Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom: the benefits, challenges, and trade‐offs

Hodgson, E.M.; McCalmont, J.; Rowe, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7554-821X; Whitaker, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8824-471X; Holder, A.; Clifton‐Brown, J.C.; Thornton, J.; Hastings, A.; Robson, P.R.H.; Webster, R.J.; Farrar, K.; Donnison, I.S.. 2024 Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom: the benefits, challenges, and trade‐offs. GCB Bioenergy, 16 (8), e13177. 28, pp. 10.1111/gcbb.13177

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text N537708JA.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

The UK sixth carbon budget has recommended domestic biomass supply should increase to meet growing demand, planting a minimum of 30,000 hectares of perennial energy crops a year by 2035, with a view to establishing 700,000 hectares by 2050 to meet the requirements of the balanced net zero pathway. Miscanthus is a key biomass crop to scale up domestic biomass production in the United Kingdom. A cohesive land management strategy, based on robust evidence, will be required to ensure upscaling of miscanthus cultivation maximizes the environmental and economic benefits and minimizes undesirable consequences. This review examines research into available land areas, environmental impacts, barriers to uptake, and the challenges, benefits, and trade-offs required to upscale miscanthus production on arable land and grassland in the United Kingdom. Expansion of perennial biomass crops has been considered best restricted to marginal land, less suited to food production. The review identifies a trade-off between avoiding competition with food production and a risk of encroaching on areas containing high-biodiversity or high-carbon stocks, such as semi-natural grasslands. If areas of land suitable for food production are needed to produce the biomass required for emission reduction, the review indicates there are multiple strategies for miscanthus to complement long-term food security rather than compete with it. On arable land, a miscanthus rotation with a cycle length of 10–20 years can be employed as fallow period for fields experiencing yield decline, soil fatigue, or persistent weed problems. On improved grassland areas, miscanthus presents an option for diversification, flood mitigation, and water quality improvement. Strategies need to be developed to integrate miscanthus into farming systems in a way that is profitable, sensitive to local demand, climate, and geography, and complements rather than competes with food production by increasing overall farm profitability and resilience.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1111/gcbb.13177
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	1757-1693
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	agricultural land classification (ALC), BECCS, biodiversity, bioenergy, biomass, buffer strip, ecosystem services, energy crops, land use, soil carbon (SOC)
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Agriculture and Soil Science
Date made live:	12 Jul 2024 14:47 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537708

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...