Establishing miscanthus x giganteus crops in Ireland through nodal propagation by harvesting stems in autumn and sowing them immediately into a field

Miscanthus can help achieve renewable energy and GHG mitigation targets but establishment costs of rhizome systems are high. The objective of this study was to examine if stem material could be used to establish field miscanthus crops. Field trials were established to investigate the optimum sowing time for miscanthus stem segments. In two planting seasons, stem segments of miscanthus were cut in September, October or March and either planted immediately or placed in cold storage. These stem segments of 1.8 m length were planted horizontally underneath the ground at a depth of 100 mm. In a separate set of experiments conducted under control conditions, stem segments were harvested each month and placed in a growth cabinet for sixty days. Basal stem pieces of 650 mm length were harvested from a rhizome crop established in 1994 and 2010 and these stems were either stripped of leaves or left with leaves attached to the stem. The growth cabinet experiments showed that the age of the mother crop or leaf removal had no effect on shoot or root formation but that both root and shoot formation were at a maximum in September and decreased thereafter. Establishment rates, average height, stem numbers and biomass yield in the field trials was maximised through a September harvest and planting date in both trial years (P < 0.0001). Treatments which were stored exhibited reduced or no establishment. There was a residual effect of treatment in the second growing season (P < 0.0001). This study demonstrates that miscanthus crops can be established successfully from stem segments.