Profile
Reed Canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea
Genome sequenced?
No.
Related DOE/USDA Research Abstracts
Potential Biofeedstock: Reed Canarygrass
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| Reed Canarygrass. Photo Courtesy USDA. |
Reed canarygrass is a cool season, long-lived perennial grass native to temperate regions in North America, Asia, and Europe. One of the first grasses to sprout in the spring, it can grow between 2 and 9 feet tall while forming a thick rhizome system that quickly dominates the soil.
Reed canarygrass grows best under cool, moist conditions along lakeshores and rivers and is one of the best grass species for poorly drained soils. However, it is also found on upland sites, where it can survive temporary droughts.
As a C3 pathway species, reed canarygrass produces lower yields than C4 species such as switchgrass except in very cool regions like northern Europe, where low temperatures limit the photosynthetic processes. In fact, reed canarygrass is the lowest yielding of the most important biomass grasses—which include switchgrass, Miscanthus, and giant reed—but it’s the only perennial, rhizomatous grass that can be produced in regions with short vegetation periods and cold winters. Sweden has extensively evaluated reed canarygrass as a bioenergy crop, achieving average yields of 9 dry metric tons per hectare with the fall harvest and 7.5 dry metric tons per hectare with the spring harvest over 8 years.
In addition to its biomass potential, reed canarygrass can be used to reduce soil erosion. It’s also the most popular species for planting in bed systems to remove nutrients from municipal and industrial wastewater.
Cautionary note: Reed canarygrass is a persistent species that may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats if not properly managed. It has proven to be too aggressive in the Pacific Northwest.
References
Lavergne, Sebastien, et al. “Reed Canary Grass as a Biological Model
in the Study of Plant Invasions,” Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences,
23(5): 1–15 (2004).
Lewandowski, Iris, et al. “The Development and Current Status of Perennial Rhizomatous Grasses as Energy Crops in the US and Europe,” Biomass and Bioenergy, 25 (2003), 335–361.
Plant Fact Sheet, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service .
