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China, as a significant global consumer of chemical fertilizers and a leading producer of rice, faces challenges associated with low fertilizer efficiency and fewer utilization options of rice husks. The development of rice husk biochar‐based fertilizers (RHBF) offers a strategic solution to address these issues. In this study, diverse biochar fertilizer production techniques were used to develop four types of fertilizers: blended RHBF, soaked RHBF, high‐pressure soaked RHBF, and pure rice husk biochar coated fertilizer. The nutrients slow‐releasing performance of these four RHBF were compared by hydrostatic and soil column intermittent leaching methods. Effects of their application on rice growth, yield, and cadmium reduction potential were analyzed and compared by the pot trial. Results demonstrated that nutrients of the four RHBF were generally released slower in the soil compared with the conventional compound fertilizer (CK). The slow nutrient release effect was more pronounced under high‐pressure soaked RHBF. Notably, in the soil column leaching experiment, the cumulative leaching rates of nitrogen and K2O for RHBF3 (12.0% and 13.9%) were greatly lower than those of CK (42.3% and 51.3%). Moreover, the application of RHBF induced a marked enhancement in the nutrient use efficiency, grain yield, harvest index, and photosynthetic characteristics compared to CK. The average agronomic efficiency of P2O5 for the four RHBF increased by 102.8% compared with CK, while the average grain yield of the four RHBF increased by 20.6%. In addition, RHBF showed a significant reduction in Cd mobilization by an average of 80.1% compared to CK. This study offers a promising model for enhancing the comprehensive performance of RHBF and optimizing traditional fertilizer application practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perennial energy crops (PECs) such as Miscanthus spp. and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) may have particular influence on microbial communities and their functions in soil organic carbon (C) utilization and mineralization (Cm). In this study, long‐term effects of PECs on Cm and soil hydrolase activities were examined in bulk and rhizosphere soils of Miscanthus and switchgrass grown on a red soil in South China. Long‐term cultivation (10 years) of PECs led to increases in soil organic C (SOC) and the absolute Cm of bulk and rhizosphere soils. Total Cm was correlated with dissolved organic C and dissolved organic nitrogen (N) in red soils. The specific Cm in bulk soils of switchgrass and Miscanthus were decreased by 11.73% and 20.67% comparing with the control group, respectively. Cultivation of PECs led to a relatively high C/N ratio. There was a difference in priming effect on activities of β‐glucosidase (BG), leucine amin peptidase, N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (NAG), and phosphatase between rhizosphere and bulk soils. Compared with the control without PECs, BG activity did not change significantly in bulk soils of PECs, whereas NAG activity decreased significantly. Soil microorganisms were generally limited by soil C and phosphorus (P) in the red soil. The C and P limitations were significantly linearly related with relative Cm (p < 0.05). Phosphorus limitations in microbial communities were lower with PECs than in the control, indicating that cultivation of PECs could provide an optimal nutrient environment for both plants and microorganisms. Thus, long‐term cultivation of PECs increased SOC content but decreased specific Cm rates. However, because C and P limitations remain for plants and soil microbial communities, optimum fertilization is also necessary for sustainable growth of PECs on red soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Miscanthus is a promising lignocellulosic feedstock crop for the production of bioenergy. Miscanthus is drawing attention because it can be grown on marginal land and avoid competition with food crops. Therefore, as measures of performance, biomass yield and quality of two parent species (Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus lutarioriparius) and 15 of their interspecific hybrids were evaluated in a saline–alkaline soil of the Yellow River delta in China. Ethanol and biogas production potentials were also estimated. A field trial with a randomised block design with five replicates of each genotype was conducted in 2014. Biomass yield, plant height, tiller number, stem diameter, and tiller mass of each parent and hybrid were measured at the end of the growing season in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Quality traits, including cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and ash contents, were measured. There was large genotype variation in biomass yield and in most of the biometric parameters, and cellulose (range: 0.33 to 0.45 g/g), hemicellulose (0.32 to 0.43 g/g), lignin (0.07–0.13 g/g) and ash (0.02–0.06 g/g) contents were significantly different among the hybrids. The ash content of all hybrids was significantly lower than that of M. sinensis. The two‐year (2016 