Fertiliser requirements
The annual fertiliser demands of the crop
are low. This is due to good nutrient use
efficiency and the plant’s capability to re-cycle
large amounts of nutrients into the rhizomes
during the latter part of the growing season. As
a consequence, nutrient off-take at harvest is
low, as shown in Table 1. Since the leaves
predominately remain in the field it is only
necessary to account for the amount of
nutrients removed in the stems. The nutrient
requirements during the following seasons are
met by leaf litter decomposition, natural soil
nutrient reserves, rhizome reserves and
atmospheric depositions. Mature rhizomes
tend to store more nutrients than the crop
needs, so after the first 2 years, only a small
quantity of additional micro-nutrients may be
required. For good miscanthus yields a
minimum phosphorus and potassium soil index
of 1 should be aimed for and soil nitrogen
supply should exceed 150 kg/ha in each of the
first 2 seasons. When nutrients are needed in
the first 2 seasons, this could come from farmyard
manure or sewage sludge.
Codes of Good Fertiliser Practice should
always be followed.
Table 1. Nutrient ‘off-take’ (kg/ha) for an
‘average crop’ consisting of 13.5 t/ha of
stems and 4.5 t/ha leaf litter
Weed control
Weeds compete with the crop for light, water
and nutrients and can reduce yields. Weed
control in the establishment phase of the crop
is essential because poor control can severely
check the development of the crop. It is vital
that proposed sites should be cleared of
perennial weeds before any planting
takes place. DEFRA’s Pesticides Safety
Directorate has given off-label approval
for herbicides used for cereals,grass and
maize to be used on miscanthus. Write
to PSD (see page 18) or see
www.pesticides.gov.uk/solaweb/solaweb.htmHerbicide application must not be made on
miscanthus crops greater than 1 metre in
height and the crop cannot subsequently be
used for food or feed. A wide range of
herbicides have been used effectively with no
visible damage to the crop in Denmark and the
UK. Following the establishment year, an
annual spring application of a broad-spectrum
herbicide may be needed to control grass
weeds such as common couch and annual
meadow-grass and broad-leaved weeds with
early season vigour. Glyphosate and paraquat
have been used in this dormant period
between harvest and initiation of spring growth
but they will cause severe damage to any new
shoots which might have emerged. Once the
crop is mature (i.e. from the summer of
the second year), weed interference is
effectively suppressed. This is initially due
to the leaf litter layer on the soil surface and
subsequently due to the closure of the crop
canopy, which reduces the light penetrating
into the under-storey. Weeds that do survive
offer little competition to the crop. Since there
are no labelled recommendations, all products
used are at the users own choosing and the
commercial risk is entirely theirs.