Planting the perennial biomass crop Miscanthus in the UK could offset 2–13 Mt oil eq. yr−1, contributing up to 10% of current energy use. Policymakers need assurance that upscaling Miscanthus production can be performed sustainably without negatively impacting essential food production or the wider environment. This study reviews a large body of Miscanthus relevant literature into concise summary statements. Perennial Miscanthus has energy output/input ratios 10 times higher (47.3 ± 2.2) than annual crops used for energy (4.7 ± 0.2 to 5.5 ± 0.2), and the total carbon cost of energy production (1.12 g CO2‐C eq. MJ−1) is 20–30 times lower than fossil fuels. Planting on former arable land generally increases soil organic carbon (SOC) with Miscanthus sequestering 0.7–2.2 Mg C4‐C ha−1 yr−1. Cultivation on grassland can cause a disturbance loss of SOC which is likely to be recovered during the lifetime of the crop and is potentially mitigated by fossil fuel offset. N2O emissions can be five times lower under unfertilized Miscanthus than annual crops and up to 100 times lower than intensive pasture. Nitrogen fertilizer is generally unnecessary except in low fertility soils. Herbicide is essential during the establishment years after which natural weed suppression by shading is sufficient. Pesticides are unnecessary. Water‐use efficiency is high (e.g. 5.5–9.2 g aerial DM (kg H2O)−1, but high biomass productivity means increased water demand compared to cereal crops. The perennial nature and belowground biomass improves soil structure, increases water‐holding capacity (up by 100–150 mm), and reduces run‐off and erosion. Overwinter ripening increases landscape structural resources for wildlife. Reduced management intensity promotes earthworm diversity and abundance although poor litter palatability may reduce individual biomass. Chemical leaching into field boundaries is lower than comparable agriculture, improving soil and water habitat quality.
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机译：在英国种植多年生生物量作物芒草可能抵消2-13 Mt油当量。 yr −1 ，占当前能源消耗的10％。政策制定者需要保证，可以可持续地进行提高芒草产量的增加，而又不会对基本粮食产量或更广泛的环境产生负面影响。本研究将大量的芒草相关文献复习成简明摘要。多年生芒草的能量输出/输入比（47.3±2.2）比一年生能源作物（4.7±0.2至5.5±0.2）高10倍，能源生产的总碳成本（1.12 g CO2-Ceq.MJ < sup> -1 ）比化石燃料低20–30倍。在以前的耕地上种植一般会增加土壤中的有机碳（SOC），而芒草固碳量为0.7–2.2 Mg C4-Cha -1 yr -1 。在草原上耕种会导致SOC的扰动损失，这种损失很可能在农作物的整个生命周期内得到恢复，并可能通过抵消化石燃料而得到缓解。未施肥的芒草的一氧化二氮排放量可能比一年生作物低五倍，比集约化牧场低一百倍。除了在肥沃的土壤中，通常不需要氮肥。除草剂在定植年期间是必不可少的，之后通过遮荫自然抑制杂草就足够了。农药是不必要的。水分利用效率很高（例如5.5-9.2 g航空DM（kg H2O） -1 ），但高生物量生产率意味着与谷物作物相比需水量增加。多年生自然和地下生物量改善了土壤结构，增加保水能力（提高100-150毫米）并减少径流和侵蚀；越冬成熟增加了野生动植物的景观结构资源；管理强度降低促进了diversity的多样性和丰度，尽管凋落适口性可能会降低单个生物量。浸入田间边界的水流低于同类农业，从而改善了土壤和水的生境质量。
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