Last Updated :
07 August 2008 at 20:45 IST
Wonder grass may solve biofuel woes!
Commodity Online Here comes a wonder grass which can solve all the problems of biofule shortage in the world.
Miscanthus x giganteus can easily outperform just about any other source being used or considered as a biofuel.
Scientists at the University of Illinois said food-versus-fuel debate gripping the US could be solved by the perennial grass which grows up to 13 feet tall. The grass flourishes on marginal land and is equipped to withstand a midwestern winter.
This particular strain of Miscanthus can produce more
Ethanol than either
Corn grain or switchgrass.
Stephen Long,
Lead research scientist and professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois, said, after conducting field studies on test plots throughout Illinois, that in order to meet the US government’s goal of offsetting 20% of
Gasoline use, Miscanthus would require only 9.3% of current US agricultural acreage.
The agricultural acreage required by corn grain and switch grass to meet the government goal would be 24.4% and 26.5%, respectively.
The strain of switchgrass used in the research is known as ‘Cave-In-Rock’. Based on the yields that scientists found in Illinois, it could produce about 2 1/2 times the
Ethanol per acre of land using Miscanthus versus
Corn grain. This will be important in avoiding this food-fuel complex. With proper investment and advancements in agronomy and genetics, Miscanthus could even further reduce the agricultural acreage required to meet the government goal.
Meanwhile, both US corn and soybean crops have fully recovered from early June flooding throughout the Midwest and could post normal to better-than-average yields.
Projected average 2008 US corn yields are at 154 bushels per acre and average soybean yields at 42.5 bushels per acre. This implies a corn production total of 12.06 billion bushels and a soybean production total of 3.04 billion bushels. Based on a July estimate, the US Department of Agriculture currently projects average corn yields at 148.4 bushels per acre with a production total of 11.72 billion bushels.
Average soybean yields are projected at 41.6 bushels per acre and a production total of 3.0 billion bushels. June yield projections for both crops were trimmed by the USDA in the wake of the damaging floods.
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