Family: Gramineae
Genus: Phalaris
Species: arundinacea
(i) General background on the plant
This species is a robust coarse perennial, widely distributed across temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It grows to between 60cm and 2m high and has hairless light green or whitish green leaves 10-35 cm long and 6-18 cm wide. Flowering occurs in June to August, and seed is produced. Reed canary grass spreads naturally by creeping rhizomes, but plants can be raised from seed. The plant frequently occurs in wet places, along the margins of rivers, streams, lakes and pools.
Until the mid 1950s, reed canary grass grew wild and received little scientific or commercial attention. Then researchers began to notice that reed canary grass possessed two desirable characteristics: the ability to withstand drought and conversely excessive precipitation.
More recently, the species is being evaluated as a fibre and energy producing crop in Sweden where there is a breeding programme evaluating reed canary grass as a potential source for fibre from pulping and for fuel.
(ii) Details of quality characters
The plant is a C3 pathway species.
Chemical composition of Reed Canary grass is as follows:
28% Cellulose
22% Hemicellulose
14% Lignin
8% Ash (of which a high % is silica)
28% Other
Fibre Characteristics
| Anthony et al. 1993 | Fibre length (mm) | Coarseness (mg/m) | Water retention |
0.67 |
0.082 |
200 |
The crop removes nitrogen from the soil more efficiently than any other cool-season grasses and often analyses highest in percentage crude protein among grasses at similar stages of maturing. (Anthony et al. 1993).
(iii) Current production and yields
| Area | Number of cuts |
Yield t/ha DM |
| USA | 3 |
11 |
| USA | 1 |
4.4-8.6 |
| Canada | 3 |
9.5-12 |
| Sweden | 2 |
10 |
| UK | 1 |
4 |
(Chisholm, 1994)
Yields under a multi-cut system are higher than under 1 cut (Wright 1988), in fact under a one cut system, yields appear to be lower than Spartina Spp.
(iv) Constraints on production
The crop can be established from seed, although seedling failures have been reported, mainly due to frost heave. The species is well adapted to cool temperate climates and wet soil conditions. It can withstand 49 days under water (Wright 1988). The advantages of the species are its adaptation to poor wet soils, its ability to be established from seed and its attainment of a high dry matter content earlier than Miscanthus.
(v) Markets and market potential
Biomass is the fourth largest source of energy in the world supplying 14% of primary energy. Most of this is from developing countries, however 4% of the energy derived in developed countries is from biomass sources. In the USA it is 4%, in Sweden 14%, and in Austria 10% (Hall et. al. 1992). These and other countries are planning to increase their use of biomass to benefit from its environmental, economic and social advantages.
Energy crops provide fuel which when substituted for fossil fuels result in a net reduction in CO2 emission, which is in line with the pledge the European Union has made to stabilise CO2 emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000.
Reed canary grass may be planted in bed systems to remove nutrients from waste water, also to reduce risks of soil erosion.
(vi) Other information
See the following pages in the NF-2000 Database
Reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinaceae)
(vii) Contacts
(viii) References
- Chisholm C.J., 1994 Reed Canary Grass. In: Towards a UK Research Strategy for Alternative Crops. Silsoe Research Institute.
- Anthony, K.R.M., Meadley, J. and Robbelen, G. 1993. New crops for temperate regions, Chapman and Hall, London.
- Hall, D.O., Hemstock, S. L, House, J: and Rosillo-Calle F. 1992. Second World Renewable Energy Congress, Reading, 13-18 September 1992.
- Hubbard, C.E. (1959) Grasses - A guide to their structure, identification, uses and distribution in the British Isles. Penguin Books
- Wright, N.A. (1988). Screening of herbaceous species for energy crops on wet soils in Ohio. Proceedings of First National Symposium New Crops Research Development and Economics. Timber Press, Oregon 263-267