Evaluation of a collection of about hundred miscanthus genotypes for use in fiber board production in Belgium

Miscanthus is gaining interest as a perennial crop in Flemish agricultural systems. Especially on underutilized areas such as badly drained fields, fields with low accessibility or open spaces in industrial sites, miscanthus has a high potential due to its low or no fertilizer and pesticide demand, low labour requirements and relative high yield potential.
Nowadays, the lignocellulosic biomass from the miscanthus plantations in Flanders is mainly used for burning in small-scale systems with use of the heat on-site (e.g. on poultry farms, horticultural farms, seed drying facilities, or for heating of private houses). In addition, miscanthus chips are used as bedding material for farm animals, or sold in retail for pets.
To set new markets for this lignocellulosic biomass, we are investigating the technical and economic feasibility to integrate miscanthus chips into fibre board production. Preliminary tests with biomass derived of commercial plantations of Miscanthus x giganteus were promising. However, miscanthus biomass has to compete on the biomass market with other readily available lignocellulosic biomass (side-) streams such as flax shives, nut shells or hemp. Depending on the yearly fluctuating availability and prices of these biomass streams, it is profitable to enter miscanthus biomass in this market of fibre board raw material.
Another major concern is the current use of only a few accessions of Miscanthus x giganteus in commercial plantations. Up till now no major diseases or pests have been reported in these plantations, but the risk becomes larger as the cultivation area of miscanthus increases. To improve the genetic diversity in the commercial gene pool of miscanthus we are investigating within the EU project OPTIMISC (https://optimisc.uni-hohenheim.de/) the agronomical value of over 100 genotypes of miscanthus (M. x giganteus, M. Sinensis and M. Sacchariflorus) with particular focus on yield and cell wall characteristics that might affect their behaviour when incorporated in fibre boards. In collaboration with the Belgian fibre board industry, we will evaluate genotypes with contrasting cell wall characteristics for their performance as fibre board raw material.