Advances in Miscanthus × Giganteus Planting Techniques May Increase Carbon Uptake in the Establishment Year

Guler Aslan-Sungur Rojda; Nic Boersma; Caitlin E Moore; Emily Heaton; Carl J Bernacchi; Andy Vanloocke

doi:10.1111/gcbb.70012

Advances in Miscanthus × Giganteus Planting Techniques May Increase Carbon Uptake in the Establishment Year

Glob Change Biol Bioenergy. 2025 Jan;17(1):e70012. doi: 10.1111/gcbb.70012. Epub 2024 Nov 28.

Authors

Guler Aslan-Sungur Rojda^{1

2}, Nic Boersma^{1

2}, Caitlin E Moore^{3

4}, Emily Heaton^{1

3

5}, Carl J Bernacchi^{3

5}, Andy Vanloocke^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agronomy Iowa State University Ames Iowa USA.
² DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation Iowa State University Ames Iowa USA.
³ DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation University of Illinois Urbana Illinois USA.
⁴ School of Agriculture and Environment The University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia.
⁵ Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois Urbana Illinois USA.

Abstract

Agricultural lands hold significant potential for CO₂ sequestration, particularly when utilizing biomass crops and agricultural residues. Among these, Miscanthus × giganteus (mxg) stands out due to its high productivity and carbon sequestration capabilities. Recognizing the importance of such biomass crops, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) as a crucial strategy for achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. This study examines the carbon uptake potential of mxg during its establishment year at the Sustainable Advanced Bioeconomy Research (SABR) farm in Iowa, USA, where mxg was planted at a density exceeding previous studies. Using eddy covariance (EC) measurements, we quantified the net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE), and derived gross primary productivity (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (R _eco). Our findings reveal that SABR's mxg exhibited a significant carbon uptake of -621 g C m^-2, a threefold increase compared to a similar EC site in the "corn-belt" (University of Illinois Energy Research Farm; UIEF), which was established with lower planting density and pre-commercial planting equipment. Favorable growing conditions and advanced planting technologies at SABR likely contributed to this high carbon uptake. Comparisons with other global EC studies indicated a strong correlation between higher planting densities and greater carbon uptake. These results suggest that increasing mxg planting density can enhance carbon uptake, but further studies are necessary to evaluate the impacts under varying environmental conditions and management practices. Additionally, economic analyses are essential to determine the viability of higher planting densities. Our study underscores the potential of optimized mxg management practices to contribute significantly to CO₂ uptake and supports the development of BECCS as a viable climate change mitigation strategy.

Keywords: Miscanthus × giganteus; biomass productivity; carbon uptake; eddy covariance; perennial crops; planting density.