and 2017) average biomass yield of the 15 hybrids ranged from 9.87 to 23.11 t/ha, which was significantly higher than that of either parent (M. sinensis: 1.20 t/ha; M. lutarioriparius: 3.87 t/ha). Two hybrids, SL8 and SL15, were identified as potential genotypes suitable for the saline–alkaline soils of the Yellow River delta. These results demonstrate that interspecific hybridisation is crucial to improve Miscanthus biomass yield and quality under marginal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus, a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass, has emerged as a promising lignocellulosic crop. To avoid competition with food crops, marginal lands especially saline–alkaline soil are being recommended to grow Miscanthus across China. However, the challenges such as high cost and low reproduction coefficient associated with the propagation methods are impeding its large‐scale plantation in saline–alkaline soil. In this study, a "two‐steps" propagation method was designed, which was comprised of two phases: (1) seedling cultivation and (2) seedling strengthening. The parameters (substrate composition and plug size) for this method were determined. The optimal substrate composition of the seedling bed for M. sinensis, M. lutarioriparius, and their interspecific hybrids was peat and perlite at a ratio of 3:2, 3:1, and 3:3 by volume, respectively. The seedlings were transplanted into the plugs to deliver robust plantlets. The most appropriate plug size for M. sinensis, M. lutarioriparius, and their interspecific hybrids was 50 plugs (50 cm3/plug), 72 plugs (40 cm3/plug), and 72 plugs (40 cm3/plug), respectively. Three propagation methods, that is, direct sowing of seeds, rhizomes plantation, and "two‐steps" seed‐derived plugs for M. lutarioriparius were compared in saline–alkaline soil over 3 years (2014, 2015, and 2016). The establishment rate of the seeds directly planted was poor (zero). The performance (e.g., biomass yield) of the plants derived from the "two‐steps" seed‐derived plugs was better than that of the plants derived from rhizomes directly planted. Therefore, the "two‐steps" seed‐derived plugs can be regarded as an effective propagation method to upscale Miscanthus cultivation in saline–alkaline soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Miscanthus lutarioriparius is a native perennial Miscanthus species of China, which is currently used as raw material of papermaking and bioenergy crop. It also has been considered as a promising eco-bioindustrial plant, which can offer raw material and gene for the biomass industry. However, lack of germplasm resources and genetic diversity information of M. lutarioriparius have become the bottleneck that prevents the stable and further development of the biomass industry. In the present study, genetic diversity of 153 M. lutarioriparius individuals nine populations was studied using 27 Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers. High polymorphic bands (97.67%), polymorphic information content (0.26) and allele number (1.88) showed SCoT as a reliable marker system for genetic analysis in M. lutarioriparius. At the species, the percentage of polymorphic loci [PPL] was 97.2%, Nei’s gene diversity [H] was 0.36, Shannon index [I] was 0.54 and Expected Heterozygosity [He] was 0.56. Genetic variation within populations (84.91%) was higher than among populations (15.09%) based on analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Moderate level of genetic differentiation was found in M. lutarioriparius populations (Fst = 0.15), which is further confirmed by STRUCTURE, principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and an unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) analysis that could reveal a clear separation between groups of the north and south of Yangtze River. The gene flow of the populations within the respective south and north of Yangtze River area was higher, but lower between the areas. There was no obvious correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance. The breeding systems, geographical isolation and fragmented habitat of M. lutarioriparius may be due to the high level of genetic diversity, moderate genetic differentiation, and the population, structure. The study further suggests some measure for conservation of genetic resources and provides the genetic basis for improving the efficiency of breeding based on the results of diversity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core collections can act as a genetic germplasm resource for biologists and breeders. Thirty-seven phenotypic traits from 471 Miscanthus accessions in China were used to design 203 sampling schemes to screen the genetic variations in different sampling strategies. The sampling was analyzed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) and the Euclidean distance (Euclid). Several parameters including the variance of phenotypic value (VPV), Shannon–Weaver diversity index (H), coefficient of variation (CV), variance of phenotypic frequency (VPF), ratio of phenotype retained (RPR), the mean difference percentage (MD%) and the variance difference percentage