Miscanthus ×giganteus holds promise for bioenergy production given its low input requirements and high aboveground biomass productivity. To date, research regarding M. ×giganteus management has focused largely on the fertilization and establishment requirements for successful crops, but limited information is available regarding cultivars suitability for different regions of the United States. Our objective was to evaluate the suitability of available cultivars under a limited input management regime in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Multi‐year trials were conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Biomass yields and morphological traits of three M. ×giganteus cultivars (‘Freedom’, ‘Illinois’ and ‘Nagara’) were tested, and structural components of feedstock quality calculated. In 2013, ‘Nagara’ was the greatest yielding cultivar, followed by ‘Illinois’, but no differences among cultivars were observed in the following 2 years. ‘Nagara’, a cultivar with the potential to maximize biomass and ethanol production (i.e., due to its high ash and low lignin contents) at the same time, would be a highly desirable cultivar from both a farmer and an industrial perspective. Water availability for establishment and harvesting phases was 30% to 56% above recommended levels for maximum growth rates (750 to 900 mm). With 30‐year average precipitation around 1,150 mm, and soils not suited for annual row crops, the Piedmont region of Virginia has potential for M. ×giganteus high biomass production. Studies replicated at more locations and with the potential inclusion of other high‐yielding M. ×giganteus cultivars are warranted to start building a specific body of knowledge about most suitable M. ×giganteus cultivars for the mid‐Atlantic USA region.

中文翻译：

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弗吉尼亚皮埃蒙特的芒草×巨型生物量产量和品质

芒草（Miscanthus  × giganteus）的投入量低，地上生物量生产力高，因此有望生产生物能源。迄今为止，有关大型犬分枝杆菌管理的研究主要集中在成功农作物的施肥和定植要求上，但是关于美国不同地区的栽培品种适宜性的信息却很少。我们的目标是评估弗吉尼亚州皮埃蒙特地区在有限的投入管理制度下可用品种的适宜性。多年试验是使用随机完整区组设计进行的，重复了三个重复。3个×giganteus的生物量产量和形态性状测试了品种（“自由”，“伊利诺伊州”和“纳加拉”），并计算了原料质量的结构成分。2013年，“长Na”是产量最高的品种，其次是“伊利诺伊州”，但在接下来的两年中未观察到品种之间的差异。“ Nagara”是一种具有同时最大化生物量和乙醇产量的潜力的品种（即由于其高灰分和低木质素含量），从农民和工业角度来看都是非常理想的品种。建立和收获阶段的可用水量比最大生长速率（750至900毫米）的建议水平高出30％至56％。30年的平均降水量约为1,150毫米，土壤不适合一年生作物，弗吉尼亚州的皮埃蒙特地区可能有M.×giganteus高生物量生产。在更多的地点重复进行研究，并可能包括其他高产的M.×giganteus品种，以开始建立有关美国中大西洋地区最合适的M.×giganteus品种的专门知识体系。