Cultivation of Miscanthus under West European conditions: Seasonal changes in dry matter production,nutrient uptake and remobilization

There is increasing interest in cultivation of Miscanthus as a source of renewable energy in Europe, but there is little information on its nutrient requirements. Our aim was to determine the nutrient requirement of an established Miscanthus crop through a detailed study of nutrient uptake and nutrient remobilization between plant parts during growth and senescence. Therefore dry matter of rhizomes and shoots as well as N, P, K and Mg concentration under three N fertilizer rates (0, 90, and 180 kg N ha-1) were measured in field trials in 1992/93 and at one rate of 100 kg N h-1 in 1994/95.Maximum aboveground biomass in an established Miscanthus crop ranged between 25-30 t dry matter ha-1 in the September of both trial years. Due to senescence and leaf fall there was a 30% loss in dry matter between September and harvest in March. N fertilization had no effect on crop yield at harvest. Concentrations of N, P, K and Mg in shoots were at a maximum at the beginning of the growing period in May and decreased thereafter while concentrations in rhizomes stayed fairly constant throughout the year and were not affected by N fertilization.Nutrient mobilization from rhizomes to shoots - defined as the maximum change in nutrient content in rhizomes from the beginning of the growth period measured in 1992/93 was 55 kg N ha-1, 8 kg P ha-1, 39 kg K ha-1 and 11 kg Mg ha-1. This is equivalent to 21 N, 36 P, 14 K and 27 Mg of the maximum nutrient content of the shoots. Nutrient remobilization from shoots to rhizomes defined as the increase in nutrient content of rhizomes between September and March measured in 1994/95 was 101 kg N ha-1, 9 kg P ha-1, 81 kg K ha-1 and 8 kg Mg ha-1 equivalent to 46 N, 50 P, 30 K and 27 Mg of nutrient content of shoots in September. Results showed that nutrient remobilization within the plant needs to be considered when calculating nutrient balances and fertilizer recommendations.