of traits (VD%), the range coincidence rate (CR%) and the variable rate of quantitative traits (VR%) were used to evaluate the level of representation of the primary core collections developed by the different sampling schemes. Based on the optimal sampling strategies of prior selecting accessions, a primary core collection was constructed that maintained > 99.5% of the VPV and a CR% of 100%. This study indicates that the optimal sampling scheme consisted of prior and deviation sampling methods (PD) combined with a logarithmic proportional sampling strategy (LG) of 37.4% of the actual sampling ratio. Sampling before clustering can improve several parameters including the H, CV, RPR, VPF, and CR%. Sampling strategies including the genetic diversity index (G), logarithmic proportional (LG) and the square root proportional strategy (SG) can improve the H, whilst the constant strategy (C) can improve the RPR and VPF when the sampling scale was >30%. Furthermore, the proportional strategy (P) can improve the VPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus is an important plant resource in China, which has energy plant value, bio-material value, and ecological value. However, the taxonomy of Miscanthus remains poorly defined. To clarify the phylogenetic relationships among the Miscanthus species found in China, here we describe their morphological characters, simple sequence repeats (SSRs), inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs), and trnL-F and rpl16 gene sequences. We identified M. sacchariflorus and M. lutarioriparius as the closest relatives of M. sinensis and M. floridulus , all of which constituted a major group. At the molecular levels, M. lutarioriparius and M. sacchariflorus were always grouped to form a monophyletic group. M. floridulus appeared as a stable secondary clade of M. sinensis. M. nepalensis , M. nudipes , and M. paniculatus were separated from the major group and more closely linked to an outgroup. M. paniculatus fell into an isolated position outside of the major group. Therefore, our findings support placing M. sacchariflorus and M. lutarioriparius in Miscanthus , treating M. lutarioriparius as a variety of M. sacchariflorus , treating M. floridulus as a subspecies of M. sinensis. We do not support merging M. nepalensis and M. nudipes into Miscanthus and propose the recognition of Diandranthus as a standalone genus, which includes D. nepalensis and D. nudipes. We do not support merging M. paniculatus into Miscanthus , and we support the recognition of Rubimons as a separate genus, including R. paniculatus. These data should help with efforts to evaluate and use Miscanthus germplasms. • Phylogenetic relationships between Chinese Miscanthus species and its relatives. • Morphological characters, SSR, ISSR, and trnL-F and rpl16 gene sequences. • Better evaluation and utilization of Miscanthus germplasm resources. • Miscanthus species were distinguished by morphological and molecular indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus is characterized by high biomass production potential and low input requirements and therefore considered a leading candidate for second-generation energy crops. Because China has limited agricultural land resources, development of its miscanthus-based bioenergy industry must rely on the use of marginal land. This study focuses on the assessment of the production potential of miscanthus on China’s marginal land, which in this context is defined as land presently not used for agricultural production, residential purposes and other social uses. Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and model simulation are adopted to identify the productive marginal areas for miscanthus and to estimate their biomass and bioenergy production potential. The results show that although a large marginal area of 17,163.54×10 4 ha is available for producing miscanthus, due to the limitation of low winter temperatures and low precipitation levels in some areas, the total suitable marginal area is only 769.37×10 4 ha. The Monteith radiation yield model was used to determine the potential miscanthus yield in Chinese climatic conditions. The simulation gave actual harvestable yield levels on arable land of 18.1–44.2 t ha −1 yr −1 . Taking the environmental stresses of marginal conditions into account then gave an achievable miscanthus yield potential on marginal land of 2.1–32.4 t ha −1 yr −1 (average for the different marginal lands). Based on these achievable yield levels, the total biomass production potential on the entire marginal area is 13,521.7×10 4 t yr −1 ; the bio-electricity generation and total greenhouse gas saving potential from these biomasses are 183.9 TW h yr −1 and 21,242.4×10 4 t CO 2 eq. yr −1 , respectively. The spatial distribution of the suitable marginal areas shows that they are mainly concentrated in the central part of Northeast China and the Loess Plateau. Both regions are recommended as priority development zones for the Chinese miscanthus-based bioenergy industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus lutarioriparius is an endemic species in China and has been widely