What results MISCOMAR will deliver?

Scientific results of MISCOMAR

• determination of the effects of HM contamination in Polish soils on crops’ performance and the capacity for selecting appropriate Miscanthus hybrids to remediate these soils,
• creation of a baseline archive of soil samples and follow up after three years to record structure and chemical composition changes under the new crops,
• provision of a resource for future studies looking at soil characteristics over time, such as changes in carbon stocks under land-use change,
• assessment of the ecological and economic benefits of Miscanthus production,

Practical results of MISCOMAR

• optimal systems for “Miscanthus genotype x site x crop management” combinations for biomass production under marginal conditions
• utilisation options for biomass from novel Miscanthus hybrids including anaerobic digestion (as an alternative for HMC biomass), combustion as well as other uses e.g. for building materials
• concepts for integration of Miscanthus in existing crop rotations, faming systems and landscapes with maximized environmental and economic benefits (e.g. erosion/nitrate leaching/pesticide barrier along water bodies for drinking water protection, habitat for beneficial insects, etc)
• policy-relevant data on the balance between food/fuel production, with a particular focus on the scope for optimisation of land-use in contaminated and marginal areas

Publications

John Clifton-Brown et al - "Progress in upscaling Miscanthus biomass production for the European bio-economy with seed-based hybrids" - GCB Bioenergy (2017) 9, 6–17, doi: 10.1111/gcbb.12357 - [PDF]

Jacek Krzyżak et al - "Heavy Metal Uptake by Novel Miscanthus Seed-Based Hybrids Cultivated in Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil" - CEER 2017; 26 (3): 121-132 DOI: 10.1515/ceer-2017-0040 - [PDF]

Anja Mangold et al - "‘Collar propagation’ as an alternative propagation method for rhizomatous miscanthus" - GCB Bioenergy (2018) 10, 186–198, DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12480 - [PDF]

John Clifton‐Brown et al - "Breeding progress and preparedness for mass‐scale deployment of perennial lignocellulosic biomass crops switchgrass,miscanthus, willow and poplar" - GCB Bioenergy. 2019;11:118–151 DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12566 - [PDF]

Amanda J. Holder et al - "Measured and modelled effect of land-use change from temperate grassland to Miscanthus on soil carbon stocks after 12 years" - GCB Bioenergy. 2019;11:1173–1186 DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12624 - [PDF]

Anja Mangold et al - "Miscanthus for biogas production: Influence of harvest date and ensiling on digestibility and methane hectare yield" - GCB Bioenergy. 2019;11:50–62. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12584 - [PDF]

Anja Mangold et al - "Harvest date and leaf:stem ratio determine methane hectare yield of miscanthus biomass" - GCB Bioenergy. 2019;11:21–33. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12549 - [PDF]

Szymon Rusinowski et al - "New Miscanthus hybrids cultivated at a Polish metal-contaminated site demonstrate high stomatal regulation and reduced shoot Pb and Cd concentrations" - Environmental Pollution, Volume 250, 2019, pp. 300-311 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.06.062 - [PDF]

Moritz Wagner et al - "Economic and environmental performance of miscanthus cultivated on marginal land for biogas production" - GCB Bioenergy. 2019;11:34–49. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12567 - [PDF]

How MISCOMAR results could be used in the future?

The gathered data and the developed model concepts of the project will help to inform strategic agricultural policy development for increased sustainability and reduced environmental impact. Further, the project results will offer economically viable production alternatives for land less suitable or unsuitable for food production, with reduced risk for heavy metal introduction into the food-chain. From the practical viewpoint, the results of MISCOMAR will help farmers to improve and diversify their income by including biomass production on non-profitable land to their crop rotation. MISCOMAR will also introduce alternative biomass utilization options for contaminated land and avoid introduction of harmful substances into the food-chain. This will help policy makers to drive an agenda of reduced health risks, environmental resilience and economic recovery in rural and polluted areas.