Progress on optimizing miscanthus biomass production for the European bioeconomy:Results of the EU FP7 project OPTIMISC

This paper describes the complete findings of the EU-funded research project OPTIMISC, which investigated methods to optimize the production and use of miscanthus biomass. Miscanthus bioenergy and bioproduct chains were investigated by trialing 15 diverse germplasm types in a range of climatic and soil environments across central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, and China. The abiotic stress tolerances of a wider panel of 100 germplasm types to drought, salinity, and low temperatures were measured in the laboratory and a field trial in Belgium. A small selection of germplasm types was evaluated for performance in grasslands on marginal sites in Germany and the UK. The growth traits underlying biomass yield and quality were measured to improve regional estimates of feedstock availability. Several potential high-value bioproducts were identified. The combined results provide recommendations to policymakers, growers and industry. The major technical advances in miscanthus production achieved by OPTIMISC include: (1) demonstration that novel hybrids can out-yield the standard commercially grown genotype Miscanthus x giganteus; (2) characterization of the interactions of physiological growth responses with environmental variation within and between sites; (3) quantification of biomass-quality-relevant traits; (4) abiotic stress tolerances of miscanthus genotypes; (5) selections suitable for production on marginal land; (6) field establishment methods for seeds using plugs; (7) evaluation of harvesting methods; and (8) quantification of energy used in densification (pellet) technologies with a range of hybrids with differences in stem wall properties. End-user needs were addressed by demonstrating the potential of optimizing miscanthus biomass composition for the production of ethanol and biogas as well as for combustion. The costs and life-cycle assessment of seven miscanthusbased value chains, including small- and large-scale heat and power, ethanol, biogas, and insulation material production, revealed GHG-emission- and fossil-energy-saving potentials of up to 30.6 t CO2eqC ha(-1) y(-1) and 429 GJ ha(-1)y(-1), respectively. Transport distance was identified as an important cost factor. Negative carbon mitigation costs of-78 epsilon t(-1) CO2eq C were recorded for local biomass use. The OPTIMISC results demonstrate the potential of miscanthus as a crop for marginal sites and provide information and technologies for the commercial implementation of miscanthus-based value chains

Investigation of The Antibacterial Effects of Different Plant Extracts Against Pea Bacterial Leaf Blight Disease Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi

WOS: 000496182800003Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi causing pea bacterial leaf blight disease in pea production areas all over the world is a seed-borne pathogen. The initial symptoms of the disease are observed as water-soaked stains on the cotyledon leaves and turn into necrotic stains at a further stage. In this study, the antibacterial properties of plant extracts has tested against Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi. For this purpose, 34 different medicinal and aromatic plant extracts were investigated in vitro conditions by using diffusion disc method and the degree of inhibition on inoculum was determined through applying plant extracts that found effective to pathogen to seed before planting in the pot and field experiments. In the petri-experiments, nine plant species with antibacterial effects against the pathogen were identified. Three plant extracts (Allium sativum, Cistus creticus and Syzygium aromaticum) which showed the highest antibacterial effect in vitro experiments conducted by applicating of different doses; were investigated in terms of their impact on disease outbreak in pot and field experiments. These three plant extracts suppressed the disease in the pot experiment by %17-95, in the field experiment by %76-98. In this study, the most effective seed application was determined as Syzygium aromaticum. The extract suppressed the disease by 95% in pot experiments and 98% in the field experiments. In addition, Syzygium aromaticum extract had 5% germination enhancing effect. To conclude, the use of plant extracts as seed application in the integrated management of this disease has been considered as one of the successful management strategies