accepted as a promising eco-bioindustrial plant. Currently, predominantly used germplasms have narrow genetic diversity, which causes a gene resource utilization plateau. Therefore, this study was designed to map the geographic and genetic distribution of M. lutarioriparius. Grid search tuning technique was applied to combine occurrence sites, which was followed by the genetic diversity analysis using the Simple Sequence Repeat markers. The results have revealed that the natural distribution of M. lutarioriparius is in the area with altitude less than 300 m and enclosed by the eastern line of East China Sea, western boundary along the longitude line of 111° E, northern boundary of the Qinling-Huai River line, and the southern line of the 27–28° N in Hunan and Jiangxi, and the 30° N line in Zhejiang. The further analysis has demonstrated that the northern line is mainly determined by the climatic factors, whereas the other three boundaries by the dispersal barriers of the sea and high mountains. The genetic diversity of M. lutarioriparius across its distribution range is high with a total Nei's genetic diversity of 0.2462. Populations from the downstream of the Yangtze River generally have a higher genetic diversity than the relative upstream areas. The centeres of genetic diversity for the M. lutarioriparius across China are located in the central and the southern Jiangsu. Outcomes of this study will help expanding the M. lutarioriparius cultivation through improving breeding and subsequently accelerate the development of biobased industry. • Exact distribution range of M. lutarioriparius across China was firstly mapped. • Spatial distribution of M. lutarioriparius genetic variation was mapped. • M. lutarioriparius has a high genetic diversity than that of other monocots. • Key for the development of future biobased industry. • Central and southern Jiangsu are centers of M. lutarioriparius genetic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus lutarioriparius grown in Dongting Lake has an annual biomass yield potential of 1 million tons. However, with the shutdown of its previous utilization for paper-making, abandoning this huge amount of biomass has caused serious economic, ecological, and social problems. Constructing an industrial cluster to continuously convert biomass into various bioproducts is a win-win measure to address this dilemma. With the increasing confirmation of the importance of biomass quality affecting the conservation process, fully understanding the biomass characteristics of Dongting Lake-grown M. lutarioriparius is crucial for building a scientific industrial cluster. The present work is designed to explore the variation in biomass quality across the entire Dongting Lake area. Results show that the biomass contented with Cd, Mn, Zn, and Cr has significant geographical differences, with a general trend of Southern Dongting Lake-grown biomass having a higher concentration than that from Eastern and Western Dongting Lake areas. Moreover, significant differences are found in terms of biomass ash content, lignin content, and the degree of polymerization of cellulose (DP). The biomass with low ash content is generally from the entire Eastern Dongting Lake area and the northern part of the Western Dongting Lake area. Virtually all Western Dongting Lake-grown biomass has a low lignin content (approximately 18 %). Regarding the spatial variation of DP, Eastern Dongting Lake-grown biomass has a higher DP (average at 585.33) than that in Southern (575.15) and then Western Dongting Lake (529.16). Based on these quality indicators, the biomass production potentials for bioethanol, biochar, and xylo-oligosaccharide were calculated and visualized. Results show that biomass from almost the entire Western and Eastern Dongting Lake area is suitable for bioethanol and xylo-oligosaccharide production, while biomass from the Southern Dongting Lake area for biochar production. These results provide scientific guidance for the future utilization of Dongting Lake-grown M. lutarioriparius biomass., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been broadly applied as a quick assay for biological component and property analysis. However, NIRS remains unavailable for in-depth analysis of biomass digestibility in plants. In this study, NIRS was used to determine biomass enzymatic digestibility using 199 Miscanthus samples, which represents a rich germplasm resource and provides for a stable calibration model. The intensive evaluation indicates that the calibration and validation sets are comparable. Using the modified partial least squares method, seven optimal equations were generated with high determination coefficient on calibration (R(2)) at 0.75-0.89, cross-validation (R(2)cv) at 0.69-0.87, and the ratio performance deviation (RPD) at 1.80-2.74, which provide multiple options for NIRS prediction of biomass digestibility under different pretreatments. As biomass digestibility is a crucial parameter for biofuel processing, NIRS is a powerful tool for the high-throughput screening of biomass samples in plants., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)