• 'Zebrinus' agm

• 
  'Zebrinus'
• 
  'Strictus'
• 
  'Ferner Osten'
• 
  'Malepartus'

Uses

M. sinensis is a candidate for bioenergy production due to its high yield, even in high-stress environments, easy propagation, effective nutrient cycling, and high genetic variation.

Environmental benefits and carbon sequestration

Miscanthus sinensis shows a high potential for Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, especially under moderate warming scenarios (RCP 4.5). Under high warming scenarios (RCP 8.5) the SOC stocks may decline over time, because Miscanthus sinensis is better adapted to cooler climates.

Higher SOC improves soil structure, nutrient cycling, water retention, microbial activity and biodiversity which are essential for soil health, sustainability and productivity in agricultural practices. Healthier soil can build up resilience against extreme weather events, especially against soil erosion and water loss through soil structure and stability. Moreover, increased SOC in soils play an important role in climate change mitigation by helping to offset greenhouse gas emissions.

Usually, C4 carbon fixation plants have higher root exudation and rhizodeposition than Miscanthus. This suggests that the carbon dynamics in Miscanthus are dominated by recycling processes instead of carbon stabilization, meaning that not as much carbon is directly released into the soil through the roots. An important way of carbon storage in Miscanthus is through translocation of carbon into rhizomes before the crop is harvested. Additionally, carbon gets back to the soil through decomposition of plant material.

The carbon sequestration potential of Miscanthus sinensis varies by climate, soil type, management practices and land-use history. Depending on the land-use practice, a lot of carbon can be lost because of soil disturbances. The benefit of using perennial crops like Miscanthus sinensis is that you don’t have those annual disturbances and therefore, the soil has time to replace those losses. This leads to a higher stable soil carbon content. Especially in the first few decades SOC stocks can increase but might eventually decline again when returning to conventional cropping practices.

Each species of Miscanthus has its own way of carbon transfer and allocation. Miscanthus sinensis produces less yield than Miscanthus x giganteus above ground but allocates carbon below ground more efficiently, which can enhance SOC. Furthermore, Miscanthus sinensis has a higher tolerance for water stress which might also enhance the effectiveness of the carbon retention.

Synonyms

• Eulalia japonica Trin.
• Saccharum japonicum Thunb.

Gallery

• 
  The beginning of November, on Tonomine highlands in Kamikawa, Hyogo, Japan
• 
  Plant with horizontal variegations
• 
• 
  Magnified view of leaf;
  0 to 1 = 1 mm; the saw-like edge can cut human skin

External links

• Photos of Miscanthus sinensis: seasonal/color change
• Flora of China: Miscanthus sinensis
• Virginia Cooperative Extension: Miscanthus sinensis 'Stricta'