Regional Biomass Feedstock Partnership

The objective of the project is to establish and manage replicated field trials of Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) to gather biomass production and sustainability data that documents biomas yield at Mead, NE; Urban, IL; West Lafayette, IN; Lexington, KY and Adelphi, NJ for assessing potential expansion of Mxg as a bioenergy feedstock resource. The Miscanthus x giganteus Bioenergy Field Trials is part of the DOE Sun Grant Regional Biomass Feedstock Partnership Herbaceous Bioenergy Crop Field Trials. Based on water needs of Mxg, the scope of this work includes selecting participants to conduct field trials at sites through the central portion of the eastern half of the U.S. and coordinating the project research at all sites. Once participants have been identified, plants of Mxg will be propagated at the University of Illinois for the distribution and planting at each site following coordinated protocol. Each site will be responsible for planting, managing, applying the research treatments, and collecting the data for the Miscanthus x giganteus Bioenergy Field Trial at their site. Finally, the field trial data from each will be collected and assembled from all Mxg participants in order for the project coordinator to analyze and report on the findings.