Developing <i>Miscanthus</i> seed plug establishment protocols with mulch film for commercial upscaling

High-yielding crops with C4 photosynthesis arising in tropical climates are being bred for, and increasingly grown in, temperate climates. Miscanthus, a from Eastern Asia is leading perennial biomass crop, but commercial deployment limited by low temperatures Northern Europe, clonal multiplication rates slow establishment requiring up to 4 years reach mature yields. While new seeded hybrids have >2000, direct field sown seed has proven impractical. Protocols for safe of require that seedlings raised the glasshouse compost filled modules (also known as ‘plugs’) which transplanted into springtime. To protect damage late frosts, drought grazing increase temperature stimulating growth rates, plug plants were covered oxo-degradable plastic mulch film designed maize. At two sites UK, this significantly reduced plant losses at transplanting overwintering, increased stem heights shoot counts, time yield 3 (p < 0.01). However, breakdown products films contribute microplastics soil. Therefore, further experiments conducted bio-derived plastics bio-degradable soil extruded thicknesses 10, 18 30 microns. The 10 micron combined sufficient strength machine laying worked well on de-risking establishment. Halving widths covering 1 row rather than 2 amount 25%. Commercial plug-to-field protocols built results plot field-scale plantings over multiple locations ready future upscaling production seed-based Miscanthus hybrids.