Biomass potential via light interception of novel miscanthus hybrids from field trials

New biomass crop hybrids for bioeconomic expansion require yield projections to determine their potential for strategic land use planning in the face of global challenges. Our biomass growth simulation incorporates radiation interception and conversion efficiency. Models often use leaf area to predict interception which is demanding to determine accurately, so instead, we use low-cost rapid light interception measurements using a simple lab-made line ceptometer and relate the dynamics of canopy closure to thermal time, and to measurements of biomass. We apply the model to project the European biomass potentials of new market-ready hybrids for 2020–30. Field measurements are easier to collect, the calibration is seasonally dynamic and reduces influence of weather variation between field sites. The model obtained is conservative, being calibrated by crops of varying establishment and varying maturity on less productive (marginal) land. This results in conservative projections of miscanthu..., The dataset was collected via (1) the GRACE field trial for novel miscanthus hybrids (observed standing crop biomass, light interception, harvest yield) (2) data analysis and modelled extraction of a best-fit curve (light interception) (3) calibration data and validation data were used in the Bioenergy model MiscanFor (Hastings et al, 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-1707.2009.01007.x; Shepherd et al, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12671) The GRACE project contained more sites and more genotypes than the study for this paper, so data for relevant genotypes, years and locations have been extracted, analysed and used for model calibration and validation., Excel (.csv files) and ArcGIS coverages (zipped)