Development of Model to Predict Yield of Miscanthus Using Monthly Climate Change Datasets.

Miscanthus has been widely studied for production of renewable energy because of its high yield potential. It is also advantageous to produce biofuels using miscanthus because it is not a food crop. In Europe and U.S., physiological characteristics of miscanthus have been studied and crop models have been developed to predict growth and yield of miscanthus. These models are mostly dependent on daily weather data inputs, which makes it challenging to make spatial prediction of Miscanthus yields under climate change. A simple model was developed to predict yield of miscanthus using monthly climate grids as inputs because such monthly data have been used for spatial modelling in a GIS. In this study where Miscanthus yield was predicted in Asia, the simple model indicated that high yield would be attainable in Korea and southern Japan. Areas near Vladivostok, Russia also have relatively high yield potential for miscanthus. Low yield of miscanthus was predicted in continental regions in East Asia including northern China and Mongolia under current climate conditions. However, under climate change conditions, yield potential of miscanthus tend to increase in those continental regions.