Horticulture and Crop Science Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
Independent Research Consultant, 120 Walnut Court, #29, Ottawa, ON K1R 7W2, Canada.
Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2016 Jun;31:172-80. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.05.001. Epub 2016 May 31.
With a dry biomass production exceeding 40Mgha(-1) in many environments, Miscanthus spp. is the most productive perennial C4 grass species thanks to five advantages over North American prairie tallgrasses. However, miscanthus has a slower nutrient remobilization system, resulting in higher nutrient concentrations at harvest. Perennial C4 grasses benefit from soil microbial associations, reducing their nutrient needs. For combustion purposes, grasses with low moisture content, high lignin and low nutrients are desired. For ethanol, preferred feedstock will have lower lignin, higher sugars, starch, or cellulose/hemicellulose depending on the conversion method. Species with high stem-to-leaf ratio provide better biofuel conversion efficiency and quality. Recently-developed transgenic switchgrass lines have much higher ethanol yields and lower transformation costs. Further selection and breeding are needed to optimize biomass quality and nutrient cycling.
芒属植物在许多环境中的干生物量产量超过 40Mgha(-1)，是最具生产力的多年生 C4 草本植物，这得益于它相对于北美草原高草的五个优势。然而，芒属植物的养分再利用系统较慢，导致收获时养分浓度更高。多年生 C4 草本植物受益于土壤微生物的共生关系，从而降低了它们对养分的需求。就燃烧而言，人们希望草的水分含量低、木质素含量高、养分含量低。对于乙醇，根据转化方法的不同，首选的原料将具有更低的木质素、更高的糖、淀粉或纤维素/半纤维素。具有高茎/叶比的物种提供了更好的生物燃料转化效率和质量。最近开发的转基因柳枝稷品系具有更高的乙醇产量和更低的转化成本。需要进一步的选择和培育，以优化生物质质量和养分循环。
