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Tahir Ibrahim-Masters Thesis .pdf (1.32 MB)

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The Relative Competitive Ability Of Biofuel, Feral And Cultivated Biotypes Of Miscanthus

Ibrahim, Tahir Asmah
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437246960

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology.
Miscanthus sinensis is a perennial, ornamental grass from Asia that has been cultivated in North America for over a century. Miscanthus sinensis has become naturalized (“feral”) in at least 23 states, and the 3x variety is currently a leading perennial grass biofuel crop. The long-term success of cultivating Miscanthus for biofuels hinges on how to avoid and mitigate inadvertent production of invasive biotypes. Miscanthus x giganteus is a widely grown sterile triploid hybrid, but there are fertile hybrids such as `Powercane’. To gain insight into the competitive ability of these taxa, we established a competition experiment. The experiment includes three feral accessions of M. sinensis from Ohio and West Virginia, a horticultural variety of M. sinensis, and M. x giganteus `Powercane’. Competition treatments consisted of surrounding focal Miscanthus biotypes with three individuals of native Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass), non-native Bromus inermis (Bromegrass), or no competitors. Plots were monitored for two growing seasons. We found significant differences among Miscanthus biotypes, and with competition, but no significant interaction. Miscanthus x giganteus `Powercane’ produced significantly more dry biomass and larger basal area than two of the three feral populations. The response to competition was highly significant, but there were no significant differences between native and non-native competitors. These results suggest variation among Miscanthus biotypes can influence competitive outcomes and performance. In conclusion, M. x giganteus exhibited superior performance but produced few seeds, which might limit its potential to escape cultivation and establish feral populations.
Maria Miriti, Ph D. (Advisor)
Allison Snow, Ph. D. (Committee Member)
46 p.
Agriculture; Ecology; Environmental Studies
Biofuels; Miscanthus; Invasive;

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Citations

  • Ibrahim, T. A. (2015). The Relative Competitive Ability Of Biofuel, Feral And Cultivated Biotypes Of Miscanthus [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437246960

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ibrahim, Tahir. The Relative Competitive Ability Of Biofuel, Feral And Cultivated Biotypes Of Miscanthus. 2015. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437246960.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ibrahim, Tahir. "The Relative Competitive Ability Of Biofuel, Feral And Cultivated Biotypes Of Miscanthus." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437246960

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1437246960
415
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.