Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) as a promising energy crop

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is a perennial fast-growing C-3 plant belongs to family Poaceae with an early season growth, a wide physiological tolerance and with large possibilities of utilization. Recently, the use for bioenergy has become very perspective mainly because its high yield (5-10 t dry matter ha/year) and very good properties for combustion. The mean calorific value is about 16-18 MJ/kg dry matter. It can be usually harvested twice a year at lower cultivation inputs and shows the ability to grow in wide range of soil conditions including on land, which is not appropriate for other agricultural purposes. It has also the potential for different industrial applications, for example for biogas, ethanol, pulp and paper production, or for the production of chemical raw materials, too. The cultivation area rapidly increases, mainly in North Europe, where it is cultivated on thousands of hectares. The cultivation for energy or other industrial purposes has also benefits to the environment because of low intensity on agricultural management, supporting biodiversity and soil preservation against erosion.