Growing grass for biomass

Perennial grasses are promising biomass crops – they can regrow after harvesting, use resources more efficiently than most plants and naturally grow on marginal land. To promote their use as a biomass crop, scientists need to identify and develop the best grasses for cultivation.

The EU-funded GRASSMARGINS (Enhancing biomass production from marginal lands with perennial grasses) project is investigating different species of perennial grasses grown on different forms of marginal land. The aim is to encourage their development as bioenergy crops on land where it is difficult or unprofitable to grow conventional crops.

Researchers have identified and characterised the perennial grass varieties Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea and Phalaris arundinacea, and mapped their occurrence across Europe. These varieties use the C3 carbon metabolic pathway for the fixation of carbon.

Scientists also investigated the genus Miscanthus, which employs the C4 carbon fixation metabolic pathway. The consortium also conducted breeding trials of novel Miscanthus varieties, investigated stress tolerance and developed drying characteristics following harvesting.

Project partners used computer models to identify the optimal characteristics and geographical distribution of suitable grasses. A new process-based perennial grass crop production model called WIMOVAC was developed together with a database on perennial rhizomatous grasses.

GRASSMARGINS is testing a number of grass species and cultivars in field trials on marginal land. Researchers are also testing their candidate grasses against environmental stressors like high-salt soils, drought and flooding.

When complete, GRASSMARGINS will encourage farming of perennial grasses on marginal land. This will free up fertile land for non-biomass crops and improve the productivity of European farms.