MISCANTHUS
Miscanthus is a tall Asian perennial grass that grows unusually well in temperate climates. It has been used as an energy crop across Europe for two decades.
Product Pipeline
Ceres is using multiple technology platforms to improve this crop, which can produce high yields of biomass. The high-yielding types used today are multiplied by underground stems called rhizomes, and it is impractical right now to plant the millions of acres needed by biorefineries. Our goal is to expand the scale and range where farmers can grow this crop by:
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Increasing genetic diversity.
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Exploring novel ways to facilitate plant propagation.
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Developing plants that can thrive under stress. This will expand the range for growing miscanthus and make greater use of marginal land.
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Discovering traits that can facilitate biofuel production and increase gallons per ton.
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History of Miscanthus
A common landscape plant, ornamental types of miscanthus have been planted for many years and are commonly known as maiden grass or zebra grass, among others. The towering form of Miscanthus (Miscanthus x Giganteus) was discovered in East Asia in 1935.
Miscanthus photo (top) produced by Peter Swatton, Visual Communications Unit, Rothamsted Research Ltd. Bottom photo courtesy of Caveny Farm.