Fodder maize is the most commonly used crop for biogas production owing to its high yields, high concentrations of starch and good digestibility. However, environmental concerns and possible future conflict with land for food production may limit its long‐term use. The bioenergy grass, Miscanthus, is a high‐yielding perennial that can grow on marginal land and, with ‘greener’ environmental credentials, may offer an alternative. To compete with maize, the concentration of non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) and digestibility may need to be improved. Non‐structural carbohydrates were quantified in 38 diverse genotypes of Miscanthus in green‐cut biomass in July and October. The aim was to determine whether NSC abundance could be a target for breeding programmes or whether genotypes already exist that could rival maize for use in anaerobic digestion systems. The saccharification potential and measures of N P and K were also studied. The highest concentrations of NSC were in July, reaching a maximum of 20% DW. However, the maximum yield was in October with 300–400 g NSC plant⁻¹ owing to higher biomass. The digestibility of the cell wall was higher in July than in October, but the increase in biomass meant yields of digestible sugars were still higher in October. Nutrient concentrations were at least twofold higher in July compared to November, and the abundance of potassium showed the greatest degree of variation between genotypes. The projected maximum yield of NSC was 1.3 t ha⁻¹ with significant variation to target for breeding. Starch accumulated in the highest concentrations and continued to increase into autumn in some genotypes. Therefore, starch, rather than sugars, would be a better target for breeding improvement. If harvest date was brought forward to autumn, nutrient losses in non‐flowering genotypes would be comparable to an early spring harvest.

中文翻译：

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芒草能否取代玉米成为英国厌氧消化的首选基质？未来的育种策略。

饲料玉米是沼气生产中最常用的作物，因为它产量高、淀粉含量高、消化率好。然而，环境问题和未来可能与粮食生产用地的冲突可能会限制其长期使用。生物能源草，芒草，是一种高产的多年生植物，可以在边缘土地上生长，并且具有“更绿色”的环境证书，可以提供替代方案。为了与玉米竞争，可能需要提高非结构性碳水化合物 (NSC) 的浓度和消化率。对 38 种不同基因型芒草中的非结构碳水化合物进行了量化7 月和 10 月的绿色生物量。目的是确定 NSC 丰度是否可以成为育种计划的目标，或者是否已经存在可以与玉米竞争用于厌氧消化系统的基因型。还研究了 NP 和 K 的糖化潜力和措施。NSC 的最高浓度出现在 7 月份，最高达到 20% DW。然而，最高产量是在 10 月份，其中 300-400 克 NSC 植物^-1由于较高的生物量。7 月份细胞壁的消化率高于 10 月份，但生物量的增加意味着 10 月份可消化糖的产量仍然较高。与 11 月相比，7 月的营养浓度至少高出两倍，钾的丰度显示出基因型之间最大程度的变异。NSC 的预计最大产量为 1.3 t ha ^-1与育种目标的显着差异。在某些基因型中，淀粉积累的浓度最高，并在秋季继续增加。因此，淀粉而不是糖将是育种改良的更好目标。如果收获日期提前到秋季，非开花基因型的营养损失将与早春收获相当。